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How to find your old 401(k)

3 steps to uncovering your old 401(k) — and what to do once you’ve found it.

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By

Shannon Terrell

Updated

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Switching jobs can be hectic, and it’s not uncommon for things to get lost in the shuffle — including your old 401(k). If you need to know how to find your old 401(k), don’t fret. There are many strategies and databases to help you recover forgotten retirement funds.

3 steps to find your old 401(k)

It’s not all that uncommon to lose a 401(k) — especially if you didn’t have much invested to begin with. It’s possible you were automatically enrolled in a 401(k) by your old employer and didn’t know the account existed. Or maybe you got caught up in the process of switching jobs and forgot to tie up loose ends.

Whatever the case, you can rest assured that your retirement funds aren’t gone, and you’re entitled to them. It’s a simple matter of tracking them down –– and you can start by contacting your old employer.

1. Contact your old employer

Start your search by reaching out to the human resources department of your previous employer. If you don’t have HR’s email address or phone number on hand, reach out to any company employees you’re still in touch with to request the information.

In most cases, it shouldn’t be too hard to reconnect with your old employer, but if your company merged with another firm or went out of business, you may need to move on to step two.

2. Speak to the plan administrator

Now let’s say you haven’t had much luck reaching your old company. The next point of contact will be the plan administrator, which is the investment company responsible for managing the investments in your old 401(k) account.

Do you have any old account statements lying around? It might be time to dig through the filing cabinet for the last 401(k) statement you received from your past employer. This statement should have the plan administrator’s name and contact information on it. And they should be able to reconnect you with your missing account — or at least tell you where the funds are.

During this step, you may discover your old 401(k) was liquidated or moved. If your account had less than $1,000 in it, plan administrators are permitted to mail you a check, transfer the funds to a federally insured bank account or send the funds to your state’s unclaimed property fund. If the account had more than $1,000 but less than $5,000, the administrator may have rolled your old 401(k) into an individual retirement account (IRA) — a process known as an involuntary cash-out — which they can do without your consent.

3. Search national databases

If you follow these steps and still come up short, try a national database. There are numerous sites and services designed to connect former employees with lost retirement savings.

Most are free to use with the exception of FreeERISA. Its Basic service doesn’t cost anything to use, but its Deluxe service tier is $14.95 monthly. The difference between the two? The Basic plan offers access to FreeERISA’s Form 5500 data, allowing you to search for plans by company name, state and ZIP code. The Deluxe plan gives you more search options, including plan type, total assets and total participants. It also lets you look up Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plans.

DatabaseHow to get started
The National Registry of Unclaimed Benefits
  1. Select Find My Funds.
  2. Enter your Social Security number.
  3. Select Search.
The DOL’s Abandoned Plan Search
    1. Enter your plan’s name, your employer’s name, your city, state and ZIP code.

OR

  1. Enter the name of a qualified termination administrator (QTA), your city, state and ZIP code.
  2. Select Search.
FreeERISA
  1. Select Sign up for free.
  2. Enter your email address and select the type of account you’re searching for.
  3. Select Create your FreeERISA Account.
  4. Enter your full name, residential address and phone number.
  5. Create a password and select the plan you’d like to sign up for.
  6. Submit your payment information if you select the Deluxe plan.
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
  1. Call 800-326-5678 weekdays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET.
  2. Provide your full name, residential address, Social Security number, phone number, name of your previous employer and dates you worked for the company.
Missing Money
  1. Enter your name into the search box on the right-hand side.
  2. Select the Claim button next to your name if a claim pops up.
  3. Select the Yes I can claim button if the claim belongs to you or a deceased relative.
  4. Navigate to the state website and follow the instructions there.

What to do when you find an old 401(k)

Once you’ve reconnected with your old 401(k), it’s time to decide what to do with it:

  • Leave it with your old employer. If you contributed at least $5,000 to your old 401(k), you might consider leaving it where it is. But this may only be worthwhile if the account has competitive fees or offers access to unique investments. Otherwise, it’ll be yet another account to keep track of come retirement, and you may be better off rolling it over.
  • New 401(k) rollover. Has your new employer offered you a 401(k)? Consider consolidating your retirement funds by rolling your old retirement account into a new 401(k).
  • IRA rollover. If you don’t have a new 401(k) to move your old retirement funds into, consider rolling over into an individual retirement account. That way, your funds retain their tax-advantaged status.
  • Cash it out. Consider this a last resort because cashing out a 401(k) ahead of schedule can result in major penalties.
    • If you’re older than 59 ½, you can access funds without penalty.
    • If you’re under 59 ½, withdrawals are subject to a 10% tax penalty and other fees.

Compare retirement accounts

Your 401(k) options are generally determined by your employer, unless you’re self-employed with a solo 401(k). If you don’t like the plan or want a supplement, consider these and other brokers offering retirement accounts.

1 - 5 of 5
Name Product Retirement account types Annual fee Signup bonus
SoFi IRA
Finder Rating: 4.3 / 5: ★★★★★
SoFi IRA
Roth, Traditional, SEP, Rollover
$0 per month
Get a 1% match
when you contribute to a SoFi IRA
Grow your retirement savings with SoFi's active or automated IRAs, 1% IRA match and no-cost financial advice.
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More Info
Vanguard IRA
Finder Rating: 3.8 / 5: ★★★★★
Vanguard IRA
Roth, Traditional, Spousal
0.3%
N/A
Save for retirement with Vanguard's commission-free stocks, ETFs and 160+ no-transaction-fee mutual funds.
Go to site
More Info
Acorns Later
Finder Rating: 3.4 / 5: ★★★★★
Acorns Later
Roth, Traditional, SEP
$3 per month
N/A
Automatic ETF investing with as little as $5. Annual fee of $3, $5 or $9 per month depending on subscription.
Go to site
More Info
Interactive Brokers IRA
Finder Rating: 4.3 / 5: ★★★★★

Finder Award
Interactive Brokers IRA
Roth, Traditional, SEP, Rollover
N/A
N/A
Winner of Finder’s Best Overall Stock Broker award.
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Wealthfront
Finder Rating: 4 / 5: ★★★★★
Wealthfront
Roth, Traditional, SEP, Rollover
0.25%
Get a $50 bonus
when you fund your first taxable Automated Investing Account.
Automated stock and bond ETF investing with the ability to trade individual stocks for as little as $1 apiece.
Go to site
More Info
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How much could you be missing?

How much do you have for retirement?

ResponseBalanceContributions
Amount$196,192.48$7,409.56
Source: Finder survey by Qualtrics of 2033 Americans, December 2023

Missing 401K is no laughing matter, with the average American having $196,192 in their 401K. Even if you’re only missing a year’s worth of funds that still could be a sizeable sum, with the average annual contribution being $7,410.

Bottom line

Losing an old 401(k) isn’t the end of the world — just make sure you have a game plan in place for the funds once you uncover them. Without a new 401(k) to roll funds into, consider opening an IRA to help your retirement savings retain their tax-advantaged status. And for more on 401(k)s and how they work, check out our comprehensive 401(k) beginner’s guide.

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