Pension and Policy Schedule

Who this is for

Every pension and policy on one list. Each plan has its provider, number, start date, the person nominated to receive it and where the latest statement is kept, with the value or sum you enter totalled at the foot.

Anyone with pensions from several jobs or policies taken out over the years, and the executors and families who need to find them all.

What this helps you track

• Every pension, life policy, endowment and similar plan in one place
• The provider, plan number and phone number for each
• The person you have nominated, and whether that is still right
• Where each latest statement is kept
• The total of the values entered, and how much sits in pensions

How to use it

1. Write your name, the date and your financial adviser's contact, if you have one, at the top.
2. Give each plan a line with its provider, type, plan number and start date.
3. Write the person nominated to receive it; if you are unsure who is on record, ask the provider.
4. Enter the latest value or sum from the statement, and say where that statement is kept.
5. The totals are worked out in the browser and the workbook; on paper, add the value column.
6. Update the sheet as each yearly statement arrives, and keep a copy in the affairs folder.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

What goes in the value column?

Whatever figure the latest statement gives: a pension fund value, a life cover sum or a surrender value. The sheet supplies none. Note in the statement column which kind of figure it is, as they are not the same thing.

Why record the nominated person?

Many pensions and some policies pay out according to a nomination or expression of wishes held by the provider. Writing it down reminds you to check it is still current; the provider's own record is the one that counts.

What about old pensions I have lost track of?

List them with whatever you know, such as the employer and the years you worked there, and leave the number blank. Some countries run a tracing service for old pensions; check what is available where you are.

Should state pensions and benefits go on here?

You can add them with type other if it helps your family see the whole picture, with a reference and contact number. Leave the value blank if there is no fund figure to enter.