Pensions dashboards: guidance
Ongoing connection and record-keeping requirements
There is a requirement for ongoing connection, which is explained in further detail in the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) code of connection. You need to be able to demonstrate to MaPS that you are able to comply with this. If you are using a connection provider to assist your connection, your provider may handle this requirement on your behalf.
Your scheme must target availability of at least 99.5% of the time, 24 hours each day, seven days of the week, measured on a calendar monthly basis. This means if you are considering something that may potentially disrupt connection, such as a change of administrator or IT provider, you should plan this carefully to minimise disruption. MaPS are regularly updating their guidance on their connection hub, which you should monitor to understand this requirement. Additionally, you should maintain a robust audit trail, which includes the planning process and any risk management measures put in place, for example if there is a change of administrator.
For any scheduled unavailable time, such as maintenance work or change of provider, you will need to notify MaPS at least five working days in advance. You need to keep a record of any service unavailability, so this can be reported in line with MaPS’ reporting standards. Find and view unavailability should be recorded separately.
You will also need to:
- update your systems when MaPS makes any updates or changes to standards
- keep the scheme’s information on the MaPS Governance Register up to date
If you fail to meet MaPS standards and requests, your scheme could be automatically disconnected. This may have regulatory consequences for you and we may take compliance and enforcement action.
If you change connection provider or ISP there are steps to take to transfer over relevant information, which are set out in MaPS’ guidance. You should ensure that both your ceding and receiving providers are taking these steps:
Transfer of pension providers or schemes: Ceding provider | UK Pensions Dashboards Programme
Transfer of pension providers or schemes: Acquiring provider | UK Pensions Dashboards Programme
Reporting and record-keeping requirements
Your existing duties to make breach of law reports as appropriate apply to pensions dashboards. We have expanded our reporting breaches guidance to include specific dashboard examples.
In addition, you will need to report certain information through the digital architecture to help MaPS and us to monitor your compliance with legal requirements and the performance of the digital architecture.
You need to work with your third-party providers to ensure your system is able to generate, record and report the data as required.
You should keep a record of this data, and other records as specified below for six years.
Connection data
Until 31 October 2026 only, the following information must be provided to MaPS upon request:
- The number of your relevant member records that have not yet been connected.
- The number that have been connected.
Additionally, you should keep a record of the following and be prepared to provide this to us if requested:
- The number of connections your scheme has used to connect to the digital architecture (for example if you have multiple sections with different providers).
You can find more information on these requirements in Reporting coverage data for RS1.1 | Standards | UK Pensions Dashboards Programme.
Other data
MaPS are consulting on a proposal to require daily submission to them of the data set out below from 30 November 2026. Until then, this data must be made available to MaPS on request. You should keep yourself informed of updates from MaPS regarding the final requirements and ensure you have processes in place to comply with them. You can find more information on MaPS website.The requirements are:
- The number of view requests received, and the time taken to respond to each one where your response time exceeds 10 seconds.
- Start and end time of each instance where your scheme’s ability to find members was unavailable, along with the reasons for any unavailability.
- In situations where you are unable to perform the functions to return data to members, you need to capture the start and end time of each instance where your scheme was unable to do this, along with the relevant reasons.
- Where you are unable to provide value data information immediately, and will do this within 3 days (for DC benefits, using value unavailable code DCC) or 10 days (for all other benefits, using value unavailable code DBC), the time taken to calculate and make available the value data.
- Where the following codes are used, the total number of times each has been returned following a view request:
- Ref 2.004, “contact scheme”, code to indicate there has been a match but the user should contact the pension provider/scheme before it provides any or all the user’s pensions information.
- Ref 2.005 Administrative details not available code to explain to a new member that not all administrative information will be available for up to 3 months after they have joined the scheme.
- Ref 2.006, “temporary system error”, code to explain to the user that some or all of the pensions information is not available due to a temporary system error and they should re-try shortly.
- Ref 2.301 and Ref 2.401 codes where you are unable to provide estimated retirement incomes or accrued benefit values in the following scenarios:
- ANO: Benefits cannot currently be provided as information is required from a third party (for example, a final leaving salary from the employer for a DB benefit).
- PPF: The scheme is subject to a PPF assessment period, and the user should contact the scheme administrator.
- TRN: Transaction outstanding that affects the value.
- You need to keep a record of the number of members impacted where you use the above codes and the rationale for using them, to be made available to us on request. This also applies to the below codes which you will not need to report to MaPS:
- MEM: Benefits cannot currently be provided because there is an action or decision outstanding from the user.
- NET: User is a new member user of the pension provider or scheme as a result of a transfer in and ERI pension information is not yet available.
- NEW: User is a new member user of the pension provider or scheme and ERI value data is not yet available.
- When using any of these codes you should be able to demonstrate when asked that there is an appropriate process in place to enable you to provide the missing value information to members in a timely fashion.
Additional records to keep
You will also need to keep a record of:
- how you have carried out steps set out in guidance on connection, or other steps you’ve taken to achieve connection
- how you have carried out steps to remediate any issues that may occur, and how you are monitoring the progress of your plan for these
- your matching criteria
You will need to keep a record of this all the information set above for at least six years from the end of the scheme year to which it relates.
Records of contact from members
You need to keep records of the contacts you receive from your members related to pensions dashboards for six years. This includes details from queries about the following:
- Queries about the pensions information provided.
- Queries about pensions not found following a search.
- Complaints.
This should include volumes, the nature of complaints, how and when these were resolved, and outcomes. The records should be accessible to MaPS and TPR upon request.
You should review this data and assess the root cause of any issue identified. For example if this is due to a system or process issue with your administrator or ISP, or whether it is due to issues with the underlying data. This will enable you to better understand your members’ experience and identify potential areas of non-compliance or need for improvement. This will also help you understand if there are systemic issues which may have a wider impact for the running of your scheme.
You should record remedial actions taken in respect of underlying issues and when these were carried out. For example, if you are contacted as a result of a pension not being found, one of your actions may be to conduct data improvement work.