To find a lost NHS pension, work out which part of the UK you worked in, then contact that scheme's administrator with your name, date of birth and National Insurance number.

NHS pensions are not held in one place, and an old job in a hospital, a GP surgery or a community team can sit in any of three administrators' records. Chasing three separate offices is a chore. When the schemes have answered, an FCA-authorised adviser will set those NHS years beside the rest of your retirement savings over the phone, without any fee; ring-back requests go via the form on this page. The rest of this page explains how to find lost NHS pension membership yourself, who to contact, and what to have ready.

Which NHS scheme holds your old membership?

Where you worked decides who holds the record. In England and Wales the scheme is administered by NHS Pensions, which sits within the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA). Scotland is handled by the Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA), and Northern Ireland by the HSC Pension Service. Someone who moved between countries may have years in more than one.

Start by writing down each NHS employer you can remember, the town or country, and roughly when you were there. Old payslips, contracts and any letters from NHS Pensions are worth hunting for, because they help pin down the employers and dates the scheme will ask about. If you cannot tell which of the NHS pension arrangements your years fell under, which NHS pension scheme am I in explains the sections.

How to find a lost NHS pension in England and Wales

Contact NHS Pensions directly, because only the scheme can confirm your record. Its page for members offers an online service for "anything related to the NHS Pension Scheme" and a helpline on 0300 330 1346, open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.

What to have ready

The scheme's guide for 2015 Scheme members says that a membership number, which begins with "SD", helps if you can quote it. Without one, you should give your National Insurance number instead. Have your full name and date of birth too, plus the names of the NHS employers and the years you think you were there.

If you cannot see a statement online

NHSBSA says that, depending on their circumstances, members receive either a Total Reward Statement or an Annual Benefit Statement each year. NHSBSA's statements page lists being a deferred member without access to ESR as one reason to use its online contact form, so a deferred member who left years ago can ask about a statement that way. Choose the member option.

If you left with two years or more of qualifying membership, the scheme's leaving guide says deferral is automatic: "You do not need to apply to defer your benefits." It adds that the scheme will write to you, and asks you to write if you change your address. A pension you have not heard about for years may therefore be waiting at an old address, which is one more reason to give NHS Pensions your current details.

Tracing NHS years worked outside England

These are separate schemes with their own contact points, so a call to NHS Pensions is the wrong door for years worked in either Scotland or Northern Ireland.

For Scotland, the SPPA's contact page tells members of the NHS, teachers', police and firefighters' schemes to use its member portal, Engage. Deferred members who need to send an application or documents are asked to include their full name, date of birth and National Insurance number. The phone number if you cannot use Engage is 01896 893000. The SPPA also asks members to keep their name, address and email address up to date, so it can send statements when they are ready. More on that scheme is on the NHS pension in Scotland.

For Northern Ireland, the HSC Pension Service has a contact form on its site. Its deferred members page says that anyone who leaves HSC employment with over two years' qualifying service has benefits deferred until normal pension age, 60 in the 1995 section or 65 in the 2008 section. So a gap of many years between jobs does not by itself mean the years have gone.

Using the Pension Tracing Service for NHS and other jobs

The Pension Tracing Service run through GOV.UK hands you contact details, not answers. It is described as a way to find contact details to search for a lost pension, and it starts from the name of an employer or pension provider. What it will not do is confirm whether a pension exists or what it is worth. That makes it handiest for jobs outside the NHS, because the NHS schemes can be reached directly. By phone it is 0800 731 0175, Monday to Friday, 10am to 3pm. Whether the service costs anything is answered on is the Pension Tracing Service free.

Other jobs may have left other pensions. How to find a lost pension covers the general routes, finding a lost Civil Service pension the Civil Service, and finding a lost SERPS pension the older State Pension top-up. If you are tracing a relative's pension after a death, see the Pension Tracing Service and a deceased person.

What you might find: a deferred pension or a refund

Short NHS service can end in a deferred pension or, in some cases, a refund of contributions. NHSBSA's leaving guide describes a deferred pension as one that is "usually payable from your Normal Pension Age", and its leaving page says you might be eligible for a refund of your scheme contributions. The leaving guide draws the line at two years' qualifying membership: under two years, a refund (less tax and National Insurance) is normally the option if you are under Normal Pension Age and did not transfer in a personal pension; two years or more, the benefits stay in the scheme. Check with the scheme that holds the record. For Scotland, the SPPA says that if you contribute to an NHS Scotland pension for more than two years, your benefits will be preserved when you leave.

If a record looks wrong, perhaps with years missing between two jobs, ask the scheme to explain it in writing, and note the dates and employers you believe are missing. When a gap leaves you unsure what it means for retirement, an adviser can talk it through by phone, free, once you have started from the form here.

A refund versus a deferred pension is worth taking time over: the leaving guide warns that anyone intending to return to NHS employment who takes a refund or transfers out "may be giving up all your existing pension rights". What happens to my NHS pension if I leave sets out the options, and deferred defined benefit pensions explains the general idea.

Missing NHS pension years: what readers ask next

Is there an NHS pension finder I can use online?

Each scheme has its own online route: the online contact service for NHS Pensions, Engage for Scotland, and the contact form for Northern Ireland. GOV.UK's tracing service will pass on contact details but cannot say whether you have a pension.

How do I know if I have an NHS pension from years ago?

Only the scheme can confirm it from its own records. If you paid NHS pension contributions on an old payslip, or received a letter from NHS Pensions, SPPA or the HSC Pension Service, you were probably a member, so contact the scheme with the details above.

What if I have moved house since I left?

Tell the scheme your new address. NHSBSA's guide asks leavers to write if they move, and the SPPA asks for up to date contact details.

Can I trace an NHS pension without a membership number?

Yes: NHSBSA's guide says to quote your National Insurance number if you have no membership number. The SPPA also asks deferred members for their full name, date of birth and National Insurance number.

Why might my record show missing years or contributions?

Only the scheme that holds the record can say why, so ask it. Missing NHS years are easier to untangle with a person at the end of the phone. This page's form lets you ask for that, with no fee for the call.

Should I move a pension I have just found?

Not in a hurry. A transfer is a big decision; start with can I transfer my NHS pension and NHS pension advice.

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