Pension Administrators: Tracing Lost Contributors and Next of Kin (2026)
When a pension contributor dies or cannot be reached, the administrator needs someone to talk to. Here is how the process works in Nigeria, where it breaks down, and the tools that help trace people and keep next-of-kin records.
Last checked 22 October 2026. General information, not legal or financial advice.
Remayn and Entrustt are affiliated with this site.
How the death benefit process works
PenCom’s published procedure covers deceased federal government employees. It shows how much depends on the next of kin:
The employer reports the death to the supervising authority.
The supervising authority contacts the insurer and makes sure the life insurance proceeds go into the Retirement Savings Account.
The next of kin works with the contributor’s Pension Fund Administrator to claim terminal benefits and the account balance.
If there was no account, the next of kin picks an administrator and asks it to open a Death Benefit Account.
The next of kin sends the account details back so the insurance proceeds can be paid in.
Every step after the first needs someone to find the next of kin. If the person was never recorded, or their details are out of date, the claim stalls.
API (Accurint Web Services), batch, and monitoring with weekly data updates.
1Entrustt
Next-of-kin register, inactivity checks and disclosure
An API with four modules: a next-of-kin register, customer inactivity checks, human-reviewed disclosure and exportable audit reports. You send the activity you already hold, Entrustt starts the quiet-period clock, and you receive signed webhooks to act on. It handles information, never money.
Delivery
REST API with signed webhooks. Sandbox keys on request.
Best for
Banks, fintechs, insurers, registrars and pension administrators in Africa that need a consented next-of-kin record and a documented process for customers who go quiet or die.
Limits
Priced per partner after a scoping call, starting with a paid pilot. It does not move money, and disclosure is reviewed by a person.
Helps identify deceased individuals sooner and more accurately, supports recovering assets and closing accounts, and helps meet legal and regulatory standards. Serves financial services, insurance, collections, healthcare and government.
Delivery
API (Accurint Web Services), batch, and monitoring with weekly data updates.
Best for
US institutions that need to check whether a customer has died.
Limits
It tells you a person has died. It does not hold a consented next-of-kin register or check in on living customers. Pricing is not published.
Who claims a pension when a contributor dies in Nigeria?
PenCom’s published procedure for deceased federal government employees says the next of kin or beneficiary starts the process, and works with the deceased’s Pension Fund Administrator to claim the balance in the Retirement Savings Account. Rules for other contributors can differ, so check with the PFA.
What if the contributor never opened a Retirement Savings Account?
Under the same procedure, the next of kin chooses a PFA and asks it to open a Death Benefit Account, which receives the accrued pension rights and any life insurance proceeds.
What documents does the next of kin need?
The PenCom procedure lists a medical certificate of death, a certificate of registration of death if available, a police report where the death was accidental, a letter of administration or a probated will, evidence of the next of kin’s nomination and valid identification.
Can life insurance proceeds be paid straight to the family?
Not under that procedure. Proceeds must go into the Retirement Savings Account or Death Benefit Account, and paying them directly to the next of kin or beneficiaries is an offence under the Pension Reform Act 2004.
How can an administrator trace a lost contributor?
Keep contact details and next-of-kin records current with the contributor’s consent, watch for contributors who stop engaging, and use the people they named as a second route. A deceased-records check can confirm a death where reliable data exists.
Why is Entrustt listed first?
Entrustt has a solution built for registrars and pension administrators: finding people you cannot reach, through a consented next-of-kin register, inactivity checks and reviewed disclosure.
The PenCom document describes the process for federal government employees and is dated 2017. Check current rules with PenCom and the contributor’s PFA. General information, not legal advice.