Pension changes for workers with smaller private pensions
There are now 13 million of these small pots, holding £1,000 or less, with the number increasing by around one million a year, the Government said.
Under reforms introduced as part of the Pension Schemes Bill, each individual saver's small pots will be brought together into one pension scheme. People will still have the right to opt out.
The Government said the move will also reduce admin costs for businesses.
Pensions minister Torsten Bell said: 'There are now more small pension pots in the UK than pensioners – raising costs and hassle for workers trying to track their savings. It also costs the pensions industry hundreds of millions of pounds every year.
'We will automatically bring together people's small pots into one high performing pension, reducing costs as well as hassle for savers. In time this could boost the pension of an average earner by around £1,000.'
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Zoe Alexander, director of policy and advocacy at the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA), said: 'The accumulation of small pots creates unnecessary cost and complexity for savers and schemes alike. The PLSA has worked extensively with industry and the DWP (Department for Work and Pensions) to propose solutions and supports the model being proposed by the Government.'
Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy, said: 'Which? called for the consolidation of small pots under £1,000 before the election, so we are delighted that the Government is committing to doing this.'
Gail Izat, workplace managing director at Standard Life, part of Phoenix Group, said: 'The introduction of consolidators that can administer these pots effectively and invest them dynamically will be a step forward.'
The long-anticipated pensions dashboard is designed to consolidate all retirement savings into a single, secure online hub.
Keeping track of pensions is notoriously challenging, with the average worker accumulating 11 different pension pots over their lifetime.
This has resulted in £26.6 billion in lost pensions across the UK, according to the Pensions Policy Institute and the Association of British Insurers.
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