The number of UK pension providers that have completed their connection to the pensions dashboards ecosystem has continued to grow, with the first deadline in the staged pensions dashboards staged timeline having now passed.

Occupational pension schemes with 20,000 or more members have been asked to connect by 30 April, with other occupational pension schemes to connect by later dates depending on their size and structure.

Legal & General became the first pension provider to finalise its connection to the pensions dashboards ecosystem last month.

However, the number of providers connecting has continued to grow since, as AJ Bell also confirmed that it completed its connection to the pensions dashboard ahead of the 30 April deadline.

Standard Life, part of Phoenix Group, also completed its connection to the pension dashboard ecosystem on 30 April, in line with the Department of Work and Pensions guidance timetable.

The connection, which was achieved via Integrated Service Provider (ISP) Equisoft, formed part of a group wide initiative, and Phoenix Group has successfully completed its connection as part of the project.

Standard Life highlighted the connection as a "major milestone" towards making dashboards a reality for Standard Life customers, covering the full range of trust and contract based policies offered by the provider, as well as a "stepping stone" towards it offering a private sector dashboard at a later date.

This was echoed by AJ Bell head of public policy, Rachel Vahey, who highlighted 30 April as an "important milestone" in the journey to pensions dashboards.

The Aon MasterTrust has also confirmed that it completed its connection to the pensions dashboard ecosystem ahead of the 30 April 2025 target date.

Aon partner and EMEA DC solutions leader, Tony Pugh, said: “It’s excellent news that The Aon MasterTrust, with over 185,000 members, is now connected to the pensions dashboard.

"The next key step is for members to be given access, and we expect that to take place in Q4 2026, with the Department of Work and Pensions giving six months’ notice ahead of the go live date.

“But this continues to be a project of huge importance to the UK pensions industry and most of all to pension scheme members. There is still much work to do but this is the vital first step in that process.”

Barnett Waddingham (BW) also announced that it connected its first client to the pensions dashboard ecosystem, using their chosen Integrated Service Provider (ISP) Equisoft.

Following the milestone, the consultancy confirmed it has nearly another 200 clients in scope for connection between now and the final connection deadline of 31 October 2026.

Barnett Waddingham pension administration principal, Heather Peters, said: "We’re delighted to have made this critical first connection to the Pensions Dashboards ecosystem.

"The focus for the project for the next 17 months will remain on ensuring our in-scope clients continue to connect successfully, with data securely held and ready to be available to members at the Dashboard Available Point.

“This is a significant milestone made possible by an excellent project team and governance structure here at BW, alongside regular collaboration with our ISP, Equisoft and The Pensions Regulator (TPR) to keep our journey on track.”

Moneybox also confirmed that it connected to the government's pensions dashboard ecosystem ahead of the 30 April 2025 deadline, with head of personal finance, Brian Byrnes, highlighting this as a "critical first step in transforming how people engage with their pension savings and plan for retirement".

In addition to this, Aegon confirmed that it connected its largest schemes to the PDP’s ecosystem, in line with the timetable set by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

The remaining schemes will be connected over the coming months in line with their connect by date.

Commenting on the news, Aegon director of workplace pensions, Nick Roy, said: “We’re excited to have completed this first and significant step. This is a huge achievement, covering an incredible 70 per cent of our policies, even at this early point.

"The success of this stage – given the complexity of the requirements as well as being the first time we have had to test and complete connection – provides the highest level of confidence that further connect by dates will be met for our remaining schemes over the coming months.

“This is a big step forward for the overall dashboard programme and in helping customers to engage with their pensions and make informed decisions based on a more holistic view of their retirement savings. “

The next upcoming pensions dashboards connection deadline is 31 May 2025, and will cover:

- Money purchase schemes used for automatic enrolment (5,000 or more members)
- Master trust schemes that provide only money purchase benefits (5,000 to 19,999 members)
- Any remaining money purchase schemes (20,000 or more members)
- Schemes without money purchase benefits, excluding public service and parliamentary schemes (20,000 or more members)
- Hybrid schemes (20,000 or more members)

This article originally appeared on our sister title, Pensions Age.

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