State Pension forecast
Shows the State Pension based on your National Insurance record and whether it may increase. This is the main route for a personalised SERPS-related check.
Free official-route checker · no personal details
SERPS pension checker: where to check your record
There is no separate SERPS balance checker. SERPS was part of the Additional State Pension. The right official route depends on whether you want your State Pension forecast, an explanation of contracting out or a pension connected with an old employer.
Choose what you are trying to check
Do not enter your National Insurance number, date of birth or pension login here. This tool stores no personal or financial information.
Your next step
Use your official State Pension forecast
There is no separate live SERPS account to sign in to. For most people below State Pension age, the GOV.UK forecast is the personalised route. It shows the State Pension amount based on your National Insurance record so far and whether it may increase.
The short version
SERPS is not the same as an old workplace pension pot.
SERPS—the State Earnings-Related Pension Scheme—ran from 6 April 1978 to 5 April 2002. It was replaced by the State Second Pension, and both are forms of Additional State Pension. If you reached State Pension age under the old system, any entitlement is paid with your basic State Pension rather than as a separate pot.
If you reached State Pension age from 6 April 2016, the transition into the new State Pension already takes old Additional State Pension and contracting-out history into account. The personalised figure to use is the one in your official forecast—not a generic online estimate.
Three records, three jobs
Do not use one service as if it holds every pension.
National Insurance record
Shows qualifying years and gaps. A complete NI record does not list private pension pots, and paying to fill a gap does not always improve the forecast.
Pension Tracing Service
Finds current contact details for a workplace or personal pension from an employer or provider name. It does not prove membership or show a pot value.
If you were contracted out
Check both sides of the story.
Before April 2016, some workplace and private pension arrangements contracted members out of the Additional State Pension. Depending on the arrangement, National Insurance was lower or some contributions went to the other pension instead.
That can affect the starting amount used for the new State Pension. It can also mean there are benefits in an old workplace or private scheme to identify. Do not assume a lower forecast means money has vanished, and do not transfer an old pension merely because you have found it.
SERPS checker questions
Is there a separate SERPS pension checker?
No. SERPS was part of the Additional State Pension, not a separate pension account with its own live balance checker. Use the GOV.UK State Pension forecast for your personalised State Pension position. If you were contracted out, you may also need to trace the workplace or private pension that received replacement benefits.
What does SERPS stand for?
SERPS stands for State Earnings-Related Pension Scheme. It ran from April 1978 to April 2002, when it was replaced by the State Second Pension. Both sit under the wider term Additional State Pension.
How do I check whether I was contracted out of SERPS?
Start with your GOV.UK State Pension forecast and National Insurance record, then check old workplace or personal pension paperwork. GOV.UK explains how contracting out affects the State Pension. The relevant pension provider can confirm the benefits held in its scheme.
Can I trace SERPS using only my National Insurance number?
Your National Insurance record is used for the State Pension forecast, but the public Pension Tracing Service does not search all private pensions from an NI number alone. It needs the name of an employer or pension provider and returns contact details rather than balances.
What happened to SERPS after 2002?
SERPS was replaced by the State Second Pension in April 2002. For people reaching State Pension age from 6 April 2016, the new State Pension calculation includes a transition from the old system and reflects any periods of contracting out.
Is a COPE amount deducted from my State Pension forecast?
No. GOV.UK says the Contracted Out Pension Equivalent is an estimate of pension income that may come from a workplace or personal pension because of contracting out. It is not a charge and is not deducted from the forecast amount shown.