Parliament has recently approved regulations to outline a new deadline for pension providers and schemes to connect to pensions dashboards. This will affect industry as it prepares for connection, but areas of substance remain unchanged.

What do the amended regulations contain, and how will the new deadline affect you as you prepare for dashboards?

The timeline for connection

The Pensions Dashboards Programme (PDP), regulators and industry were originally working to a timeline set out in regulations by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Financial Conduct Authority rules. The new regulations changed this timeline.

Pension providers and schemes have a connection deadline of 31 October 2026, the latest date by which they will need to have connected to the dashboards central digital architecture (CDA).

This date is set out in law, and you may face penalties from regulators if you have not completed connection.

But this is not the date that industry will be working towards. Instead, guidance will be produced that will set staging dates for different types and sizes of pension providers and schemes. DWP still expects you to connect in line with these dates and you must demonstrate how you have had regard to the guidance.

However, having a timeline in guidance creates the flexibility for schemes to work with the government and regulators if they experience exceptional difficulties.

Preparing for connection

The new connection deadline and staging timing through guidance affects when providers and schemes connect to the CDA, but it does not affect what you need to do to prepare for dashboards. It’s critical that you do this work now, rather than waiting for guidance on staging to be available.

Getting ready for dashboards requires a number of steps across different aspects of your organisation. You will need to decide on your method of connection – whether you will use your current pensions administrator (in-house or third-party), an integrated service provider, or build your own connection solution.

One of the most important steps involves data. It is critical that your data is accurate and up-to-date, and that you have a clear set of criteria for the data you will use to match people to their pensions.

I’d also encourage you to use this time to maximise awareness of dashboards in your organisation. Ensure that everyone knows that dashboards are coming, and preparing for dashboards is a regular item for trustees’ meetings. Also, it’s vital you make sure that your teams understand their legal and regulatory obligations.

There is lots of useful information and tips on preparing connection, including PDP’s connection hub and guidance produced by The Pensions Regulator.

When dashboards will be publicly available

While the connection deadline will affect when dashboards will be available for the public, they are not the same thing.

The dashboards available point (DAP) will be determined when the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions considers dashboards are ready to support widespread use by the public.

This will be informed by different criteria including the level of coverage as well as user testing to ensure the ecosystem is functioning as it should be, the system is working safely and reliably and that the user experience is positive. At least 6 months’ notice will be given for the date of DAP.

As such, while DAP and the connection deadline are linked, it’s possible that dashboards will be publicly available before 31 October 2026 if pension providers and schemes connect in line with the dates in guidance.

PDP is committed to engaging with industry to help prepare for connection and ensure that we make dashboards a reality. Throughout the year, I frequently publish articles, as well as attend briefing and speaking engagements to take questions.

PDP regularly produces guidance and videos with tips on what you need to know about getting ready for dashboards. At the same time, regulators and industry often produce advice and share their experiences of preparing for dashboards.

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