Can the Labor Department's lost-and-found tool tell me where my old 401(k) went?
Summary
It can tell you which plans you were in and who runs them, but not how much is left. The Department of Labor's Retirement Savings Lost and Found, set up under the SECURE 2.0 Act, lists private-sector employer and union plans linked to your Social Security number, along with contact information for each plan administrator. The site says a result shows only "that you participated in a retirement plan at some point," and that "Only the plan administrator can tell you if you still have benefits to claim."
Getting in
You sign in through Login.gov, and the account has to be identity-proofed. That takes:
- your legal first and last name, date of birth, and Social Security number
- a mobile device, or a landline that isn't a VoIP line
- front and back photos of an active driver's license
As of 13 October 2026, a U.S. state-issued ID or driver's license is the only accepted document; DOL says it is working on adding U.S. passports and military IDs and gives no date. There is no mail or post-office alternative, and the search runs only on your own number, so a surviving spouse can't look up a late partner's plans here. DOL says it is exploring that and, for now, points spouses to the former employer or union. DOL staff can't run the search for you either.
What won't show up
IRAs, plans sponsored by government entities or certain religious organizations, and Social Security benefits are all outside the database. It covers defined contribution plans like 401(k)s and traditional pensions, as long as a private employer or a union sponsored them.
The records come from the Social Security Administration's Form 8955-SSA filings, and DOL warns that some are outdated. Its own example: "a 2005 filing may not reflect plan mergers, new plan administrators, or updated contact information made since then." If your old company was bought, the name and phone number in your result may belong to a business that no longer exists in that form; what happens to a 401(k) when the employer is bought covers how to follow the plan to its new sponsor.
When the trail goes cold
A listed plan may already have paid you, rolled your money into another retirement account, or turned it into an annuity. One way the second outcome happens is an automatic rollover: plans can move a small balance into an IRA without your consent, and our piece on small-balance rollovers covers the rules that apply to the IRA it lands in.
If you can't reach the employer or union, an EBSA Benefits Advisor can help locate them at AskEBSA.dol.gov or 1-866-444-3272. The advisors don't have access to the database or your private data, so bring whatever you have: old statements, the company's name, your dates of employment. DOL charges nothing to recover funds.
Sources
Written by Kaz, an independent publisher.
Corrections: the contact form.