Heywood
Testing for the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard has started, marking a major milestone for the Pensions Dashboards Programme (PDP). In the months ahead, the service will undergo phased testing, demonstrating that members can quickly locate their pensions and access clear, accurate details as soon as they log in.
This programme of testing is designed to prove dashboards work for members by identifying usability and data quality issues, measuring how well matching works, and understanding how users respond when pensions are found, or not found. It will also explore how onward guidance and assisted support can be integrated into a joined-up pensions journey, generating insights to improve both the service and the processes schemes rely on.
Testing follows a three-step structure. It starts with industry expert testing to validate live data and iron out issues before consumers get involved. Phase 1 follows, which is a low-volume, moderated stage, running with around 300 participants over three months to test the display of the State Pension, defined contribution and defined benefit pensions. Phase 2 scales up to more than 20,000 participants in an unmoderated setting, with continued moderated testing for complex cases, an expanded set of pension types, and additional features. Across all phases, PDP aims for broad demographic representation, with around 20% of participants having access needs or low digital skills to ensure dashboards work for everyone.
Why this testing matters for schemes
For schemes, this is more than a technical trial. The testing window is an early glimpse of how dashboards will perform in the real world and an opportunity to act before the Dashboards Availability Point arrives. Waiting for the testing programme to conclude would be a missed opportunity.
Data readiness remains the single most important factor in delivering a positive member experience. Heywood’s Pensions Pulse, a report that shines a spotlight on data accuracy through analysis of nearly 3-million-member records, highlights the scale of the challenge. It found that nearly 1 in 5 dashboards requests could result in a possible match, rather than a confirmed match.
Inaccuracies such as outdated addresses, incorrect names and missing pension values may be invisible today, but dashboards will bring them to light instantly. Members who cannot find their pensions or see incorrect information will lose trust and look to schemes for answers, creating surges in queries and pressure on administration teams.
From the moment pensions dashboards go live, they will be a member-facing service. Schemes that plan for the member journey as well as meeting their technical obligations will be better placed to make a strong first impression. That means putting clear communications in place, preparing teams for member queries and ensuring data is accurate, complete and ready for visibility.
Heywood has been closely involved from the beginning. As a Pensions Dashboards Programme Pathfinder organisation, we worked directly with the PDP to test and refine the connection process. Today, our ISP is now providing connection services to over 10 million members (with 3.8m of those now connected) and we've connected more than 100 schemes to the dashboards ecosystem, with more to follow in the months ahead.
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Chris Connelly, Chief Strategy Officer |
Data readiness is still the foundation
Testing may still be underway, but the message for schemes is clear right now: accurate, complete data is non-negotiable. Every dashboard search will put that data to the test in real time. Those who use the testing period to fix inaccuracies, prepare their teams and plan for the onward member journey will build trust from day one. Those who wait risk finding out the hard way that dashboards make data problems visible instantly and create unpredictable workloads for admin teams that are already busy.
