Pension consolidation: organise the questions before a transfer

Combining pensions involves a transfer

A pension transfer moves pension rights or money from one arrangement to another. Consolidation means bringing pensions together through transfers. Keeping separate arrangements is also possible; finding an old pension does not require you to move it.

This guide is for organising questions before a decision. It does not recommend a receiving scheme, identify a suitable product or submit a transfer. Keep the search for a record separate from a later decision about what to do with it.

Sources: MoneyHelper: Transfer or combine pensions

Make a separate record for each arrangement

Before comparing anything, identify each pension and confirm its scheme type. Give each arrangement its own row with the name on the paperwork, administrator, statement date and unanswered questions. Keep a statement’s valuation date separate from the date you received it.

Use “unknown” where you do not have written confirmation. A familiar logo, a contact reference or a remembered employer is not confirmation of a current balance or a pension’s benefits. The document checklist can help you collect the missing information.

• Scheme name and type.
• Current administrator and official contact route.
• Document date and confirmed details.
• Questions still awaiting a scheme-specific reply.

Ask what would change or be lost

Transfers can alter charges, investment choices and scheme features. Some arrangements have valuable guarantees or protected access ages that may be lost. Ask the existing scheme and any receiving scheme to explain the effects for the specific arrangement.

Keep the answer in your records rather than ticking a generic “safe to transfer” box. Ask which features would continue, which would stop, and what remains uncertain. Our fee guide helps you prepare cost questions but does not turn the answers into a recommendation.

Sources: MoneyHelper: Transfer or combine pensions

Treat defined benefit rights as a separate question

The FCA and The Pensions Regulator consider that most people are better off keeping a defined benefit pension. Moving to defined contribution can mean losing guaranteed income and taking investment and longevity risks. A completed transfer cannot generally be reversed.

Regulated advice may be legally required for particular transfers. Ask about the requirements for your own scheme and seek appropriately authorised advice before making a decision. This site cannot determine whether you meet an exception or whether a transfer is suitable.

Sources: FCA: Considering a defined benefit pension transfer

Choose the next information step

An information request is not a transfer instruction. You might next obtain a current statement, ask for a missing charge explanation or arrange appropriate guidance or advice. Record the question, who should answer it and the reply date, without treating a quotation as an instruction to proceed.

Keep private reference numbers in your own filing and send them only through the official scheme process. All Pensions does not contact providers, transfer pensions or endorse a product. The public sources were checked on 4 October 2026; no named adviser has reviewed your individual circumstances.

• Resolve missing records before relying on a comparison.
• Keep original documents and written replies together.
• Separate factual confirmations from illustrations and personal opinions.

Keep learning

• Pension fees: understand the charges on your paperwork →
• Understanding a defined benefit pension record →
• How to find an old pension →
• Pension document checklist →
• Can I have five pensions? →

Browse all fees and transfers guides →