Using a pensions dashboard for the first time

I was recently fortunate enough to be among the first people to test the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard with live pensions data.

Through testing, I was able to see my own pensions information in one place, including my State Pension.

This been made possible through intensive work by the Money and Pensions Service building the technical infrastructure and the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard, alongside the ongoing connection of pension providers and schemes and the State Pension.

This is what my experience using the dashboard was like.

To start with, I needed to log in to my GOV.UK One Login account to verify my identity. Users may already have a GOV.UK One Login account, as it is used across government services, but if not, it is straightforward and easy to set up.

Once I logged in it showed me my verified details before I submitted them and allowed me to add my National Insurance number.

Then, the service started the process of looking for my pensions.

After a short wait, I saw my pensions appear on the dashboard.

Even as a pensions professional, this was the first time I have been able to see this information together in one place.

This gave me genuine insights into my pension savings, seeing estimated retirement income together for my different pensions and providing important information for retirement planning.

This is exactly what dashboards are intended for – making it easier for people to find and keep track of their pensions, and helping them understand their pensions so that they can better prepare for financial security in later life.

While this early testing provided valuable validation of the service and helped us resolve a number of issues, more work lies ahead with our comprehensive consumer testing approach.

Testing will continue with a range of participants with varying user needs, financial knowledge and levels of digital confidence.

After years of collaboration with industry and delivery partners, dashboards are being brought to life.

I’m looking forward to seeing how testing progresses. It will be critical for ensuring dashboards truly serve pension savers’ needs safely, securely and effectively.