The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has set a new deadline of the end of October 2026 for the Pensions Dashboard to be open for connections.
Minister for Pensions Laura Trott set out the plan in a statement to Parliament, indicating that this is regarded as a final date and that connections with pension providers and dashboards for the public could be in place earlier.
This follows a reset of the Pensions Dashboard Programme earlier this year.
The programme is aimed at providing a framework for online dashboards to give people easy access to information about their various pensions, with the Money and Pensions Service taking the lead in delivering the architecture and developing a dashboard for government.
It involves the development of new technology to connect pension providers and schemes, with Capgemini signed in 2021 to help deliver the central technical architecture.
Guidance to come
Trott said that more time is needed for the “complex build” and for the pensions industry to make connections. Subsequently, the Government is now laying amending regulations under which, rather than setting out the entire staging timeline in legislation, it will set out guidance on which it will collaborate with the industry this year.
“This will give the Pensions Dashboards Programme the flexibility it needs to ensure this complex project is completed effectively,” she said.
She added: “The Government remains as committed as ever to making pensions dashboards a reality and we are ambitious about their delivery. I am confident that this re-appraised approach will enable us to make significant progress on delivering dashboards safely and securely, enabling consumers to take advantage of their benefits to plan for retirement.”
