Mid-sized pension schemes are being urged to begin pensions dashboards preparations “well ahead” of their connection deadlines, with Isio warning that early action is essential to avoid a “last-minute scramble".

Isio pensions dashboards lead, Harvi Rana, highlighted 30 September as a “significant staging point” for the programme, as medium and smaller schemes - those with between 100 and 124 members - have until 30 September 2026 to connect, while the final deadline for all in-scope schemes and providers is 31 October 2026.

Rana stressed that decisions around data quality, matching criteria and calculations take considerable time, meaning schemes that prepare early are far less likely to face challenges at the last minute.

She added that the dashboards initiative is about more than just compliance, as it offers an opportunity to strengthen administration and give members a clearer, more reliable view of their pensions.

With 2026 expected to be the busiest year yet for connections, Rana advised that schemes “get moving now” to manage the pressures ahead and deliver for members.

“Trustees who treat dashboards as a chance to strengthen operations rather than a burden will ultimately create more resilient schemes and better outcomes for members,” she said.

Across the industry, connections are continuing to develop as schemes work towards upcoming deadlines, with the Pensions Dashboards Programme (PDP) confirming in its latest update that over 50 million private pension records are now connected to the pensions dashboards ecosystem, alongside tens of millions of state pension records.

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