Blog Author

Chris Connelly

Key takeaways

  • The pensions dashboards connection deadline is 31 October 2026. Connection is a legal milestone, not the end of dashboards work.
  • Members are not expected to see the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard until financial year 2027/28.
  • Only 39% of UK pension savers always tell their provider when their address or surname changes (Heywood Pension Pulse 2026).
  • Inaccurate member data and values lead to possible matches and member queries, and fall short of what The Pensions Regulator (TPR) expects.

Getting data right before public launch means fewer possible matches, fewer member queries and less pressure on administration teams.

 

On 31 October 2026, the last pension schemes in scope must be connected to the pensions dashboards ecosystem. After years of preparation, it can feel like the finish line.

It isn’t. Connection shows that a scheme can be found. What happens next depends on the accuracy of the data behind it. Accurate data now means fewer possible matches, fewer member queries and less pressure on administration teams when dashboards open to the public.

 

 

What does the 31 October 2026 connection deadline require? 

By 31 October 2026, every pension in scope must be connected to the pensions dashboards ecosystem, able to be found and ready to respond to requests for pensions information. This applies to occupational schemes with 100 or more relevant members, and to FCA-regulated pension providers.
 

Around 2,600 schemes are required to connect. By May 2026, more than 70 million records, about 85% of those in scope, were already connected (MaPS). Most schemes connected earlier, in line with the staged "connect by" dates in DWP guidance. The 31 October date is the legal backstop. The Pensions Regulator is anticipating just over 95% of eligible records to be connected by the deadline.

 

 

Is connecting to pensions dashboards the end of the job?

No. Connection means a scheme can respond to dashboard requests. It does not mean members are using dashboards yet. The Pensions Dashboards Programme (PDP) expects the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard to open to the public in financial year 2027/28, with other private sector dashboards to follow.

The time between connection and public launch is when data quality becomes visible to regulators, and soon after to members. In May 2026, TPR launched a review of 240 private sector defined benefit (DB) and hybrid schemes. It focused on Value Data, where it found schemes less advanced than with Find Data (TPR).

"Schemes need to be ready to return the correct values to members."  Ben Gunnee, Executive Director of Market Oversight, The Pensions Regulator

 

 

Why does data accuracy matter before dashboards go public?

Because every inaccuracy can become a member query once the public starts searching. Incomplete or out-of-date personal details lead to possible matches, and missing or incorrect values prompt members to contact their scheme. Fixing data before public launch is far less work than resolving it query by query afterwards.

Keeping records accurate depends partly on members, and many don’t keep their scheme informed. In Heywood’s Pension Pulse 2026, research among 2,000 UK pension holders, only 39% said they always notify their provider when personal details such as their address or surname change.

Dashboards find pensions by matching the details a person enters, such as name, date of birth and National Insurance number, against scheme records. If a surname, address or email has changed and the scheme hasn’t been told, the record and the search may not line up.

That makes accuracy ongoing work rather than a one-off cleanse. Regular checks before launch keep records correct and reduce the queries administration teams will need to handle later.

Read the Pension Pulse 2026 findings. 

 

 

What is a possible match, and why does it create admin work?

A possible match happens when a dashboard search partly matches a pension benefit but not closely enough to be 100% certain. The member is asked to contact the scheme or provider within 30 days, and the scheme must then resolve the match.

Heywood's Pension Pulse 2025, an analysis of almost three million member records, projected that up to 18.52% of dashboard requests could produce a possible match. Early live testing through Heywood's integrated service provider (ISP) has supported that projection (Heywood).

Up to 16 million people are expected to use dashboards once they launch publicly. Even a modest possible-match rate would mean a large volume of enquiries for administrators. Good data reduces possible matches but cannot remove them, because many will involve people who are not members of the scheme at all. They might simply have similar data characteristics to your members.

A possible match is not yet a found pension. It is an asterisk against the central promise of dashboards: reconnecting people with their savings.

Find out more in Pensions dashboards: planning for possible matches.

 

 

What does TPR expect from Value Data?

TPR expects values shown on dashboards to be accurate and to be from a calculation provided in the preceding 12 to 13 months. A recently calculated value must be returned within seconds. If a value is out of date, temporarily unavailable, or simply missing, the scheme must calculate it and respond within three days for defined contribution (DC) pensions, or 10 days for other scheme types.

Value Data situation Required response time
Value calculated within the last 12 to 13 months  Within seconds 
Value out of date: DC pensions 

Within 3 days
Value out of date: DB and all other scheme types  Within 10 days 
Source: The Pensions Regulator, May 2026
 

For DB schemes, deferred members are usually the hardest group. They can often have long and complex benefit histories, and their values may depend on manual calculation or actuarial input. TPR warns that incorrect values could lead members to make poor retirement decisions. Accurate, recent values also reduce member contact: when values are correct and up to date, members have fewer reasons to question them. Is your Value Data dashboards-ready? explains the challenge in more detail.

 

 

What should pension schemes do between connection and public launch?

Use the time before dashboards go public to make data accuracy part of business as usual. Focus on four priorities: keep member data accurate, plan for possible matches, audit Value Data availability and recency, and plan your processes for when members contact you after visiting a pensions dashboard.

  1. Keep member data accurate. Run regular data checks, such as address tracing and mortality screening, and make it easy for members to update their details online.
  2. Plan for possible matches. Agree who owns the process, set service levels and consider digital resolution to cut manual work. Plan for volumes that may rise when the general public, rather than testers, start searching.
  3. Audit Value Data now. Identify records without a recent value, especially DB deferred members. Use bulk, rules-based calculation rather than working case by case, and check your administration system can return values within the required timescales.
  4. Be member-ready. Resolving possible matches is not the only new process you will need to get ready for. Members reengaging with their pensions, maybe finding pensions they had forgotten about, maybe never realising they even had one with you, are going to ask different questions than some of your more engaged members might.

People will be seeing all of their pensions in one place for the first time ever. And that place, MoneyHelper to start with, is a website you do not control. The only thing you can control is the quality of the data you connect, and the readiness of your administration teams to respond to new levels of demand.

 

 

Frequently asked questions

When will members be able to use pensions dashboards?

The Pensions Dashboards Programme expects the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard to be available to the public in financial year 2027/28. The point at which dashboards open to the public is called the Dashboards Available Point (DAP). It is separate from, and later than, the 31 October 2026 connection deadline. The government has committed to giving at least six months' notice before public launch.

How can pension schemes reduce member queries when dashboards go public?

By making sure member data and values are accurate before launch. Up-to-date personal details reduce possible matches, and recent, correct values give members fewer reasons to question what they see. A clear process for resolving possible matches also keeps unavoidable queries manageable.

What happens if a pension scheme misses the 31 October 2026 connection deadline?

Connection by 31 October 2026 is a legal requirement for schemes in scope. The Pensions Regulator and FCA can use their compliance and enforcement powers, including compliance notices and penalty notices, where trustees or providers fail to meet their dashboards duties.

Do pension schemes need to do anything after connecting to pensions dashboards?

Yes. Once connected, schemes must stay connected, keep member data accurate, return values within the required timescales, handle possible matches and keep records showing how they meet their dashboards duties.

What is the difference between Find Data and View Data?

Find Data is the personal information used to match a member to their pension record, such as name, date of birth and National Insurance number. View Data shows additional information relating to the pension itself, such as service dates, scheme name, administrator details, and the Value Data. The Value Data shows what the pension is worth, such as its current accrued value and estimated retirement income.

View Data also includes signposts to further information such as costs and charges, and where to find out more about the scheme.

What is a possible match on pensions dashboards?

A possible match is when a dashboard search partly matches a pension benefit but not closely enough to be 100% certain. The member is asked to contact the scheme or provider within 30 days. The administrator of the scheme must then work out whether the pension is definitely theirs or not.

 

 

Connected isn't the finish line

The 31 October deadline marks the moment every scheme in scope can be found. The months before public launch will decide whether members trust what they find. Schemes that get their data right now will give members accurate information from day one, with fewer possible matches and member queries for their administration teams to handle.

See the full findings from 2,000 UK pension holders on member understanding, communication and data accuracy in the latest volume of Pension Pulse.

 

Want to talk about Value Data or possible matches? Request a consultation.

 

 

About Heywood

Heywood is a UK pensions technology provider and has been a Pensions Dashboards Programme pathfinder since 2016. Its integrated service provider (ISP) has connected more than 180 pension schemes and over 10 million member records to the dashboards ecosystem.

Heywood’s Chief Strategy Officer, Chris Connelly, sits on the Pensions Dashboard Advisory Group, working directly with MaPS and MoneyHelper.

 

 

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