UK. Pensions dashboards are schemes ready for the next step

TPR dashboards lead Lucy Stone emphasises that connection is just the start of the dashboards journey, urging schemes to keep up the momentum, focus on value data and embrace the opportunities to learn from user testing. We are edging ever closer to people being able to see all their pensions online at a time of their choosing, revolutionising how they plan for retirement. With the deadline for connection less than six months away, three quarters of all records are now connected to the central digital architecture being built by the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS).

But connection is just the beginning. Once a scheme is connected it must be able to find dashboard users in its records and return recent and accurate information to them about the value of their pensions.

In August 2025, we started reaching out to the largest occupational pension schemes to assess their data preparations. Together, they cover over 80% of all occupational pension records in scope. These schemes demonstrated a strong focus on data, and we identified many examples of good practice, though there remains some inconsistency in approach and progress.

Today we publish a report into the findings of this engagement. This highlights that:

Most large schemes are already connected and have increased their focus on data.

Personal data work is ongoing – many schemes are still improving the quality of the data used to identify dashboard users, putting in place processes to resolve ‘possible’ matches (where a dashboard user may be a member but this needs confirming), and processes to review and refine their matching criteria.

Value data preparations lag behind personal data, with significant work still required to ensure information sent to members is accurate, up-to-date and dashboard-ready.

Data quality controls exist but must mature, with schemes needing to embed data improvement, monitoring and assurance into business-as-usual activity rather than treating it as a one-off exercise. High-quality data underpins good member outcomes, not just dashboard compliance – it is fundamental to running a scheme well.

We have also updated our dashboards guidance. The changes highlight good practice, the progress made by MaPS on the digital architecture and provide clarity on areas we often asked about. We now provide two checklists to help schemes prepare for dashboards: one for schemes which are still working to connect, and one for schemes which are already connected.

Focus on value not just matching
There has been good progress on preparation for matching dashboard users with their pensions. However, we urge all schemes in scope to think value, not just matching. They need to be able to provide accurate information within set timeframes to members on the value of their pensions. This means testing the accuracy of the data items needed to calculate values and ensure calculations are working properly.

For many large schemes, preparation was less advanced on value data than personal data. Only a few schemes had received a specific value readiness report from their providers.

Many schemes do not hold recent data for members who don’t receive annual statements and are working to revalue these so they can then focus on a small number of complex cases that will need to be calculated ‘on demand’ (when that member uses a dashboard). Schemes will need to make sure they agree with their administrators the processes for calculating values on demand within the statutory timescales.

Defined benefit (DB) and hybrid schemes are most likely to have out of date value data, so next month we will reach out to a sample of these schemes to understand how they are preparing value data.

 

Read more @ActuarialPost