State Pension connection to the pensions dashboards ecosystem

What State Pension information will be shown on pensions dashboards?

If the user is below State Pension age, pensions dashboards will show:

• the date from which the user will be able to claim the State Pension
• a State Pension estimate based on their current National Insurance record, payable from when they reach State Pension age
• a State Pension forecast, assuming they continue National Insurance contributions
• a URL directing to more information about the State Pension.

Pensions dashboards will not show users how many years of National Insurance contributions they have made, or missing or incomplete years. However, this information is available via the Check your State Pension forecast tool on GOV.UK.

Can users see State Pension on pensions dashboards if they have already reached their State Pension age?

State Pension information will not be shown on pensions dashboards if the user has reached State Pension age. This is the same as for the Check your State Pension forecast tool. This still applies even if the user delays (defers) taking their State Pension or has not started to claim it.

Can users see how delaying (deferring) their State Pension would change it?

No, information on delaying (deferring) State Pension will not be provided on pensions dashboards. Find out more about deferring State Pension on GOV.UK.

Will pensions dashboards provide details of National Insurance contributions made, including any gaps? Will it be possible to top up missing years?

No. Pensions dashboards will not show details of National Insurance contributions, including any missing or incomplete years, or years when National Insurance credits were received (eg for caring responsibilities). This information remains available via the Check your State Pension forecast tool on GOV.UK.

Users will be provided with a link to further information about the State Pension which may include information about National Insurance contributions and how to fill any gaps.

Users will not be able to top up voluntary National Insurance contributions directly from pensions dashboards.

Will pensions dashboards provide projections of how voluntary contributions would increase a State Pension?

No. Pensions dashboards will not include any projections of how voluntary contributions would increase a State Pension. However, this is possible via the Check your State Pension forecast tool on GOV.UK which will be signposted on pensions dashboards.

Will State Pension estimates include potential future changes to the State Pension age or entitlements?

The State Pension information provided on pensions dashboards will be based on current legislation and will be updated as necessary if legislation changes.

How often will a user's State Pension information be updated on pensions dashboards?

State Pension values are based on a user's National Insurance information and will usually be updated annually unless there have been other changes to the user's National Insurance record. This is still being confirmed.

Will pensions dashboards show State Pension broken down by basic State Pension and additional State Pension (S2P/SERPS)?

The basic State Pension and additional State Pension (where relevant) are part of the pre-6 April 2016 system and therefore do not apply to people reaching State Pension age under the new system with effect from 6 April 2016.

However, there are likely to be people reaching State Pension age under the new system who have made National Insurance contributions before 6 April 2016 and who fall under the transitional arrangements. For these people, the State Pension shown on pensions dashboards will be based on transitional arrangements which take pre-6 April 2016 National Insurance impacts into account.

Will pensions dashboards show the State Pension broken down by new State Pension and any 'protected payment' (where relevant)?

No. The State Pension will show the total amount which will include a 'protected payment', where relevant.

The protected payment applies to individuals whose starting amount (calculated using their National Insurance record up to 2016) was higher than the full rate of the new State Pension.

More information on the changes to the State Pension and how it affects individuals reaching State Pension age from 6 April 2016 can be found here: Your State Pension explained.

Will pensions dashboards show information about benefits, such as Pension Credit?

No. Pension Credit is separate from the State Pension and is only claimed by people who have already reached State Pension age.

Will pensions dashboards replace the 'Check your State Pension forecast' service from GOV.UK?

There are no plans for pensions dashboards to replace the Check your State Pension forecast tool or the forecast available via the HMRC app.

Who will have access to State Pension information found through pensions dashboards?

If DWP matches a user to a State Pension record, the user's State Pension information will be shared with the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard or private sector dashboard so it can be processed to be displayed to the user.

This data is not stored by the dashboard other than in the form of temporary caching for the sole purpose of displaying it to the user in a single session. An individual's State Pension information is transferred directly from DWP to their dashboard, and not via the pensions dashboards central digital architecture.

In the future, pensions dashboards may offer 'delegated access' where users would be able to grant access to their pensions information to a financial adviser or Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) guidance services. Although legislation provides for delegated access, this functionality is currently out of scope for the first iteration of dashboards.

How secure is a user's State Pension information when using pensions dashboards?

The information stored on the MaPS central digital architecture is very limited and does not include find data provided by individuals, or pensions information provided by pension providers and schemes.

PDP's approach to cybersecurity has been guided by the principles set out by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). DWP will adhere to the PDP standards for their connection to the pensions dashboards ecosystem. The security standards ensure the appropriate level of security, following NCSC standards and best practice. They detail the technical authentication requirements for communication between parties within the ecosystem, encryption requirements for all data in transit across the ecosystem, and the requirements for security-testing interfaces to the ecosystem.