UK's Digital ID System Delayed to 2028, Budget and Implementation Issues Pe

Published Date : 8/14/2025 

The UK government's One Login digital ID system, initially set to be completed this year, has been pushed back to 2028. The project faces budget increases and complex implementation challenges, but remains a key component of the government's digital transformation efforts. 

The UK’s public sector digital ID system, known as One Login, will not be completed this year as previously expected. The deadline for implementation across all central government services has been extended by three years, now set for March 31, 2028. The government is planning additional investments in GOV.UK One Login, which could add hundreds of millions of pounds to the single-sign on (SSO) platform for government services.

According to a government letter seen by PublicTechnology, Government Digital Service (GDS) Director of Digital Identity, Natalie Jones, remains in charge of the program. The letter confirms that One Login will be operational across the entire central government by the new deadline. Previous cost estimates for One Login were around £329 million (roughly $445 million), up from an original estimate of £305 million ($413 million). Now, an additional £115 million ($156 million) has been allocated to One Login’s development for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. The budget for the remaining two years of the plan is yet to be determined.

A representative from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), which oversees the GDS, stated that One Login currently has 7.8 million users and 80 live services, with 100 more in testing. The official denied that the timeline for delivery had been pushed back, emphasizing that the service was originally scoped to onboard 145 services by 2025. However, due to its success, it will be expanded to bring a further 160 services onto the platform over the following three years to ensure full benefits and savings for taxpayers.

One Login is part of the government major projects portfolio (GMPP), and a GMPP assessment of confidence in the program’s delivery rated it amber last year, cautioning that the program lacked the capacity to meet its delivery goals. This rating has been reiterated in the latest edition. National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) assessors found that One Login’s progress is hindered by a complex roadmap and dependency on other departments to onboard users and realize the system’s benefits.

The budget is also an issue, as the assessment states that increased reliance on more expensive managed service providers and contingent labor contractors, due to civil service headcount caps, along with onboarding complexity and emerging cybersecurity risks, have driven up costs. The challenges came to a head when One Login lost its certification under GDS’ own Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework (DIATF) months ago.

Despite these challenges, the assessment also raised the estimate for One Login’s eventual benefits, from £2 billion ($2.7 billion) to over £3.6 billion ($4.9 billion). “Three years in, GOV.UK One Login is now the market-leading account and identity verification solution for government, offering best-in-class performance against key metrics of inclusion, success rates, and fraud prevention,” the document confirming Jones as “senior responsible owner” states.

The letter also argues that private sector providers lack the incentive or capacity to deliver an integrated solution that aligns with the specific needs of the government, particularly in terms of inclusion, resilience, and fraud prevention. At the same time, the government relies on private sector technology suppliers to deliver One Login’s biometric identity proofing and authentication capabilities. A privacy notice for One Login recently revealed that Veriff is iProov’s subcontractor, along with Inverid, for online identity verification through the GOV.UK ID Check app and the GOV.UK One Login app.

No changes are reported to the anticipated delivery dates for a UK mDL later this year and the GOV.UK digital wallet by the end of 2027. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS): 

Q: What is the new completion date for the One Login system?

A: The new completion date for the One Login system is March 31, 2028.

Q: How much additional funding has been allocated to One Login?

A: An additional £115 million ($156 million) has been allocated to One Login’s development for the 2025-2026 fiscal year.

Q: What is the current user base for One Login?

A: One Login currently has 7.8 million users and 80 live services, with 100 more in testing.

Q: Why was the One Login project delayed?

A: The project was delayed due to budget increases, complex implementation challenges, and the need to onboard more services to fully realize its benefits.

Q: What are the expected benefits of One Login?

A: The expected benefits of One Login have been raised from £2 billion ($2.7 billion) to over £3.6 billion ($4.9 billion). 

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