Pension / Superannuation Statement Request
Asks a pension or super provider for your current position in writing.
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Dear Sir / Madam,
I am a member of the pension arrangement above, member number [member number].
Please send me a current statement of my benefits.
Please also confirm the charges currently applied to my fund, the beneficiaries you have recorded, and the address you hold for me.
Please write to me at [your address].
If any of this must be requested on a particular form, please send it to me and I will complete it.
What is a Pension / Superannuation Statement Request?
A pension statement request asks the scheme or fund holding your retirement money to confirm in writing what it holds for you, on what basis, and what it will pay. It matters because retirement planning done on a remembered figure is planning on fiction: contributions go missing, old employers change administrator, service dates get recorded wrong, and the only reliable way to find any of that is to ask for the record.
People request one when tracing a scheme from a job they left years ago, before a meeting with a financial adviser, when a mortgage lender or a court needs a figure, when checking that an employer's contributions actually reached the fund, or in the run-up to retirement. Executors and administrators request one after a death. The request goes to whoever administers the scheme, which is often neither the employer nor the insurer whose name is on the old paperwork.
What you are entitled to receive, and how quickly, is set by local pension disclosure rules. United Kingdom schemes issue annual benefit statements and, for defined benefit members, transfer values that are guaranteed for a limited window. Australian super funds issue member statements, and the tax office holds records of lost accounts. In India, provident fund members can see a passbook against their universal account number, and the national pension system issues its own transaction statement. United States plans disclose under federal retirement law. Ask the administrator which regime applies to your scheme.
The letter does not start anything. It does not begin a transfer, claim a benefit, change your nominated beneficiary or trigger a retirement quotation unless you ask for those separately. A statement is a snapshot: a defined contribution value moves with markets the day after it is issued, and a transfer value can expire. It is not a valuation prepared for court proceedings, which usually has its own prescribed form. And nothing in the statement is advice — what to do with the figure is a question for a regulated adviser.
What to put in a Pension / Superannuation Statement Request
These are the details this template asks for. Anything left blank is marked in red on the preview so you can see what is still missing.
| Field | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Pension or super provider | For example: Barton Retirement Fund |
| Organisation address | For example: 1420 Kinnear Road, Columbus, OH 43212 |
| Member or policy number | For example: BRF-88-4471 |
| What you are asking for | Free text |
| What you need it for optional | For example: planning when I can afford to stop working |
| Home address | For example: 588 Kinnear Road |
| Issued to (full name) | For example: James Whitfield |
| Their address | For example: 588 Kinnear Road, Columbus, OH 43212 |
How to write a Pension / Superannuation Statement Request
Identify yourself the way the scheme does
Give your full name, any previous surnames, date of birth, the member, policy or plan number if you have it, and the employer and the exact dates you worked there. Add the national identifier the scheme uses — National Insurance number, Social Security number, universal account number or equivalent. Schemes match on these, and a mismatch produces a no record found reply.
List the figures you actually want
Ask by item rather than asking for details: current value or accrued benefit, contribution history by year with the employer and member split, the funds you are invested in and the charges applied, your normal retirement date, the death benefit and the beneficiary currently recorded, and a transfer value if you need one. A general request produces a general printout.
Fix the date the figures relate to
Say as at a specific date — the end of the last tax or financial year, or the date of a separation if a lawyer has asked for it. Without a date you get whatever the system produced most recently, which may be months old and will not line up with the other figures you are assembling.
Say why you need it and by when
Administrators prioritise requests tied to a real event, and some information is only released for a stated purpose. Mention the mortgage application, the retirement date you are working towards or the adviser meeting, give the date you need it by, and say how you want it sent — post, secure portal or email — and to which address.
Send it to the administrator and keep proof
Find the current administrator before you write: schemes get bought, merged and outsourced, and letters to a former employer often stop there. Keep a copy and the date of sending, note the reply deadline the scheme's own disclosure rules set, and follow up in writing rather than by phone so the trail stays visible.
Common mistakes
- Writing to the old employer instead of the scheme administrator, which adds weeks and sometimes gets no reply at all.
- Omitting a previous surname or the exact employment dates, so the scheme cannot match you and closes the enquiry as no record held.
- Asking for your pension details in general terms, which produces a standard printout without the contribution history or transfer value you needed.
- Treating a quoted transfer value as fixed, then discovering it lapsed or moved before you acted on it.
- Never checking the beneficiary recorded against the plan while you have the administrator's attention, leaving an out-of-date name on the file.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find a pension from a job I left years ago?
Start with any paperwork that names the scheme, then look for a tracing service — several countries run one, and tax authorities often hold records of accounts reported against your national identifier. Failing that, write to the employer's current owner and ask who administers the scheme now. Old scheme names change on takeover, so search on the employer as well as the scheme.
How long does a provider have to reply?
Pension disclosure rules in most countries set a maximum period for responding to a member request, and it differs by the type of information — a basic statement and a transfer value often have different limits. The scheme or the pensions regulator in your country will publish the figure. Ask for it in your letter so the deadline is on the record.
Is the transfer value the same as what my pension is worth?
No. For a defined contribution pot the value is the pot. For a defined benefit pension the transfer value is what the scheme will pay another arrangement to take on the promise, which is a different thing from the income the scheme would otherwise pay you for life. Comparing the two is exactly the point at which regulated advice is normally required.
Can I request a statement for someone else's pension?
Only with authority. A written authority signed by the member, a power of attorney, or a grant of representation after a death is what schemes ask for, and they will not discuss a member's benefits without one. Where the request is part of a separation or a probate matter, the solicitor handling it will normally know the form the scheme wants.
Do pension providers charge for a statement?
Routine statements provided under disclosure rules are usually free. Additional or repeated quotations — a second transfer value within a short period, or a specially calculated figure for court proceedings — may carry a fee, and schemes are entitled to set one within the rules that apply to them. Ask about any charge in the same letter.
This page explains general practice and is not legal advice. Requirements differ between countries and, in some cases, between states — check what applies where the document will be used.