Delivery timeline

Delivery of pensions dashboards has followed a phased approach, involving close collaboration with industry and partners.

The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) has worked to deliver dashboards by:

• creating the infrastructure and services that make pensions dashboards possible – developing the required governance, technical infrastructure and services to connect pension providers and schemes, delivered through the Pensions Dashboards Programme (PDP)
• providing the first pensions dashboard – a free, government-backed dashboard launched through MoneyHelper

This is a high-level overview of the work undertaken so far and future milestones for pensions dashboards.

Mobilisation and setup

First, MaPS took on responsibility for delivering pensions dashboards on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). This phase involved setting up PDP, recruiting the team, agreeing the architecture, setting up working groups, procuring the supplier for the central digital architecture, and setting the first iteration of the data standards.

Develop and test

This involved building and testing the central digital architecture.

During this time, we continued to develop the standards for pension providers and schemes connecting to the ecosystem.

Alongside this, MaPS continued early development and prototyping of the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard and the user journey.

Connection of volunteer participants

Volunteer industry participants, including pension providers, schemes and integrated service providers (ISPs), began connecting to the ecosystem.

These organisations did this before they were required to by law, allowing testing of novel processes. Their collaboration and feedback has been invaluable, informing the standards for pension providers and schemes, and helping refine the connection process. Their participation has helped make sure that connection is as smooth as possible for organisations connecting later.

Connection and testing

With the connection process established, and formal versions of the standards published, work continues to facilitate the connection of all pension providers and schemes in scope of the legislation, working towards the final 31 October connection deadline, in line with the staged timetable.

Close collaboration with the pensions industry continues, including with around 20 directly connected organisations who are building direct connections to the dashboards ecosystem or facilitating the connection of pension providers and schemes via a third party.

With more pension records connected to the ecosystem, MaPS has been undertaking testing of the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard using real data with real consumers.

Testing will continue for both the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard and the ecosystem that enables it. This is helping ensure that the service meets user needs, remains secure, and can be operated reliably and sustainably.

Public availability

An update on launch plans will be provided around the time of the 31 October connection deadline, when more user testing will have been undertaken.

The launch date will be decided by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, based on a range of criteria, including that the service is safe, secure and effective. It will be informed by the findings from ongoing consumer testing of the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard, among other things.

The Minister for Pensions has confirmed industry will receive 6 months' notice of the launch date.

Public availability of the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard is not the same as the 'dashboards available point' (DAP). This term is defined in legislation as the date that private sector pensions dashboards will be made available to the general public.

Business as usual and iteration

Once PDP has delivered its objectives, it will be transitioned into an ongoing delivery and maintenance arrangement as part of MaPS, who will continue to operate the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard and the central digital architecture.

Voluntary connection of pension schemes that do not have to connect to dashboards may help extend coverage further, beyond the over 99% of pension records already in-scope of the legislation.

Private sector dashboards represent an important future development in the pensions dashboards landscape. These are dashboards operated by third-party organisations regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and in accordance with standards developed by MaPS.

MaPS is committed to supporting the delivery of private sector dashboards and engagement is already underway.

DWP announced in 2024 that private sector dashboards will become publicly available after the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard has launched, and the Minister for Pensions has reiterated the government’s commitment to private sector dashboards.

The dashboards ecosystem will continue to develop and evolve as more insights are gained, or as needs, behaviours and legislation change. For example, this could include connection of the Pension Protection Fund, and delegated access, whereby users might authorise financial advisers to view their data.