Found an old NS&I certificate, a Premium Bonds record, or paperwork from a relative? Start with NS&I’s official route rather than paying a tracing firm. The evidence needed depends on the product, available details, and whether the holder has died.
Choose the right route for lost NS&I
Match the missing item to NS&I’s official process, because savings accounts, Premium Bonds numbers, and unclaimed prizes are separate records.
Match the record to the official route
Use an NS&I tracing request when details for an NS&I savings product are missing. This can cover old savings certificates, Income Bonds, Direct Saver, Investment Account records, Children’s Bonds, and other National Savings holdings. Use it when you cannot find the account number.
Use only the official NS&I website or its published contact details. The typical error is using a search advert that looks official but is not.
Separate premium bonds from prizes
Contact NS&I when the Premium Bonds holding or holder’s number is missing. Use the official prize checker only after NS&I has confirmed your access details. The bonds are the investment. The holder’s number identifies the holder. Unclaimed prizes are payments won but not received.
Choose by what is missing: Lost NS&I product details mean tracing. A lost Premium Bonds holder’s number means account-access recovery. Suspected unpaid prizes mean the official prize checker. A deceased holder means a bereavement claim with authority evidence.
Your NS&I decision path
Old NS&I certificate or unknown savings account
→ NS&I tracing request
Premium Bonds exist but holder’s number is missing
→ Ask NS&I to recover access details
Holder’s number available and prizes are suspected
→ Official Premium Bonds prize checker
Parent, spouse or relative has died
→ Separate deceased-holder claim
The right route saves time and protects your details.
Papers may relate to more than one provider. Do not treat every search as an NS&I case. My Lost Account may help with accounts at participating banks, building societies, and other listed providers.
Its scope and participating organisations can change. Check its current scope before applying. For a lost National Savings account, a direct NS&I tracing request is usually the clearest route.
A direct NS&I tracing request is appropriate where you have an old NS&I certificate, NS&I letter, or Premium Bonds certificate. My Lost Account does not replace NS&I account recovery. That is true when you know the investment exists but have lost online access or a holder’s number.
NS&I can check historic National Savings records from the details you give. Unclaimed Premium Bonds prizes still need the right official NS&I process.
Build the evidence pack before NS&I searches
Gather every clue before you send a request, because old records may need several details for a safe match.
Put names and addresses in date order
List each known name and address, with rough dates of residence. Include maiden names, earlier married names, middle names, flat numbers, postcodes, and dates of birth. Add the rough purchase year and product name.
Copy each account, certificate, or bond number exactly as printed. This step often takes between 10 and 20 minutes when paperwork is in one place. The common mistake is guessing a date rather than marking it as approximate.
Copy documents without changing them
Keep the originals and give copies only when NS&I asks for them. Old certificates, passbooks, prize letters, Post Office receipts, and identity documents can help. A certificate shows a past holding, but it does not prove money remains payable.
Write your list before you photograph anything. Clear copies work better than cropped images with numbers missing.
Check old premium bonds, numbers and prizes
Old Premium Bonds do not expire because of age, but NS&I must confirm their current status. NS&I must check whether the bonds remain held, were repaid, or were transferred.
Treat the certificate as a lead
Record every certificate detail before you contact NS&I. Note the registered name, bond numbers, value, issue date, and address. Explain any name change caused by marriage or deed poll.
Give supporting evidence only if NS&I asks for it. A certificate can be decades old, so a name or address difference does not automatically end the search.
Recover access before checking prizes
Ask NS&I for the right recovery route when the holder’s number is missing. Do not try random numbers. Do not send certificate images to social-media recovery services.
Once NS&I confirms the holding and access details, use the official Premium Bonds prize checker. The error most people make here is checking prizes before NS&I has confirmed who can access the record.
A holder’s number and a prize claim are not the same task.
Handle estates and avoid paid tracing scams
Make a separate claim for each deceased holder, with proof that you can act for their estate.
Keep each person’s claim separate
Send NS&I one clear history for one person at a time. State the holder’s full name, former names, date of birth, last known address, and date of death. List the documents you found.
Explain whether you are the executor or administrator. A Power of Attorney normally ends when the person dies. This is where families often get stuck after mixing two relatives’ papers in one request.
Reject recovery fees and false deadlines
Ignore firms that demand payment before they identify an NS&I investment or prize. Find NS&I contact details yourself on its official website. Never give passport images, bank logins, death certificates, or probate papers through an unverified link or email.
⚠️ Never send a death certificate, passport, or grant of probate to an unverified email address. Use the contact method shown on NS&I’s official website.
For requests concerning a living holder, a Power of Attorney matters only while the investor is alive. The attorney must have legal authority to act. Tell NS&I that the request concerns a living holder.
Give the holder’s known details and follow NS&I’s evidence rules. NS&I may ask for proof of authority and identity. Accepted documents can depend on where the authority was made and the case facts.
Do not mix this with an estate request. After death, an attorney cannot keep acting under the Power of Attorney. The case must follow NS&I’s bereavement claim route.
That route needs an executor, administrator, or another authorised person. It also needs the evidence NS&I requests for the estate.
Questions & answers
How can i track down my lost NS&I account?
Use NS&I’s official tracing process with every known name, former address, product detail, date of birth, and account number. Include any certificate number you have.
Can i find old premium bonds online?
You can check online only with the required holder details or account access. Contact NS&I first if the holder’s number is missing.
Are 50-year-old premium bonds still valid?
Premium Bonds do not expire just because they are 50 years old. NS&I must confirm whether they remain held, were repaid, or changed ownership.
Can i check unclaimed prizes without a holder’s number?
You normally need verified holder details to use the official prize checker. Ask NS&I to recover access instead of relying on a certificate alone.
Can an executor trace NS&I savings after death?
An executor can ask NS&I to trace a deceased person’s savings with authority evidence. This includes the death certificate and other documents NS&I requests.
What matters most:- Start with NS&I when the missing product is clearly an NS&I holding.
- Give old names, addresses, and document numbers so NS&I can make a safe match.
- Keep Premium Bonds, holder-number recovery, and prize checks as separate tasks.
- Handle each deceased person’s claim separately and never pay an unofficial tracer.
Further reading
If you want to learn more about this topic, these sources may interest you:
