Give each enquiry a clear starting point
A timeline helps you see what you asked, what came back and what still needs checking. Start a separate trail for each employer or scheme. Keep the name used at the time, approximate work dates and the question you want answered. Do not merge similar names into one confirmed pension.
The government’s Pension Tracing Service finds contact details, not proof that you hold a pension or what it is worth. Record where a contact came from and when you checked it. A search result belongs in your list of leads until the scheme confirms your record.
Sources: GOV.UK: Find pension contact details
Record the question and the reply separately
Write down the date, verified contact route and a short description of the information requested. After a telephone call, note what you understood and any promised next step. Keep written replies in your private filing, using a document label in the timeline rather than copying personal identifiers into it.
When a reply arrives, retain its date and scope. “We do not administer that scheme” answers a different question from “We could not match a member using these details”. Neither means every pension has been ruled out. Record the exact uncertainty and ask the relevant contact what information or route would help resolve it.
- Date and employer or scheme label.
- Question asked and independently checked contact route.
- Reply date, document label and what the reply actually establishes.
- Open question, next action and who will take it.
Keep follow-up dates honest
If a contact gives an expected response date, label it as their estimate or commitment. If you choose a date to review your notes, label it as your own reminder. Do not present your reminder as a legal deadline or a promise from the provider.
This guide does not set a universal response deadline for pension enquiries. If a date passes, check the contact’s current process and ask about progress. Keep the original request and subsequent follow-ups visible instead of replacing the earlier entry. You can use our blank worksheet after downloading or printing it; it does not save records or send reminders.
An enquiry, a complaint and a transfer are different
An information request asks about a scheme or your record. It does not instruct anyone to move your pension or change investments. Keep the purpose explicit, particularly if you receive forms or offers that go beyond the question you asked.
If you want to raise a formal complaint, use the relevant scheme or provider’s complaints procedure and keep that correspondence separately labelled. The Pensions Ombudsman says you must first complain formally to the relevant party before applying to it. Check its current guidance about the process and which complaints it can consider; an ordinary enquiry reminder is not a complaint deadline.
Keep the working record private
Use a simple document label instead of National Insurance numbers, passwords or identity-document details. Provide identification only through the scheme’s independently verified appropriate process. A timeline is an organising aid, not evidence that All Pensions has checked membership, a balance or a reply.
The worksheet is blank and available without an account or email address. Fill it in privately after download or print. The browser organiser can help you build an employment list; this worksheet does not automatically add enquiries to an account or contact anyone on your behalf.
Sources & review
- GOV.UK: Find pension contact detailsChecked 2026-10-04
- The Pensions Ombudsman: How we handle complaintsChecked 2026-10-04
Next scheduled review: 2027-01-04. Provider details can change sooner. Use the official website for the current contact route.
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