Pension dashboards programme further delayed to October 2026

In a written statement, Laura Trott, parliamentary under secretary of state for pensions, said: “More time is needed to deliver this complex build, and for the pensions industry to help facilitate the successful connection of a wide range of different IT systems to the dashboards digital architecture. 

“As part of our reset of the Pensions Dashboard Programme, I am today laying amending regulations with a new approach to delivery that allows us to work more collaboratively with the pensions industry. 

“Rather than setting out the entire staging timeline in legislation, we will instead set this out in guidance which we will collaborate on with industry this year. This will give the Pensions Dashboards Programme the flexibility it needs to ensure this complex project is completed effectively.”

The 2026 date is the final connection date, not when dashboards will become available, added Trott, as they could be available much earlier. 

More collaboration required

Nigel Peaple, director policy & advocacy at PLSA, said that today’s statement that the government remains committed to the delivery of pensions dashboards and that the final staging date will go back by one year provides some helpful clarity and flexibility for the pensions industry.

“We would, however, highlight that many in the pensions industry, including the PLSA, would have preferred the new staging timeline to be set out in regulation, as was previously the case, rather than only in guidance, as is now planned. 

“To make this new approach work, it will be necessary for the dashboards programme to work in a very open, transparent and collaborative way such that all parts of the government involved in the project, and all those involved from across the industry, can work together as one.”

Capacity crunch remains

Kate Smith, head of pensions at Aegon welcomed the announcement giving more time to ensure the pension dashboard ecosystem works, is fully tested, and gives greater certainty that pension dashboards will happen.

But, she warned: “Previously, connecting dates for pension providers and schemes were set out in legislation by scheme size and type. These will be removed. 

“We look forward to seeing more details on how the staging dates set out in the guidance will work and be managed by the pension dashboard programme to ensure that scheme connection points  are evenly spread to avoid the risk of being left until the last minute of 31 October 2026, which could easily lead to a capacity crunch and overwhelm the pension dashboard ecosystem.”  

Paul McGlone, SPP past president and dashboard lead, said: “The risk of a single end date with only supporting guidance is that we lose crucial momentum because schemes only focus on the end date.

“Without strong enforcement the industry will face yet another capacity crunch.’’

Carry on regardless 

Jon Pocock, pension dashboard delivery manager at independent consultancy Broadstone, warned the statement left very much unclear in terms of the timelines and how schemes are to view their own activity. 

“The statement suggests that guidance-based staging dates will be determined by the end of the year, in consultation with the pensions industry,” said Pocock. “This does, however, leave a hiatus for many parties with knowing how to proceed.

“Until there is clarity on how rigid the guidance dates are and the flexibility schemes have to meet them or not then we anticipate, rightly or wrongly, that many schemes will simply defer acting.”

Phil Brown, director of policy at People’s Partnership, provider of The People’s Pension, said: “As long time supporters of dashboards, we welcome the clarity provided by today’s announcement and are pleased that DWP see a longer delay as unnecessary.

“Like other schemes, we will continue to use this time to prepare our data and think that the extension of the delivery date will give everybody time to ensure they are ready.”

Dangers of half-baked approach

Tom Selby, head of retirement policy at AJ Bell, said the decision to push mandatory connection to dashboards beyond the next general election was “hugely disappointing” and that people will understandably question whether they will ever be delivered. 

“While we are yet to see the detail of the government’s latest plans, the suggestion pensions dashboards could be made available to the public before schemes are required by law to connect implies officials are considering launching dashboards on a voluntary basis,” said Selby.

“This would presumably mean the dashboards people can access at this point would contain only the information of schemes who choose to provide it.

“The major risk of this half-baked approach is that people will end up making retirement decisions based on partial information which they might not otherwise have made if they had a full picture of all their pension pots.”