Government consultation proposes two-page statements for Defined Contribution pensions
18 May 2021
Draft rules included in a consultation published by The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will mean that it is compulsory for providers to issue simpler statements in relation to certain Defined Contribution (DC) pension schemes used as part of auto-enrolment.
These new style pension statements will need to be limited so that they span no more than two pages, and will be required to detail:
- How much money a saver has in their pension plan, along with how much has been saved in the statement year
- How much money a saver could potentially have upon retirement
- How a saver could ensure that they have more money for their retirement
The new rules are due to be implemented from April 2022, and while the consultation currently only focuses on auto-enrolment, the Government intends to introduce simplicity across all schemes at some point in the future.
The Financial Times Adviser reported that Pensions Minister, Guy Opperman had said:
“It’s clear the status quo is not working, with savers left puzzled by the complex, sprawling, jargon-filled statements commonly used by the pensions industry.
Simpler statements will set a new standard for how pension companies communicate with their members.
With more people saving for their retirement than ever before thanks to the success of automatic enrolment, it’s vital they can understand what’s going on with their hard-earned money and actively plan for their future.”
In 2019, the Government consulted on how annual workplace benefit statements could be amended but, in its response, relinquished any plans to ensure that pension providers detailed costs and charges. It was decided, however, that schemes would still be required to signpost members to information on charges.
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