Unclaimed Benefits
What are Unclaimed Benefits?
According to the Pension Funds Act, an unclaimed benefit is any lump sum or pension benefit that is due to a retirement fund member (or his/her beneficiaries) that has remained unclaimed for a period of time.
If you were a member of a retirement fund in South Africa - even as far back as 1981 - you may still be entitled to a benefit that hasn't been paid out because your former fund is unable to contact you. If the fund's rules provide that you, the member, can claim this amount, the fund can pay these unclaimed benefits into a pension or provident fund, and the member or his/her beneficiaries can claim the unclaimed benefit.
What is FSCA doing to address the issue of Unclaimed Benefits?
The Registrar of Pension funds provides a central database on the FSCA website to assist members of the public to ascertain through the search engine if there are any unclaimed benefits due to them.
An enquirer will be required to input basic information onto the Unclaimed Benefits Search Engine, i.e.. name, surname, identification number, fund name, name of employer, etc. in order for the search engine to check if there is a possible match. On a successful match, the enquirer will be provided with the contact detail of the fund and/or administrator.
The FSCA can only assist by providing the contact details of the relevant fund and/or administrator where the enquirer will have to contact the fund directly and then follow the normal claims process of a fund to prove a valid claim.
Alternatively the following search channels can be used to search for unclaimed benefits:
| Search Channel | Link / Contact Details |
|---|---|
| Online Searches - FSCA Website | Click here to search for unclaimed benefits... |
| Email Enquiry - ID Number | Pensions.UBmemberID@FSCA.co.za |
| Email Enquiry - General Request | Pensions.UBQuery@FSCA.co.za |
| SMS Enquiry - ID Number | 30913 |
| SMS Enquiry - General Request | 30766 |
| Fax Submissions | 086 578 1183 |
| Toll-free Telephone Enquiries | 0800 20 3722 (toll-free) |
| Walk in clients | River Walk Office Park, Block B, 41 Matroosberg Road, Ashlea Gardens |
| Written Enquiries | PO Box 35655 Menlo Park Pretoria 0102 |
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Find out if there are any unclaimed benefits due to you using basic personal information.
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