Pensions dashboards explained: when you'll be able to see all your pensions in one place

The short answer: A pensions dashboard is a free online service that shows all your UK pensions in one place, including your State Pension. The government's MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard is expected to open to everyone in the 2027/28 financial year. 31 October 2026 is the deadline for pension schemes to connect, not the launch date.

What is the pensions dashboard?

It's a single, secure page where you can see every UK pension you have, without phoning each provider. The government says dashboards will let you see your pensions information, including your State Pension, for free in one place online. It also says they'll help reunite people with lost or forgotten pensions.

The first one is the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard. It's being built by the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), a government-backed body, through its Pensions Dashboards Programme. Other firms may offer their own dashboards later, but MoneyHelper's comes first and any others will need to be regulated by the FCA.

Why does it matter? Each time you change jobs, you may pick up a new workplace pension. If you've been self-employed for a while, you may also have a personal pension or two, plus old pots from your employed days. Keeping track of them all is hard, especially after a house move or two.

When can I use the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard?

The full public launch is expected in the 2027/28 financial year, so some time between April 2027 and March 2028. The Pensions Dashboards Programme says the exact date will be decided by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. The pensions minister has promised industry 6 months' notice.

There's no fixed date yet, so here's what we know:

• The programme plans an update on launch timing around 31 October 2026, once more testing is done.

• Between March and June 2026, testing recruited over 12,000 people to a panel and found more than 11,000 pension matches for nearly 3,000 users.

• The dashboard has passed an independent government review, with green ratings on all 14 standards checked.

You don't have to wait for the launch to try it, though. Since 1 September 2026, anyone aged 18 or over who hasn't started taking money from all their pensions can sign up to test it. On MoneyHelper's sign-up page, you fill in a short consent form and get a secure link within an hour. It's still being tested, so some of your pensions may not show up yet.

What happens at the 31 October 2026 connection deadline?

Nothing changes for you on the day. It's the date by which pension schemes must be plugged into the system, so that the dashboard can find your pensions when it opens. The connection deadline is separate from the launch date.

According to the July 2026 progress report, these must connect by 31 October 2026:

1. Every personal pension provider that follows FCA rules.

2. Every workplace (occupational) scheme with 100 or more relevant members.

Smaller schemes with fewer than 100 members don't have to connect. They can choose to join, but only after 31 October 2026. Even so, over 99% of pension records are required by law to be connected.

Most of the work is done. By July 2026, nearly 1,500 providers and schemes had connected, covering over 70 million records. That's about 85% of those in scope, plus tens of millions of State Pension records. A scheme that misses the deadline may face action from its regulator.

What will the dashboard show, and what won't it?

For each pension it finds, MoneyHelper says you'll see what it's worth now and what it could be worth in retirement, with links to guidance. It handles all 7 types of pension, from the State Pension to final salary (defined benefit) schemes.

Based on the Pensions Dashboards Programme's guidance as at October 2026. The design may change before launch.

The limits come from the programme's guide to who can use dashboards and its notes for testers. For now, only you can view your own pensions, so someone with power of attorney can't log in for you.

Each pension falls into one of 3 groups:

• Confirmed: the scheme is sure it's yours and shows everything straight away.

• Pending: it's yours, but the scheme needs time to send the figures. That's usually 3 working days for defined contribution pots, or 10 working days for other types. You don't need to do anything.

• Needs action: you need to contact the scheme, for example to prove a "possible match" is really yours.

One quirk to expect: values can come from different dates, so they may not line up neatly. A bit like friends' holiday photos, they're all real, just not all from this week.

Is the pensions dashboard safe to use?

Security was part of the plan from the start. You prove who you are with GOV.UK One Login, the same sign-in used for other government services. And there's no central database of everyone's pensions: your details stay with each scheme.

There are 3 ways to prove your identity:

1. Use the One Login app, with a photo of your ID and of you.

2. Answer security questions online, based on your UK credit record.

3. Go to a Post Office after entering your photo ID details online.

For testing, MoneyHelper says you'll need your current address, photo ID and your National Insurance number if you have one. Only MoneyHelper, DWP for the State Pension, regulated schemes and FCA-regulated dashboards can connect. So if anyone calls offering to "find your pensions on the dashboard" for a fee, be wary. The MoneyHelper service is free.

How do I find all my pensions in one place before then?

You can do it yourself now, for free, with a bit of detective work. MoneyHelper sets out 4 steps to trace an old pension:

1. List every employer you've had, even short jobs, plus any pension you set up yourself.

2. Find each pension provider's name. Check old paperwork, ask former employers or colleagues, or try a free tracing service.

3. Get their contact details from the government's free Pension Tracing Service. You'll need an employer or provider name.

4. Contact each provider. They may ask for your National Insurance number, past names and addresses, and the dates you worked there.

When a provider finds your pension, check they have your current contact details, so your yearly statements reach you. It's worth it. The programme estimates there are 3.3 million pots worth over £31.1 billion that are unclaimed or not matched to their owner. Some testers have already found pensions they'd lost track of altogether.

Once you know what you have, you might wonder about combining them. Our guide on whether to combine your old pension pots covers the checks to make first.

Example: tracking down three old pots

Made-up figures, for illustration only.

Sam is 41 and has been a self-employed photographer for 9 years. Before that, Sam had three jobs:

Sam also has a personal pension, set up after going self-employed.

Here's how Sam works through it today:

• Marketing agency: Sam already has the provider's name, so calls them, confirms the pot and updates the address.

• Retail chain: Sam types the provider name into the Pension Tracing Service, gets the contact details and asks the provider to search.

• Call centre: Sam can't remember a provider, so emails the old employer's HR team to ask who ran the pension.

• State Pension: Sam checks a State Pension forecast online.

When the dashboard opens, Sam can log in and check that all four pensions show up, with any "needs action" ones flagged. If one is missing, it may be in a small scheme that hasn't joined.

Can I check my pension details online for free right now?

Yes, for some of them. Here's what you can do today, all free:

• State Pension: check your State Pension forecast on GOV.UK or in the HMRC app. It shows how much you could get and how you might increase it. You can't use it if you're already getting your State Pension or have put off claiming it.

• Workplace and personal pensions: most providers have an online account. Log in, or ask them to set one up.

• Lost pensions: use the Pension Tracing Service. It gives you contact details, but it can't tell you whether you have a pension or what it's worth.

• All of them together: sign up to test the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard, bearing in mind not every pension may show up yet.

If you want to see what your pots might add up to, our flexible pension calculator can help you play with the numbers. And if you're curious about the State Pension side, here's how the UK State Pension works.

Still got questions?

Can I find a lost pension using my National Insurance number?
Your NI number helps a provider match you to a record, but the Pension Tracing Service needs an employer or provider name. The dashboard will use your identity details to search for you.

How do I find an old pension if the company no longer exists?
Use the Pension Tracing Service with the old employer's name. If the employer went bust, MoneyHelper suggests checking whether the scheme moved to the Pension Protection Fund.

Will the pensions dashboard cost anything?
No. The MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard is a free, government-backed service. Be wary of anyone charging to access it.

Can I move or combine pensions through the dashboard?
No. It shows your information and points you to guidance. Any transfer is done with the providers.

Will I see my pension if I'm self-employed?
If you pay into a personal pension or SIPP from a UK provider, the provider must connect, so it should appear. Old workplace pots should show too, if the scheme is connected.

Do I need a smartphone to use it?
No. You can prove your identity by answering security questions online, or at a Post Office.