The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) has published the first version of its dashboards connection guide for LGPS administering authorities, alongside an additional voluntary contribution (AVC) and dashboards guide.

The connection guide aims to assist administering authorities in identifying the steps needed to connect to the pensions dashboards ecosystem and help with their compliance duties.

It is specifically tailored for the LGPS to support the development of project plans to implement dashboards.

Necessary actions and decisions are set out in the guidance, as well as recommendations on timings based on the connection deadline for the LGPS of 31 October 2025.

It also includes information on keeping stakeholders up to date, governance, the accuracy and digital accessibility of data, and internal controls and record keeping.

Furthermore, the guide sets out timelines on the dashboards available point and connection to the ecosystem, as well as how to connect to the ecosystem, and information on authorisation, identification, matching criteria and view data.

The connection guide covers AVCs to help administering authorities understand how AVCs fit into the ‘overall picture’ of sending view data into the ecosystem, as well as information about AVC view data, timings to provide AVC view data, AVC matching criteria and decisions to be made about AVCs.

However, the guide noted that AVCs are a “complex area”, and the LGPS has therefore produced a separate guide on AVCs to complement the connection guidance.

Its AVC guide aims to help establish common approaches on the preparation and presentation of AVC view data.

The AVC dashboards guide contains information on reconciling main scheme records with AVCs, how AVC view data can be sent to the dashboards ecosystem, AVC dashboard risks, and the questions administering authorities will need to ask their AVC providers.

It noted that administering authorities will need to accommodate a variety of approaches from different AVC providers.

“We believe even though a variety of approaches will be adopted in sending view data to the ecosystem, we should be able to achieve consistency within each form of approach,” the AVC guide stated.

“This guide helps you do that and expands on the AVC actions set out in the LGPS pensions dashboard connections guide.”

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