This glossary is intended to help you understand some of the most common terms used by the Pensions Dashboards Programme.

Terms	Definition
active member	an individual who is still contributing to, or building up benefits in a pension, often one set up by their employer
alpha testing	operational testing done before beta testing. Alpha testers are potential users of the service, or parts of the service, that are not involved in the development of dashboards
API	application programming interface – a set of programming code, which allows two applications to talk to each other
architecture scaling and performance testing	testing to make sure the digital architecture of dashboards works effectively when experiencing a high number of users
authorisation server	the software that manages the authorisation process within the ecosystem
beta testing	testing after alpha testing which is helpful for identifying problems with usability and configuration
central digital architecture	the group of elements that make dashboards work. These include the ecosystem components that PDP is responsible for: the pension finder system, the consent and authorisation service and the governance register
COBS	the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)’s Conduct of Business Sourcebook
code of connection	sets out how data providers and dashboards providers are to connect to the dashboards ecosystem and what they need to do to remain connected
compulsion	to require in law that pension providers make an individual’s data available to them via their chosen dashboard
compulsory connection	the process where pension providers and schemes will need to connect to the ecosystem and make members’ pensions information available for dashboards
connection	connecting a supplier endpoint to the central digital architecture platform for the purposes of test or live running
consent and authorisation service	where users enter their details and permission to search for pensions, which the consent and authorisation service then passes to the pension finder service to send out to pension providers and schemes
dashboard provider	The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) or another organisation authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) that will develop a front-end dashboard to connect to the ecosystem
dashboards available point (DAP)	the point at which any user will be able to start using dashboards
data standards	the mandatory standards for dashboards on how data should be provided to match people to their pensions and display pensions to users
delegated access	where a user allows a regulated financial advisor or a MaPS guidance specialist to view their pensions information
design standards	the mandatory standards for dashboards on layout, content, messaging and user journeys, to ensure a consistent experience for users regardless of which dashboard they use
directed find	where a user specifies which pension providers and schemes to share their information with to search for their pensions
DOB	date of birth
DWP	The Department for Work and Pensions, the Government department responsible for the Pensions Dashboards Programme
early connection	connecting data providers to the ecosystem before they are required to do so
ecosystem	the overarching system in which multiple parties, technical services and governance connect to make dashboards work. Made up of pensions dashboards, the central digital architecture, pension providers’ find and view interfaces, and the governance register
ecosystem governance framework	sets out how the technical components of the ecosystem will work together with dashboards, and pension providers and schemes
endpoint	a digital location where an API receives requests about a specific resource on its server. In APIs, an endpoint is typically a uniform resource locator (URL) that provides the location of a resource on the server
estimated retirement income (ERI)	an estimate of the income that an individual pension may provide at a date in the future
FCA	Financial Conduct Authority. The organisation that regulates financial services and markets. The FCA regulates personal and stakeholder pensions, and will authorise organisations to create pensions dashboards
find data	data used for matching pensions. Users will have to provide information to the identity service, including their name, date of birth and current address. The identity service will confirm they are who they say they are and verify these details. Users can also provide additional unverified information, such as previous address, mobile number, email address and National Insurance number
governance register	a technical service to ensure that the elements of the ecosystem operate correctly and securely. Allows access to the ecosystem to be removed if a participant is operating incorrectly
identity service	allows users to prove who they say they are, so that they can find their pensions. It provides certainty to pension providers and schemes that they are returning data to the correct user
industry	the pensions industry, including private and public sector pension schemes of all types. Also encompasses organisations involved in the pensions industry, such as financial technology firms, third party administrators, independent financial advisers, insurers and employee benefits platforms
integrated service provider (ISP)	a third party service allowing pensions information to be connected to the dashboards ecosystem on behalf of pension providers
ISO	International Organization for Standardization
MaPS MoneyHelper dashboard	the Money and Pensions Service will develop a pensions dashboard as part of its function to provide information and guidance on pensions
master trust	a form of occupational pension scheme, which provides benefits to employees of multiple, unconnected employers. They are authorised and supervised by TPR
match	when a pension provider is able to find an individual’s pension information using the find data
member	an individual who has benefits under an occupational pension scheme
NINO	National Insurance number
occupational pension schemes	a pension scheme used by an employer for its employees and regulated by TPR. It is sometimes called a company pension scheme. The following are all occupational pension schemes: – master trusts – private defined benefit pensions – public sector defined benefit pensions – single employer defined contribution pensions – executive pensions
pension finder service (PFS)	part of the central digital architecture that sends out an instruction to all pension providers and schemes to search for a user’s pensions
pension provider	an organisation that offers personal and stakeholder pensions, regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority
pension scheme	an organisation that offers occupational pension schemes, regulated by The Pensions Regulator
pensions dashboards ecosystem	see ‘ecosystem’
personal pensions	a group or individual pension scheme arrangement, which is not an occupational pension scheme. These include: – individual personal pensions – self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs) – free-standing additional voluntary contributions (FSAVCs) – s32 buyouts – retirement annuities We use personal pension to include stakeholder pensions (ie a scheme that meets the legislative conditions to be a stakeholder pension scheme)
regulator	an organisation that supervises an industry, business activity or public sector function. The Financial Conduct Authority and The Pensions Regulator are both regulators
safeguarded benefits	any benefits that include some form of guarantee or promise during the accumulation phase, about the rate of secure pension income that the member (or their survivors) will receive, or will have an option to receive
self-asserted data	data provided by an individual for use at the find stage, which the identity service does not verify
staging	the process of pension providers connecting to the pensions dashboards ecosystem over a period of time. Staging dates are spread out over a period of time and are different for different types of schemes, due to the number of providers. The staging date is the latest point for a pension provider to connect to the ecosystem, which includes complying with all of the legislative requirements on trustees/managers and being ready to respond to user find requests and return the view information
State Pension	the State Pension is a regular payment from the government most people can claim when they reach State Pension age. How much you get and when you start receiving it depends on your National Insurance record
technical standards	the mandatory standards for dashboards on how data and dashboard providers will interface with the central digital architecture and each other
TPR	The Pensions Regulator. The public body that protects workplace pensions in the UK. They work with employers and those running pensions so that people can save safely for their retirement
view data	the information about the pension which is displayed on the dashboard where the user can see it. View data will include contact information for the provider, a description of the pension type, data payable, and more
volunteer pension providers and schemes	pension providers and schemes that volunteer to help PDP test the processes and systems as we build and develop the ecosystem