401K is there a way to combine old with the New and How!?

[Girlzilla88]

Ok so I'm trying to learn and Understand more about 401K please put this in Smorgasboard if needed?!?!    But I have one set up with my current company of course but it does not reflect the 401k's from my previous jobs so I was curious where did those go?    Is there a way to pull up past information and then combine it with my current 401K?!      I don't want to use it I just want to know where I stand currently so I can plan for my future better than I have been.     Any advice?!

[dragontears]

The term you are looking for is "rollover"
Yes, you can rollover a former employer 401k into your current 401k (or into a IRA).
How to perform the rollover depends on your current plan, there should be information somewhere on your current plan's website and it should walk you through the process.
As an example of how the process works when I did it my current plan has a form I needed to print, fill out and send to my old plan. It took awhile (presumably because the old plan had to liquidate my investments) but eventually the money showed up in my new plan's account.
I have heard that some plans let you do the rollover all online but I have never been on a 401k that allowed that (has always been print and mail)

[Girlzilla88]

But if you do not know which of your previous employers had a 401k set up for you is there a way to find that out I think it would be easy to ask that of the last job but I'm trying to find back to 14  or 15 years of employment history I know I am WAAAAYYYYYYYY late on this train but I didn't even acknowledge my credit until 2018 so I'm trying to get a better understanding of other aspects since I have a better understanding on the credit side now.      

[Girlzilla88]

Is there a way to pull that up by Social or through the Department of Labor?!   Even checking on my current one it says for the Rollover (contact the institute and confirm what type or types of money etc etc) but I don't know which 401k was under my previous employers

[Anonymous]

Call your old employers, find out who their 401k provider is (or was at the time you worked there) then call those providers and see if you have any accounts there.

A google search returns a number of additional items to try as well.

[Girlzilla88]

My problem is remembering all my old employers I know I have had a lot in the last 15 some odd years unfortunately and I don't want to possibly miss out on money that was put into an account somewhere.      I will see what google can help with lol but I was hoping someone could speak from experience or point me to a best direction who to reach that could have a record.

[Girlzilla88]

Or is there a way to look up all the places I have been hired at or was at for over 3 months etc...That could possibly be helpful as well?!

[dragontears]

Not remembering who I worked for is not a problem I have ever had so not sure if there would be an online source to look that up.
Maybe pull out your old tax returns and see who you use to work for? They should also list if you had pre-tax retirement withholding. If you didn't have pre-tax retirement withholding you didn't have a 401k at that employer

[Girlzilla88]

That can help I'll see if I can possibly dig that up

[CreditInspired]

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@Girlzilla88 wrote:

Or is there a way to look up all the places I have been hired at or was at for over 3 months etc...That could possibly be helpful as well?!

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Hi there

Social Security will have every single employer you've worked for in which income was reported.