For workers who lose track of their 401(k) savings accounts, help may be on the way.

Proposed retirement legislation that’s pending in Congress would create an online “lost and found” database to help locate those accounts, among a variety of other provisions. While lawmakers are in the early stages of considering changes, retirement advocates say the initiative — which also would help people access lost pension benefits — can’t come soon enough.

“We have serious problems with retirees not being able to use their benefits that they earned or saved because they simply cannot find them,” said Anna Tabor, director of the Pension Action Center at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

As more workers change jobs throughout their career — the average is 12 jobs, according to one government study — it’s possible for multiple 401(k) accounts to be left with ex-employers. More than 16 million accounts of $5,000 or less — $8.5 billion in the aggregate — remained in workplace plans from 2004 through 2013, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office.

“People assume the money will still be there when they need it,” Tabor said. “The problem is that there can be lots of changes — the employer could go out of business, go bankrupt or merge with another company, or the plan may be terminated.”

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