Defined benefit (DB) pension schemes that are heading towards buyout should not ignore their relevant dashboards connection deadline, the regulator has said.
Speaking at the Pensions Expert DB Strategic Summit this week, the Pensions Regulator’s (TPR) David Walmsley said his team was engaging with the largest pension schemes to ensure they were on track with improving their data standards.
Medium-sized and smaller schemes have staggered deadlines for connection between now and the end of October 2026, but Walmsley warned trustees not to leave connection too late.
“Unless buyout is completed by 31 October 2026, dashboard duties apply, and trustees may face regulatory action.”
David Walmsley, TPR
“Some DB schemes are delaying preparation due to plans to derisk or wind up,” Walmsley said. “This is risky: unless buyout is completed by 31 October 2026, dashboard duties apply, and trustees may face regulatory action.”
Walmsley, TPR’s director of trusteeship, administration and DB supervision, added that good data was also beneficial to securing a better price for a buyout, as well as improving “efficiency, automation, and decision-making”.
“We urge all schemes to ensure compliance, clean data, and readiness to connect,” he told delegates. “We’ll continue providing guidance and checklists to support progress.”
DB pension schemes were able to apply to the regulator for a delay to their dashboard connection obligations, but had to do so before 8 August 2024.
On its website, TPR explains that DB pension schemes in a buyout process remain in scope of dashboard connection rules “until the buy-out is complete and the number of relevant members falls to zero”.
At that point, dashboard duties transfer to the insurance company. Insurers are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for pensions dashboard purposes, and those with more than 5,000 members had a connection deadline of 30 April 2025.
When is your dashboards connection deadline?
| Deadline | Scheme types |
|---|---|
| 30 September 2025 | Collective defined contribution schemes of all sizes, all other schemes with 1,500 to 2,499 members |
| 31 October 2025 | All public sector and parliamentary pension schemes, including the Local Government Pension Scheme |
| 30 November 2025 | All pension schemes with 1,000 to 1,499 members |
| 31 January 2026 | Occupational pension schemes with 750 to 999 members; annuity providers, personal pension providers and stakeholder pension providers with less than 5,000 members |
| 28 February 2026 | All schemes with 600 to 749 members |
| 31 March 2026 | All schemes with 400 to 599 members |
| 30 April 2026 | All schemes with 320 to 399 members |
| 31 May 2026 | All schemes with 250 to 319 members |
| 30 June 2026 | All schemes with 195 to 249 members |
| 31 July 2026 | All schemes with 155 to 194 members |
| 31 August 2026 | All schemes with 125 to 154 members |
| 30 September 2026 | All schemes with 100 to 124 members |
| 31 October 2026 | Statutory deadline |
Walmsley continued: “Up to this point, 50 million records, including TPR and FCA-regulated pensions and the state pension, have been successfully linked. Real savers are now testing dashboards live, marking a major milestone.
“However, dashboards rely on accurate, complete, and accessible data. Trustees are responsible, and we’ve made data quality a central focus.
“Last year, we intervened with schemes reporting data issues. We’re now examining the UK’s 50 largest schemes, covering 80% of occupational pension records, with meetings underway.”
