Retirement Retirement Planning

Chances Are You Might Have Forgotten Retirement Savings: Here's How to Check

Here's how to find forgotten accounts and make sure your savings stay on track.

By Kristin Hitchcock

Edited by Calista Headrick

Updated Nov. 18, 2025

Most people assume they know exactly where their retirement money lives until a job change, a cross-country move, and a few years go by. Suddenly, one old 401(k) slips through the cracks. It sounds unlikely, but it happens more often than most of us realize.

Recent research shows that an estimated 25% of all retirement savings could be sitting in forgotten accounts. That's real money earning real returns, just not where you think it is.

If you want to stay on the right track to build wealth, here's what to know and how to check.

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A quarter of retirement savings could be "lost"

A 2024 report highlighted a surprising trend: millions of Americans might have retirement funds sitting idle in old workplace plans. These have doubled in the past decade. When people switch jobs, especially early in their careers, it's easy to lose track of accounts. Life moves fast, HR paperwork gets buried in a "someday" folder, and suddenly, you're unsure whether you ever rolled a plan over.

It's not carelessness. It's life. Still, forgotten savings might mean missed growth and unnecessary fees.

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How retirement accounts get overlooked

Most "lost" accounts start with a simple job change. Maybe you left a role after a year or two and figured the balance wasn't worth much. Maybe you assumed it was rolled into your new plan automatically. Or, like many workers, you moved and never updated your address with your old plan's administrator.

Over time, small balances could grow, and tracking them down later gets harder if you don't act early.

What happens to forgotten accounts

When retirement money sits in a forgotten plan, a few things might happen:

The account could remain invested, without you managing or rebalancing it.
Old employer plans might charge fees that eat into your balance.
If the balance is very small, it might eventually be cashed out and sent to you or rolled into an IRA without your input.
In some cases, funds might be transferred to state unclaimed property programs if administrators lose contact with you.

It's better to locate funds before the trail gets cold.

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Signs you might have forgotten an account

Not sure whether you're missing money? A few signals could point to a forgotten retirement plan:

You've held multiple jobs, especially early in your career.
You remember enrolling in a 401(k) but don't recall rolling it over.
You moved states and changed addresses and employers during that time.
You stopped receiving statements, or don't remember ever getting any.

A quick check now could save a headache (and potentially add thousands back to your retirement picture).

How to find a lost retirement account

Tracing old retirement accounts might sound overwhelming, but it's doable. Try working through the list:

Reach out to past employers' HR departments
Check old emails or pay stubs for plan provider names
Look up accounts using the Department of Labor's Abandoned Plan Database
Search the National Registry of Unclaimed Retirement Benefits
Review state unclaimed property websites

Even if you don't find anything, you'll walk away confident that everything is accounted for.

What to do once you find it

Locating your money is step one. Step two is deciding the best home for it:

Roll it into your current 401(k), if allowed
Move it into an IRA you control
Verify investment allocations and fees
Update beneficiaries and contact information

Even modest balances could grow meaningfully with a couple of decades of compounding. A rollover could also make it easier to keep track long-term.

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Avoid losing track in the future

Staying organized helps prevent future "lost" funds. A few simple tips:

Keep a running list of every job-related benefit plan you enroll in
Create a digital folder for plan statements and rollover confirmations
Consolidate accounts when possible
Update mailing and email addresses anytime you move

Think of it as housekeeping for your financial life. Small steps that protect your future self.

Why small balances still matter

It's easy to shrug off an old account with a few hundred or a couple of thousand dollars in it. But those small balances might grow significantly over decades. Thanks to compounding interest, even modest contributions left untouched over 20 or 30 years could grow substantially depending on market performance and fees. That means forgotten funds could become meaningful support for your future self, making the hunt worth it even if the balance seems minor today.

Bottom line

It's easier than most people realize to lose track of a retirement account, especially after switching jobs or moving. A quick search could uncover savings you earned years ago and help you bring all your investments under one roof for easier management.

And it's worth the effort: research suggests workers might change jobs up to a dozen times over a career, meaning multiple opportunities for accounts to slip through the cracks. Taking time now to review old plans and roll them over could strengthen your retirement plan and help you see how well you've prepared for retirement.

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