Pensions Dashboards

It’s a complex project and we’re fully engaged with the PDP, the Association of British Insurers (ABI), the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and The Pensions Regulator (TPR). We’ve already connected some pensions and made significant in-roads towards full connectivity. We’re confident in our ability to securely receive and pass savers’ data to the dashboards, in line with the Pensions Dashboards Regulations, FCA rules and Data Standards.   

A dashboards ecosystem is being developed and tested across the industry which will enable data to be found across schemes and providers and shared with an individual saver. Savers can choose which dashboard they use and could use more than one, or change at a future date. 

Explore a series of helpful videos in the Useful Resources section of the Pensions Dashboards Programme website, these explain key concepts, timelines and what trustees need to know.

• A user logs onto a dashboard of their choice and will need to submit forename, surname, address, postcode and date of birth, as well as optional National Insurance number. 
• To keep their data safe their request is passed to an identity service to confirm they are who they claim to be.  
• They’ll then be asked to consent that their information can be used and to authorise providers to perform a search on the data they hold.  
• A pension finder service will then send the request to all pension providers and schemes.  
• When a match is made a unique identifier will be returned to the user and reports back all their pensions found (including the State Pension). 
• It’ll show names of their pension schemes and estimated values at their selected retirement age.   

How pensions will be matched to savers

If their data matches to what a provider holds, administrators will return an identifier that shows a full match and will provide the pensions information once the saver makes a ‘view request’.

If some of their data matches, then a 'partial match' will be returned along with the administrators' contact details. The saver will need to contact them to go through a verification process to identify whether the pension is theirs to be able to add that pension to their dashboard in future. These contact details will be on their dashboard for 30 days after which time they will be withdrawn.

In some circumstances we'll be unable to match the data a saver submits so nothing will be returned. 

It’s important to know the pension finder isn’t a database. It doesn’t hold any personal or pensions data but acts more like a switchboard.  Once a saver consents to finding their pensions, the technology fetches and delivers relevant information directly to their own personal dashboard.  

We’re working with our customer service colleagues to make sure they’re ready to help savers who contact us after receiving a ‘partial match’ and those who re-engage with us after finding a policy through a dashboard.   

Find Data

‘Find Data’ consists of the personal data provided by the saver to the dashboard and sent by the dashboard's pension finder service to providers, to enable them to search their records for a match.

Some ‘Find Data’ elements will be verified by the dashboard identity service (including first name, last name, date of birth and current address) and some will be self-asserted by the saver (including National Insurance number, previous last name, previous address, email address, mobile number).

Where a provider makes a full match, they will register a unique identifier and savers will have access to the ‘View Data’. Where there is only a ‘partial match’ the provider will send a message with a unique identifier and scheme contact details so the saver can contact the provider to verify if that pension is theirs, and if it is, the provider will update their records.

View Data

‘View Data’ is returned to the dashboard by pension schemes or providers where they have made a match, and is the collective term to describe the administrative data, additional signpost data, value data, and contextual data savers will be shown on their dashboard.

Administrative data - scheme name, dates of membership, name and contact details of administrator, employer name.

Additional signpost data - hyperlinks to websites (e.g. the scheme’s website) where an individual can find useful information about the scheme (e.g. costs and charges etc).

Value data - current fund value, how much pension has been built up to Selected Retirement Age (SRA) if premiums cease, and how much pension will be built up to SRA if premiums continue. We’ll also use the new Actuarial Standard Technical Memorandum 1 (AS TM1) value basis for those calculations, where required, from 1 October 2023. This includes Contextual Information on the value data e.g. illustration date, or type of benefit.

Once a saver consents to finding their pensions, the technology fetches and delivers relevant information directly to their own personal dashboard.

If a scheme is a Group Personal Pension, Group SIPP or Group Stakeholder with Scottish Widows, as provider we’ll provide the connectivity and data to dashboards ecosystem for these schemes.

For detailed information on Data Standards visit https://www.pensionsdashboardsprogramme.org.uk/standards/data-standards

Trustees are responsible for ensuring their schemes comply with the Pensions Dashboards Regulations 2022, including connecting to the dashboards ecosystem. We’re here to support and guide trustees through this process using Scottish Widows Connectivity (PDF, 100KB). 

A helpful checklist is available on The Pensions Regulator’s website.

If your scheme is part of the Scottish Widows Master Trust, Mercer Master Trust, or an own trust occupational pension scheme, trustees are responsible for connecting the scheme (based on its connectivity date) and supplying data to dashboards.

As a provider, Scottish Widows will work in partnership with trustees or scheme managers to deliver a connectivity solution that meets their regulatory requirements and supports a smooth onboarding experience.

What you can do at the moment

We recommend reviewing the The Pension Regulator guidance for trustees.

This includes practical steps to help you get ready for connection, such as:

Reviewing the quality and completeness of your scheme’s member data. Accurate data—especially names, postcodes, dates of birth, National Insurance numbers—will help ensure members can be matched successfully and receive their pension information via dashboards.

Ensuring your scheme’s signpost information is up to date. This includes documents such as your Costs and Charges Statement, Implementation Statement, and Statement of Investment Principles (where applicable), which must be made available to dashboard users.

Considering whether to use Scottish Widows Connectivity for your scheme. If so, you’ll need to agree to our standard match criteria (PDF, 200KB) and sign a supplemental service agreement covering dashboard services, data sharing, and privacy requirements.

Reviewing your scheme’s Data Protection Notice (DPN) to ensure it reflects data sharing within the dashboards ecosystem and with relevant government bodies.

You can also visit the Pensions Dashboards Programme for the latest updates, technical standards, and resources.

If you have a Relationship Manager, you can also discuss this with them.

If your scheme is an Own Trust Occupational Scheme or a Group AVC scheme with Scottish Widows or Clerical Medical you can:

• View an example Servicing and Data Sharing Agreement (PDF, 300KB)
• Contact us at pensionsdashboard@enquiry.scottishwidows.co.uk if you want to arrange for your Scottish Widows or Clerical Medical scheme to get connected to Pensions Dashboards using one of our Scottish Widows Connectivity options or if you want to follow up on an existing connectivity instruction that you’ve given us.
• Request a copy of your scheme’s member data and tell us about any updates required, by contacting us by email: Scottish Widows corporatelsc@lscservices.scottishwidows.co.uk or Clerical Medical eservices.support@lscservicesscottishwidows.co.uk
• Review our Data Privacy Impact Assessment. A copy is available on request from pensionsdashboard@enquiry.scottishwidows.co.uk

Once we receive your scheme’s connectivity instruction, we’ll begin working directly with your trustees or third-party administrator to gather the necessary information to support your connection to the pensions dashboards ecosystem. This includes issuing a contractual data processing and services legal agreement, which must be completed and returned.

We’ll also request additional key details such as your scheme’s TPR registration code and other data required to enable a successful connection.

To ensure we can connect your scheme on time, we need all required information and signed agreements at least four weeks before your scheme’s connect-by date. If we don’t receive everything in time, we may not be able to complete the connection by your scheme’s deadline.

If you choose Scottish Widows Connectivity we can help you with your Regulatory Reporting requirements.