Pensions Bulletin 2026/32
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This edition: HMRC consults on NMPA transitional provisions and PASA publishes guidance to help answer member questions on dashboards.
HMRC consults on NMPA transitional provisions
HMRC has launched a consultation on draft regulations intended to address transitional issues arising from the increase in the normal minimum pension age (NMPA) from 55 to 57 with effect from 6 April 2028. These regulations have been anticipated since 2021 and were promised to be imminent in February this year (see Pensions Bulletin 2026/09).
Some individuals who will be aged 55 or 56 immediately before the NMPA increase may have already started to, or taken steps to, access their pension benefits, and there are concerns that if these individuals haven’t reached age 57 by 5 April 2028, payments that continue to be made after that date would no longer be authorised. The draft regulations address this issue by providing that, in specified circumstances, members who are aged 55 or 56 on 5 April 2028 are treated as if they had reached age 57 immediately before certain pension payments are made.
The draft provisions cover pension income (including drawdown, scheme pensions and annuities) as well as stand-alone lump sums, pension commencement lump sums, pension commencement excess lump sums and trivial commutation lump sums. The provisions also preserve the ability to make subsequent trivial commutation lump sum payments within the 12-month commutation window where a qualifying payment was made before 6 April 2028 to a member aged 55 or 56.
The consultation closes on 28 September 2026.
Comment
The consultation is welcome, providing much-needed clarity for members who have validly accessed benefits before the NMPA increase, but who are still below age 57 when it takes effect. Subject to the detailed conditions being met, the proposals should prevent continuing payments from becoming unauthorised solely because they are made on or after 6 April 2028.
PASA publishes guidance to help answer member questions on dashboards
The Pensions Administration Standards Association (PASA) has published interim guidance to help member-facing pension scheme staff answer member queries about pensions dashboards. The Guidance includes frequently asked questions and suggested responses for use when speaking with members about dashboards. PASA states that the material should be adapted by schemes, providers and administrators to reflect their own processes and the latest available information.
Comment
This guidance could be useful in helping administration teams develop standard responses to basic member questions about dashboards. Such queries are likely to increase as we get closer to the public launch date of dashboards, so schemes should ensure that staff understand both the dashboard service and the limits of the information that can be provided through it.
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