Last updated How we write our guides
Quick answer: SERPS, the State Earnings Related Pension Scheme, was a top-up to the basic State Pension for employees from 1978 to 2002. If you stayed in it, it is part of your State Pension and you don’t need to trace it: check your State Pension forecast. If you were contracted out, part of your National Insurance was paid into a private or workplace pension instead, and that is the pension you may need to find.
What happened to SERPS?
SERPS was replaced by the State Second Pension in 2002, and both ended when the new State Pension started in April 2016. Any SERPS you built up was counted when your State Pension was worked out.
Were you contracted out?
From 1988 until 2012, many people chose to leave, or “contract out” of, SERPS and its replacement. Part of their National Insurance was paid into a personal pension set up in their own name, often with an insurer, and many people later lost track of it. Others were contracted out through their employer’s final salary scheme.
Signs you were contracted out:
- You remember signing a form or getting letters about “opting out” in the late 1980s or 1990s
- Your State Pension forecast mentions being contracted out, or shows a “COPE” amount
- You were in a final salary scheme at work
How to find a contracted-out SERPS pension
- Check your State Pension forecast for the years you were contracted out.
- Look for old letters from the insurer that received your rebates. Many have since merged or been renamed: see who holds old pensions now.
- Use the free government Pension Tracing Service to get the provider’s current contact details.
- Write to the provider with your National Insurance number and date of birth.
There is no official “SERPS checker”
Searches for a “HMRC SERPS checker” are common, but HMRC doesn’t run one. Your State Pension forecast on GOV.UK is the official place to check, and it is free.
If you would rather someone did it for you
Tracing pensions yourself costs nothing but time. If you don’t have the time, or the letters and ID checks are putting you off, tell us what you remember and we’ll put you in touch with the right service:
- Pension Pie, our sister company, traces pensions of any size for one fixed fee of £249 including VAT. It never takes a percentage of what it finds and never moves your money.
- An FCA-authorised adviser may trace your pensions as part of an advice service, typically where they total £75,000 or more. The adviser explains any fees before you go ahead.
Frequently asked questions
What is a SERPS pension?
SERPS, the State Earnings Related Pension Scheme, was an extra State Pension for employees, paid on top of the basic State Pension, from 1978 to 2002. It was replaced by the State Second Pension.
How do I check my SERPS pension?
Check your State Pension forecast on GOV.UK. Any SERPS you built up is included in your State Pension. If you were contracted out, the forecast shows it, and the private pension that took your rebates is the one to trace.
Is there a HMRC SERPS checker?
No. HMRC doesn’t run a SERPS checker. The free State Pension forecast on GOV.UK is the official way to check.
Can I claim my SERPS pension as a lump sum?
SERPS within your State Pension is paid as part of your State Pension and can’t be taken as a lump sum. A contracted-out personal pension is a private pension, and the usual pension rules apply to it.
Do I have a SERPS pension if I was contracted out?
If you were contracted out through a personal pension, your SERPS rebates were paid into that pension instead. That money is yours, but you may need to trace the provider holding it.
More on finding lost pensions
- How do I find out what pensions I have?
- Can I find my pension with my National Insurance number?
- How to find a pension from an old job
- Finding a pension with a provider that changed its name
- Finding a pension from years ago
- How to check your pensions online
- Pensions dashboards: when can I see all my pensions?
- The government Pension Tracing Service or paid tracing?
- What could an old pension be worth?