Understanding the Retirement Savings Lost and Found Database
Learn about the Retirement Savings Lost and Found Database, established by the DOL and designed
to assist in recovering lost retirement accounts.
There are billions of dollars in unclaimed retirement savings in the United States. US Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) is trying to make it as easy as possible for workers and/or beneficiaries to access these funds. The SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 established a public Retirement Savings Lost and Found Database as a resource for participants to find lost or forgotten retirement accounts.
The website was created by the EBSA to make it easier for workers to locate accounts from previous employers. There is an ongoing challenge in the current labor market for workers switching jobs multiple times over their careers to keep track of and claim their retirement benefits. The goal is to help make sure all workers are receiving their earned and appropriate retirement benefits when they decide to enter retirement.
Lost and found database details:
Kaley Keeley Buchanan
Senior Vice President and
Head of PNC Organizational Financial Wellness
- Information in the database is to be provided by plan sponsors and authorized plan service providers
- For participants who have worked for a private sector company or a union that sponsored a retirement plan
- Includes defined benefit pension plans and defined contribution plans
- Displays a list of any retirement plans linked to a social security number including contact information for plan administrators
- Plan administrators can help determine if and what retirement benefits may be available to the participant
- Does not help in locating Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) or plans sponsored by government entities or certain religious groups
- Does not include information about social security benefits
How participants can access the database:
Kaley Keeley Buchanan
Senior Vice President and
Head of PNC Organizational Financial Wellness
To keep personal information secure, participants must first register with valid legal identification. After registering and verifying their identity on Login.gov, participants will be redirected to the Lost and Found Database to search for retirement plans using their social security number.
What plan sponsors should know:
Kaley Keeley Buchanan
Senior Vice President and
Head of PNC Organizational Financial Wellness
There has been high employee turnover over the past few decades, impacting retirement savings for workers. The DOL has reported that individuals born between 1957-1964 have held an average of 12.7 jobs from age 18 to 56.1 Each time a worker changes jobs, the risk increases for that worker to lose track of their employer sponsored retirement account.
The success of the database depends on the availability and accuracy of the plan information, the plan sponsor data collection process, and voluntary participation by plan administrators and authorized third parties, such as the plan's recordkeeper or third-party administrator. Before submitting information, recordkeepers or other service providers must have authorization from a responsible fiduciary of each plan whose information is being submitted.2
Technical support for participants having issues with the Retirement Lost & Found Database website is available via email at: