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News The launch of pensions dashboards will be a milestone moment for the industry – but it’s also just the beginning. Once members start logging in, searching for benefits, and viewing their Estimated Retirement Incomes (ERIs), the real challenge begins: maintaining accurate, up-to-date data and giving members the clarity they need. Without the right systems in place, dashboards could create more questions than answers – and more pressure on pension scheme administrators than ever before.
Mantle’s Graeme Riddoch explores what happens after pensions dashboards launch and why the demand is more than focusing on patched-up legacy platforms.
Fast forward to the future
Fast-forward to the future: pensions dashboards are live, members are logging in, searching for their benefits, and viewing their Estimated Retirement Incomes (ERIs). Job done? Not quite.
Getting data into shape and coaxing ageing systems into producing the required calculations is only the start. Once dashboards go live, schemes need to keep the data maintained and generate fresh ERIs every year. Many legacy platforms can’t automate benefit calculations, meaning ERIs must be produced manually—often at considerable cost to the scheme.
But cost isn’t the big challenge: Picture this
A member logs in and sees an estimate of their retirement income online. For many deferred members, it may be the first time they’ve ever seen such a figure, since they don’t receive Annual Benefit Statements. Active members do get them, but whether they read or understood them is another question.
Now the dashboards add another complication. The ERI format is prescriptive—including how the benefit is calculated. That may not align with what members have previously seen, which risks confusion, queries, and calls to administrators.
And the questions won’t stop there.
- What happens if I take only part of my tax-free cash?
- What if I retire at 62, not my Normal Retirement Age?
For many members, dashboards will be the spark that drives them to seek out more answers. Without robust online self-service, all those enquiries will fall to administrators—many of whom are already stretched. Some large public sector schemes wrestling with McCloud remedy calculations show the scale of the challenge: in some cases, members have been left waiting months not just for a quote, but for their cash lump sum and regular pension to be put into payment.
Pensions Dashboards Future
Understanding the future of Pensions Dashboards is critical to ensuring smooth operations across the pensions industry. Pension schemes and providers must connect to the Pensions Dashboards by the connection date, but this is only the first step in a much longer process.
To deliver on the promise of Pensions Dashboards—clarity and accessibility for the general public as they access all their pensions—schemes must focus on what matters most: strong data, seamless service, and excellent member engagement.
Open communication
Scheme managers will need to manage open communication with their members who may have varying levels of interest in Pensions Dashboards. Regardless, delivering effective communication that explains the Pensions Dashboards Programme (PDP) and how this is likely to impact them will lay the groundwork that ensures they have the relevant information required.
Strong data
What must be taken into account isn’t just the initial data load, but its continual maintenance. Schemes must generate fresh Estimated Retirement Incomes (ERIs) every year, and members will expect the data to be accurate and reliable.
The Pensions Dashboards ecosystem requires schemes to maintain personal information that reflects current pension savings and benefits, a significant undertaking for trustees and administrators alike.
Smooth service
The most immediate practical challenge will be the inevitable surge in member queries. Pensions Dashboards will give members access to information regarding their retirement that they may never have considered before, which could increase the number of questions and requests they have around their pension pots.
This is likely to dramatically impact the capacity of administrators who will need to rely on robust software to reduce the administrative burden. Schemes must be able to respond to find requests, view requests efficiently, and maintain compliance with legal requirements.
Great member engagement
By delivering seamless, automated digital service experiences, schemes can replace complexity with clarity. Pairing strong data with smooth service capabilities, backed by technology that automates every calculation, you can transform the member journey from confusing query to an insightful self-driven experience.
So what’s the solution?
It isn’t patching over legacy systems again. It’s biting the bullet and replacing them with modern, capable technology. Mantle calculates 100% of benefits automatically – including ERIs. With true member self-service, schemes can deliver a vastly better experience for members, while dramatically reducing the burden on administrators.
Pension Schemes can replace complexity with clarity: every calculation automated, every member empowered, and every administrator freed from repetitive tasks. The day after dashboards go live, will you be ready?
Frequently Asked Questions
We will answer some of the most frequently asked questions on Pensions Dashboards and what comes next.
Who needs to comply to Pensions Dashboards and why does it matter?
The Pension Schemes Act 2021 makes it a legal requirement for pension providers and pension schemes to connect to Pensions Dashboards. However, not all schemes need to comply, only qualifying schemes typically with 100 or more relevant members.
Understanding whether your scheme has 100 or more active and deferred members is important because this threshold determines whether you’re legally required to connect to dashboards. It ensures the largest schemes covering most UK savers connect first, while smaller schemes can choose to join voluntarily.
When is the Pensions Dashboards deadline?
Pension providers and schemes, within scope of the regulations, are legally required to connect to the central digital architecture by 31 October 2026, which is the final connection date set by the Pensions Regulator and the Money and Pensions Service.
Why is the day after the deadline so important?
The day after the deadline is important because schemes must manage a spike in member queries. This shift marks a commitment to continuous data accuracy and Estimated Retirement Income (ERI) generation.
Schemes that have completed the connection will need to focus on ensuring member data remains current.
Will Pensions Dashboards increase administrator workload?
Yes, connecting to Pensions Dashboards is likely to see an initial spike in administrator workload due to the number of members who will want access to the Pensions Dashboards and may have further questions about their pension figures, retirement options, or how their benefits are calculated.
Mantle has selected Pension Fusion as our Integrated Service Provider (ISP). All data is automatically pushed to it and stored. Our modern pension administration platform automates routine calculations and provides members with self-service tools to explore their options independently. This means fewer phone calls, faster responses, and administrators freed up to focus on more complex cases.
How do we keep Pensions Dashboards updated after the launch?
Data isn’t a one-off submission, meaning ERIs must be recalculated and refreshed annually to remain accurate. For schemes relying on legacy systems, this means repeating manual processes year after year.
But there’s a smarter way to manage this with Mantle. Our pension administration platform automatically detects changes in underlying member data and recalculates ERIs as needed.
What if members don’t understand their ERIs?
Pensions Dashboards will introduce many members to their ERI for the first time, so questions are inevitable. Clear communication is fundamental at this point, but Mantle is broader-reaching. Our self-service capabilities allow individuals to model different scenarios, understand their options, and get clarity on their benefits.
This empowers pension savers to explore their future retirement while reducing the burden on administrative teams.
For further information on how Mantle can you support your pension dashboards processes, email us at enquiries@mantleservices.com.
