Pensions Dashboard: Reminder that data matters
Most people will change jobs several times during their working life, meaning that they may have more than one pension pot. Pensions Dashboards is a government initiative which will enable all people to see simple information about their LGPS pension as well as any other pension savings that they may have, including the State Pension, online, securely and in one place. This facility should also help people to find any lost pension pots.
When people use a Pensions Dashboard, they will be asked to input certain personal data. We will then use that data to search our records and determine if people have a pension with our fund.
To match people with their pension benefits it is essential that the personal data we hold for members, such as first name (given name), surname, date of birth and current address is correct. We would like to remind employers of the need to ensure the data they submit to us through i-Connect is as accurate as possible, especially in light of two recent breaches where employers have given the fund incorrect addresses for members.
The fund reviews all data received from employers and will be in contact if there are any issues with the data being submitted.
All employers need to check that the data they are submitting through i-Connect is up-to-date and, if not, to inform us as soon as possible so that it can be amended. This will ensure our members will be able to access their pension details through the Pensions Dashboard as well as receiving important communications from the fund.
The Pensions Dashboard project had a reset last year and a new connection deadline for all pension schemes of 31 October 2026 has been announced. Pension Schemes will have to join in phases and the guidance specifies 31 October 2025 for public service pension schemes such as Shropshire County Pension Fund. This is the date we will have to make sure we can supply information to the Dashboard but the date for when this will go live for members will be later than this.