Lost Savings and Forgotten Money: How to Find Money You Forgot in Israel

People lose touch with their own money in ordinary ways: changing jobs left an old pension fund behind, a provident fund was opened years ago, a life-insurance policy was forgotten, a bank account went untouched, or a savings plan was opened for a child and it is unclear where it is. The good news is that official systems exist to help find it, and they do not need an intermediary. This guide goes through the places money gets forgotten, the official site for each, and what to do once you find something.

01Where forgotten money sits, and where to look

02How to search, step by step

1. 1

   Har HaKesef: are there savings or policies

   This is the Ministry of Finance's search engine. You enter identifying details and get a list of providers where you hold a pension saving or a life-insurance policy. According to the gov.il service page, the result shows the possibility that accounts or policies exist, and the decisive information sits with the providers themselves. You may check only your own details, and a query about another person without their permission may be an offence.

2. 2

   Har HaKesef for bank accounts: a separate check

   Locating inactive bank accounts and deposits is done in a separate part of the site. For privacy, the result lists banks, not amounts or branches. Once you find a bank, you contact it to learn the details. The same check can be made on behalf of someone who died, subject to the documents the bank asks for.

3. 3

   The pension clearing house: from the search to the detail

   Once you have found providers, the clearing house brings together the information on your products: what has accumulated, which deposits arrived and which cover you have. A one-time registration is required. For more on reading the results, see the guide how to check how much pension you have.

4. 4

   Har HaBituach: policies and double cover

   The Capital Market Authority's site brings together your policies at the insurers and flags a possible double cover. If it finds policies you did not know about, this is the time to check whether you still need them and whether you are paying for them.

5. 5

   Saving for Every Child: who manages it

   The National Insurance Institute deposits a monthly amount into a savings plan in each child's name, and parents choose whether it is managed in a provident fund or a bank. If you did not choose, the savings are managed on a default track. The managing body sends an annual report, and you can also follow it on that body's site.

03Saving for Every Child: what to check

According to the National Insurance Institute's site, on the 20th of each month it deposits a fixed amount into each child's savings (58 shekels as of 1 January 2026), and parents can add an equal amount from the child allowance. The choice between a provident fund and a bank can be made within six months of the birth, and if you do not choose, the money is managed on a default track. A withdrawal request goes to the body that manages the savings, not to National Insurance.

04After you find something: what to do

• Verify with the provider itself. The search result says where. The balance and the terms that count come from the provider.
• Check the fees. An old account may sit on an expensive track. The effect over years is explained in how fees eat returns.
• Check insurance cover before closing anything. An old pension fund sometimes carries death or disability cover that is important not to lose. Check it before any move, as explained in how to read a pension statement.
• Decide whether to consolidate. You can leave it, move it between providers or build in one place. It is a personal decision worth taking after you have checked the numbers.
• Fix the details for the future. Update your address and contact details with the provider so the money is not lost again.

05What to do with what you found

After you have located your pension and provident funds, you can see what they say about retirement: in the pension calculator you enter a balance, a deposit, years to retirement and fees and see an estimated monthly pension. It is an illustration based on your assumptions, not a forecast.

06When money usually gets forgotten

You do not need an unusual event to lose touch with a saving. In most cases it is an ordinary change in life after which the product stays in an old place and nobody reminds you of it.

• Changing jobs. A pension or study fund is usually opened at each workplace, and after you leave the account stays with the previous provider.
• Moving home or changing contact details. Reports and notices go to an old address or email and stop reaching you.
• A change of name or marital status. An account opened under a previous name or old details is harder to link to yourself without checking.
• Time abroad. Someone who worked in Israel and left may leave savings they do not follow.
• An unused bank account or deposit. Money left in an account that was never reopened can be forgotten for years.
• Inheritance. Relatives who died sometimes left savings, policies or accounts that not everyone knows about.

07What to prepare before you search

08A one-hour plan

1. 1

   Minutes 1 to 10: Har HaKesef for pension and insurance

   Enter your details and write down the provider names the result shows, including ones you had already forgotten.

2. 2

   Minutes 10 to 20: Har HaKesef for bank accounts

   Check bank accounts and deposits separately, and write down the bank names.

3. 3

   Minutes 20 to 35: the pension clearing house and Har HaBituach

   If you are registered, check balances, deposits and cover. If not, the one-time registration is the first step.

4. 4

   Minutes 35 to 50: Saving for Every Child

   For each child, check which body was chosen to manage the savings and keep the details.

5. 5

   Minutes 50 to 60: a follow-up list

   For each provider you found, write what needs checking, who will contact it and when. The contact itself is made with the provider.

09Common mistakes when searching

• Relying on a single amount from the result. The result says where an account is, and the balance and terms that count come from the provider.
• Closing an old account without checking insurance cover and accumulated terms.
• Entering a site through a message or link instead of the official address.
• Checking once and forgetting. A new account is opened at each workplace, so repeat the check from time to time.
• Searching only for pensions and forgetting bank accounts, policies and the children's savings.