USA Today made a splash in early June 2025 with an article about the approximately $1.7 trillion languishing in lost or forgotten 401(k)s. The average unclaimed balance from these 401(k) accounts is $56,616.
The findings, taken from a 2023 report compiled by Capitalize, come at a time when there is an industry utility established by the country’s six largest retirement plan recordkeepers, the Portability Services Network, ready to help participants, sponsors and recordkeepers facilitate the seamless plan-to-plan portability of smaller lost or forgotten 401(k) accounts, with up to $7,000.
