New pensions dashboards timeframes published with October 2026 connection deadline

New timeframes for the pensions dashboards programme were published on 25 March 2024, setting a connection deadline of 31 October 2026 for all 3,000 pension providers and schemes to connect to the digital architecture¹. Some of the bigger schemes will begin connection from April 2025, so there is enough time for testing¹.

A pensions dashboard is an online tool where people can access their pension information, showing pensions from different providers and the State Pension securely and in one place². They are not available yet². Legislation requires pension schemes and providers to connect their data to the pensions dashboards ecosystem by 31 October 2026².

The government estimates that on average people may build up 11 different pension pots in their lifetime, and around £26.6 billion is sat in "lost" pensions across the UK, according to the Pensions Policy Institute (PPI) and the Association of British Insurers (ABI)¹. A former consultation run by the Department for Work and Pensions confirmed that people will be able to view their state pension from day one, including the date they turn eligible for the state pension, the forecasted state pension amount and the estimated amount based on their National Insurance record¹.

The Pensions Dashboards Programme (PDP) was established by the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) in 2019 to deliver the digital architecture that will enable dashboards to work¹. MaPS will develop and host its own dashboard, but other operators will need to become a Pensions Dashboard Service (PDS), meeting certain requirements and getting authorisation and regulation from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)¹. MaPS will be in charge of setting detailed standards, and if it notifies the FCA that a dashboard is no longer complying with these, the FCA can de-authorise the provider¹.

The government has proposed that MaPS guidance specialists, regulated financial advisers and those considered by MaPS to be appropriate will be given access to their clients' dashboards, though only those with permission will be granted access and savers will be able to remove advisers from seeing their dashboard at any time¹. Pension schemes will be able to use information provided within the last 13 months for annual benefit statements rather than "live" data; if a value has not been calculated or provided on a benefits statement within the last 12 months, the regulations propose they will have three days to find it, and defined benefit schemes will be given up to 10 days¹.

Why it matters for households

The deadline affects anyone with a workplace or personal pension, and the state pension will be included from day one¹. The dashboards are intended to help people understand their pensions, plan for later life, make more informed financial decisions and connect them with lost pension pots². Until schemes connect and the dashboards launch, no one can use the service, and the government has said it will prioritise the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard, developed by the Money and Pensions Service, before turning its attention to private sector dashboards². The Pensions Regulator and the FCA will regulate the pension schemes and providers sharing data with dashboards, and the FCA will also authorise and regulate pensions dashboard operators².

What happens next

The Money and Pensions Service expects the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard to be available in 2027/28, and will provide a further update on launch plans around the connection deadline at the end of October². Industry will receive six months' notice of the launch date, and as required by legislation the Secretary of State will give six months' notice of their launch, known as the dashboards available point². Private sector dashboards are expected to follow².