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NS&I reports over £126 million in Premium Bonds prizes still unclaimed (September 2026). The next page lists the free searches for old accounts, pensions and prizes.
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This is an independent information site, not affiliated with NS&I, GOV.UK or any bank. Rules vary by provider and by type of account, and a search does not mean money will be found.
What unclaimed money means in the UK
Unclaimed money is money that still belongs to someone but has lost touch with its owner. It can sit in an old savings account, a pension from a former job, an investment or a Premium Bonds prize nobody collected. According to NS&I (September 2026), 2,851,753 Premium Bonds prizes worth £126,787,100 were unclaimed, and that figure covers prizes only.
Who tends to have money like this
The organisations behind the free searches describe the same situations. Some people moved house and the letters stopped. Some changed surname after a marriage or a divorce. Others worked for several employers and left a workplace pension behind with an earlier job.
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Signs Money May Have Been Left Behind
Why money gets lost, what it can be and what to look for
1. A move: letters from an old bank or provider may stop reaching the owner after a change of address.
2. A new surname: after a marriage or a divorce, an account may still be held under a former name.
3. An earlier job: a workplace pension from a former employer can be left behind when someone changes jobs.
4. Many forms of money: current accounts, savings, Premium Bonds, pensions and investments can all lose touch with their owners.
5. An old passbook or certificate: a savings book or Premium Bonds paperwork in a drawer may point to money still held.
6. A pension letter from years ago: an old statement from a former employer’s scheme can give a search the name it needs.
Where to search for each one is on the next page. Independent information, not affiliated with NS&I, GOV.UK or any bank.
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Free searches versus paid tracing
Some companies offer to trace lost money in return for a fee or a share of what they find. The five searches listed on the next page are free to use, according to the organisations and GOV.UK services that run them. One of those services puts it plainly: “There is no need to pay a fee.”
A free search may still find nothing. Results depend on the records each provider holds and on the details given in the search.
When the money belonged to a relative who has died
Family members often come across lost money while sorting papers. A widow, a son or a daughter may find an old passbook or Premium Bonds paperwork among a relative’s documents. Searching on behalf of someone who has died follows a specific rule set by NS&I about who can make the request, and that rule is explained on the next page. Estates of people who died without a will have a separate search of their own.
What the next page covers
The next page lists the five free searches in the order that covers the most ground: old bank and building society accounts, Premium Bonds prizes, workplace and personal pensions, lost investments, and estates of people who died without a will. For each one it names the service, says where to find it and explains how the result arrives.
Each search asks for its own set of details. What to have ready for each one, the contact details published by each service and what is known about response times are all on the next page.
Why the unclaimed total changes every month
NS&I publishes the unclaimed prize total with its monthly draw results, so the amount moves as new prizes go uncollected and older ones are claimed. A prize is counted as potentially unclaimed only after a period set by NS&I, explained on the next page. The figure quoted on this page is from NS&I, September 2026.
For anyone who has lost track of an old account, a pension from a past job or Premium Bonds bought years ago, the free searches are a practical place to start. They ask for a few details from the past, and the next page sets them out one by one.
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Independent information site, not affiliated with NS&I, GOV.UK or any bank. Rules and results vary by provider. Sources: NS&I press release PR260901 (September 2026); NS&I help pages (2026); Building Societies Association consumer factsheet (November 2025); GOV.UK (2026); Investment Association (2026).