What does Access to Work pay for?
Access to Work funds the practical things that a workplace adjustment alone cannot cover. gov.uk and the DWP factsheet for customers list these categories of support:
- Specialist equipment and assistive software for your workplace, or adapting equipment to make it easier for you to use. This is whatever your assessment recommends, which could mean screen readers or voice recognition software, adapted keyboards or ergonomic furniture, or a hearing loop or amplified phone. The grant does not publish a fixed product list; the adviser recommends what your work impact requires (gov.uk and DWP factsheet for customers, accessed September 2026).
- Support workers, which gov.uk describes as "a BSL interpreter, a job coach or a travel buddy." The DWP factsheet adds note takers and lip speakers to this list. A support worker is someone whose help you need to do your job or get to it, not a general assistant (gov.uk and DWP factsheet for customers, accessed September 2026).
- Extra travel costs to and from work when public transport is not workable for you, for example taxi fares if your condition means you cannot use public transport. The grant covers the difference between what your journey costs and what a comparable public transport fare would be (DWP factsheet for customers, accessed September 2026).
- Vehicle adaptations so you can drive to work, and physical changes to your workplace, such as a ramp, an adjustable desk or improved lighting (gov.uk, accessed September 2026).
- Communication support at a job interview, such as a BSL interpreter or a lipspeaker, if you are deaf or hard of hearing, or if a physical or mental health condition or learning difficulty means you need communication support (gov.uk, accessed September 2026).
- Disability awareness training for your colleagues, so your team understands how to work with the support you use (gov.uk, accessed September 2026).
- Mental health support through a tailored support plan and one-to-one sessions with a mental health professional (see below) (gov.uk, accessed September 2026).
Two things it will not do. It does not fund reasonable adjustments, because those are your employer's legal responsibility, and it does not fund volunteer roles. gov.uk is explicit: "Access to Work will not pay for reasonable adjustments. These are the changes your employer must legally make to support you to do your job" (gov.uk and gov.uk eligibility, accessed September 2026).
The grant is paid out against real costs. In many cases you or your employer pay first and claim the money back from the grant. gov.uk confirms: "You or your employer may need to pay some costs up front and claim them back later" (gov.uk, accessed September 2026).
Who is eligible for Access to Work?
You can apply if all of these are true (gov.uk eligibility, accessed September 2026):
- You have a disability or a physical or mental health condition that affects your work
- You are 16 or over
- You live and work in England, Scotland or Wales
- You are in paid work, or about to start or return to paid work in the next 12 weeks
Paid work is wider than employment. gov.uk counts employment, self-employment, an apprenticeship, a work trial or work experience, an internship and a work placement. Working from home counts. If you are self-employed, your business needs an annual turnover of at least £6,500 (gov.uk eligibility, accessed September 2026).
You can get Access to Work alongside most benefits as long as you work more than 1 hour a week. If you get Employment and Support Allowance, you can apply if you work under 16 hours a week (gov.uk eligibility, accessed September 2026).
Civil servants cannot apply. Their employer is expected to provide the support directly (gov.uk eligibility, accessed September 2026). Northern Ireland runs a separate Access to Work (NI) scheme through the Department for Communities (nidirect, accessed September 2026).
Do you need a diagnosis to apply?
No. gov.uk states it plainly: "You do not need to be diagnosed with a condition to apply" (gov.uk eligibility, accessed September 2026).
This matters if you are one of the hundreds of thousands of people waiting for an NHS assessment for ADHD, autism or another condition. The application asks how your condition affects your work, not what a specialist has signed off. You describe the impact, in your own words, and an adviser takes it from there (gov.uk apply and gov.uk after you apply, accessed September 2026).
If the assessment queue is what you are stuck in, our guides on Right to Choose for an adult ADHD assessment and Right to Choose for an autism assessment cover the referral route, and what current NHS ADHD waiting lists look like sets out what the wait actually involves. None of that is a condition of applying to Access to Work.
How much is an Access to Work grant?
There is a yearly cap per person. For grants awarded or reviewed between 1 April 2026 and 31 March 2027 it is £69,260 (DWP factsheet for customers, updated May 2026). The cap depends on when your grant was awarded or last reviewed, so older grants can sit under older caps.
Below the cap, there is no fixed amount. Your grant is worked out from what the assessment finds you need, and your decision letter states how much it is and what it must pay for (gov.uk after you apply, accessed September 2026). DWP does not publish a standard or minimum award on gov.uk, so treat any "average award" figure you see elsewhere with caution.
Will your employer have to pay anything?
Sometimes, and only in defined cases. Cost sharing applies when you have already worked for your employer for more than 6 weeks when you apply, and only for special aids and equipment or adaptations to premises and equipment (DWP factsheet for employers, updated October 2025). The employer then pays:
- 100% of costs up to a threshold: nothing if they have 0 to 49 employees, £500 if 50 to 249, £1,000 if 250 or more
- 20% of costs between the threshold and £10,000
- Access to Work covers approved costs above £10,000
Self-employed people and the mental health support route are exempt from cost sharing. Support workers and travel to work are not in the cost-sharing categories (DWP factsheet for employers, updated October 2025).
How do you apply for Access to Work?
Two routes (gov.uk apply, accessed September 2026):
- Online at get-disability-work-support.service.gov.uk (linked from the gov.uk Access to Work page)
- By phone on 0800 121 7479 (Relay UK 18001 then 0800 121 7479, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm)
Have ready:
- Your contact details and workplace address
- Information about how your condition affects your work and what support you think you need
- A workplace contact if you are employed. gov.uk confirms they will not be contacted without your permission
- Your National Insurance number, and your Unique Taxpayer Reference if you are self-employed
You can apply up to 12 weeks before a job starts (gov.uk eligibility, accessed September 2026), and the earlier the better given current processing times.
Where do you log in to check your application?
There is no separate "Access to Work login" site. The online service runs through GOV.UK One Login at get-disability-work-support.service.gov.uk, the same account you use to apply and later to submit claims (gov.uk apply and gov.uk claiming from your grant, accessed September 2026). If you applied by phone or post, there is nothing to log into. Ring the helpline on 0800 121 7479 to chase your application instead (gov.uk apply, accessed September 2026).
Two things trip people up at the claims stage. You may be asked to prove your identity when you sign in to One Login, which normally means photo ID such as a passport or driving licence, though gov.uk lists other routes if you do not have photo ID. And you need the letter confirming your grant has been approved before you can claim anything at all (gov.uk claiming from your grant, accessed September 2026).
Access to Work contact number and access needs
One number covers applications, claims, changes of circumstance, reconsiderations and complaints (gov.uk apply, gov.uk after you apply and gov.uk claiming from your grant, accessed September 2026):
- Telephone 0800 121 7479, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm
- Relay UK, if you cannot hear or speak on the phone: 18001 then 0800 121 7479
- A British Sign Language video relay service, linked from the gov.uk Access to Work pages
You do not have to use the phone to run your case. gov.uk states that if phone calls are difficult for you, for example because you are deaf or hard of hearing, you can ask for all communication to be by email instead. You can also ring the helpline to ask for the application form in another format, such as braille, large print or audio CD (gov.uk apply and gov.uk after you apply, accessed September 2026).
How long does an Access to Work decision take?
gov.uk does not commit to a timescale, and the honest answer right now is: a long time.
- The National Audit Office found average processing rose from 28 days in 2020-21 to 66 days in 2024-25, reaching 109 days by November 2025 (NAO, published February 2026)
- Applications awaiting a decision grew from 21,700 in March 2022 to 62,100 in March 2025 (NAO, February 2026)
- In May 2026, DWP announced 480 extra case managers and caseworkers, a 72% increase, with the aim of clearing the backlog by September 2027 (DWP press release, 19 May 2026)
- DWP also said 96% of urgent cases, such as people about to start a job, were being cleared within 28 days, and that payment delays had been eliminated (DWP, May 2026)
What you can do: apply as early as the rules allow, which is 12 weeks before a start date; keep every invoice and receipt because reimbursement claims accept copies; and if you are about to start a job, say so clearly, since urgent cases are handled faster (gov.uk eligibility, gov.uk claiming from your grant, DWP May 2026).
What happens after you apply?
An adviser from Access to Work contacts you to talk through the application. They may ask for more detail about your work and your condition, ask permission to speak to your employer, or arrange a workplace assessment by video call or in person (gov.uk after you apply, accessed September 2026). You then get a decision letter that states the grant amount and what it must be spent on.
If your circumstances change, you must tell Access to Work by calling the helpline: a change of name, address, contact details or workplace address, a change of job, or a change in your disability, illness or health condition (gov.uk after you apply, accessed September 2026).
What if your application is refused, or the grant is less than you need?
There is no benefits-style appeal or tribunal for Access to Work. gov.uk sets out a single route: if you disagree with the decision, call the Access to Work helpline and ask for someone to reconsider your application. The same number is the route if you are unhappy with how your case has been handled or with the service you received (gov.uk after you apply, accessed September 2026).
Three practical points before you ring. Your decision letter states what the grant was awarded for, so read it first and be specific about which part is wrong or missing. A reconsideration is a fresh look at your stated work impact, so add the detail the original application left out rather than repeating it. And if the grant has already run out and your decision letter says you need something it no longer covers, gov.uk directs you to the same helpline (gov.uk after you apply and gov.uk claiming from your grant, accessed September 2026).
England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
The gov.uk scheme runs on the same rules, the same application service and the same helpline across England, Scotland and Wales. There is no separate Access to Work Scotland scheme or Wales scheme to find, and the residence test is that you live and work in one of those three nations (gov.uk eligibility, accessed September 2026).
Northern Ireland is different. Access to Work (NI) is run by the Department for Communities, applied for through nidirect, and the gov.uk pages and figures on this page do not apply to it (nidirect, accessed September 2026).
What evidence helps your application?
The application itself asks for one thing above all: "information about how your condition affects your work and what support you think you need" (gov.uk apply, accessed September 2026). You do not need medical evidence to start, and no diagnosis is required (gov.uk eligibility, accessed September 2026).
What makes the difference is specificity about work impact. Not "I have ADHD" but which tasks are affected, how often, what it costs you in time or errors, and what would change with the right support. If a workplace assessment happens, that is the conversation the assessor is having (gov.uk after you apply, accessed September 2026). Write your application the same way.
Does Access to Work affect PIP or Universal Credit?
No. gov.uk states the grant does not affect other benefits, and you do not pay it back (gov.uk, accessed September 2026). You can hold Access to Work alongside most benefits as long as you work more than 1 hour a week, and alongside ESA if you work under 16 hours a week (gov.uk eligibility, accessed September 2026).
Do you have to tell your employer?
You name a workplace contact when you apply if you are employed, but gov.uk confirms Access to Work "will not be contacted without your permission" (gov.uk apply, accessed September 2026). Your employer does become involved if the support needs their cooperation, for example equipment on their premises, a workplace assessment, or cost sharing on equipment when you have been in post more than 6 weeks (gov.uk after you apply; DWP factsheet for employers, October 2025). If you are self-employed there is no employer conversation at all, and no cost sharing (DWP factsheet for employers, October 2025).
How do you claim the money?
Once your grant is agreed, you claim costs back rather than receiving a lump sum (gov.uk claiming from your grant, accessed September 2026):
- Online through the claims service, signing in with GOV.UK One Login
- Or by post, using the claim form that came with your decision letter
Each claim needs the dates you had support, invoices or receipts showing the cost, and bank details for whoever is being paid. You may also be asked for the details of a workplace contact who can confirm the support you are claiming for. Copies of receipts are accepted if you no longer have originals. The helpline can send replacement forms (gov.uk claiming from your grant, accessed September 2026).
Ring the helpline rather than guessing if you do not have the information a claim asks for, you need help setting up the online account, or your grant runs out and you still need to pay for something your decision letter says you need (gov.uk claiming from your grant, accessed September 2026).
How do renewals work?
Your decision letter gives your grant an end date, and Access to Work writes to you 12 weeks before support ends (gov.uk renewals, accessed September 2026; DWP factsheet for customers, May 2026). You can renew from 12 weeks out, online or by phone, and if your grant pays for ongoing support such as a support worker you must renew before it ends to avoid a gap. Expect the renewal to look like a lighter version of the original application: updated information about your condition, your work and your support needs (gov.uk renewals, accessed September 2026).
What about mental health support?
Access to Work includes a mental health route: help to develop a support plan, which can cover workplace adjustments, flexible working patterns, mentoring and a phased return to work, plus one-to-one sessions with a mental health professional (gov.uk and DWP factsheet for customers, May 2026). One rule to know before you use it: gov.uk states you can only claim the mental health support element once, so previous recipients cannot reapply for that component (gov.uk and gov.uk eligibility, accessed September 2026).
Frequently asked questions
How much is the Access to Work grant?
There is no standard award. Grants awarded or reviewed between 1 April 2026 and 31 March 2027 are capped at £69,260 a year per person, and below that cap the amount is worked out from the support your assessment finds you need. Your decision letter states the amount and what it must pay for (DWP factsheet for customers, updated May 2026; gov.uk after you apply, accessed September 2026).
How is an Access to Work grant paid?
It is paid against real costs rather than as a lump sum. You claim the money once support has happened, giving the dates of support, invoices or receipts, and bank details for whoever is being paid, and payment goes to that person or company (gov.uk claiming from your grant, accessed September 2026).
What is the Access to Work contact number?
0800 121 7479, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. Relay UK users dial 18001 then 0800 121 7479, and there is a British Sign Language video relay service. If phone calls are difficult, you can ask for all communication to be by email instead (gov.uk apply and gov.uk after you apply, accessed September 2026).
Can an Access to Work grant be refused?
Yes, and there is a route if it is. gov.uk says to call the Access to Work helpline and ask for the application to be reconsidered, and to use the same number if you are unhappy with how your case was handled (gov.uk after you apply, accessed September 2026).
Can you get Access to Work for ADHD or autism?
Yes. gov.uk's eligibility examples include ADHD, autism, dyslexia, learning disabilities, chronic illness and mental health conditions, and no diagnosis is needed to apply (gov.uk eligibility, accessed September 2026).
Can the self-employed get an Access to Work grant?
Yes. Self-employment counts as paid work, the business needs an annual turnover of at least £6,500, you give your Unique Taxpayer Reference on the form, and self-employed applicants are exempt from employer cost sharing (gov.uk eligibility and gov.uk apply, accessed September 2026; DWP factsheet for employers, updated October 2025).
Is an Access to Work grant taxable?
gov.uk states you do not pay the grant back and it does not affect your other benefits. It reimburses the cost of support rather than paying you an income, and payment can go directly to the person or company providing that support. gov.uk does not publish tax guidance for the scheme, so check with HMRC if you are self-employed and unsure how to record it (gov.uk and gov.uk claiming from your grant, accessed September 2026).
Can you get Access to Work if you work from home?
Yes. Remote and hybrid work qualify (gov.uk eligibility, accessed September 2026).
Can you apply before your job starts?
Yes, up to 12 weeks before you start or return to paid work (gov.uk eligibility, accessed September 2026).
Does volunteering count?
No. The scheme covers paid work only, though apprenticeships, work trials, internships and work placements all count (gov.uk eligibility, accessed September 2026).
Is Access to Work available in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
The gov.uk scheme covers England, Scotland and Wales on the same rules and the same helpline. Northern Ireland has a separate Access to Work (NI) scheme run by the Department for Communities via nidirect (gov.uk eligibility and nidirect, accessed September 2026).
Do you have to pay an Access to Work grant back?
No. It is a grant, not a loan, and it does not affect your other benefits (gov.uk, accessed September 2026).
Can civil servants apply?
No. Their employers are expected to fund the support directly, and civil service grants with an end date on or after 1 April 2022 cannot be renewed (gov.uk apply and gov.uk renewals, accessed September 2026).
What kind of equipment can Access to Work fund?
Gov.uk lists "specialist equipment and assistive software" and "adapting equipment to make it easier for you to use" as funded categories. There is no fixed product catalogue. The adviser recommends what your work impact requires, which in practice can mean screen readers, voice recognition software, adapted keyboards, ergonomic chairs, hearing loops or amplified phones, depending on what your assessment identifies (gov.uk and DWP factsheet for customers, accessed September 2026).
What is a travel buddy under Access to Work?
Gov.uk names "a travel buddy" as one example of a support worker. A travel buddy is someone who helps you get to and from work, for example by accompanying you on public transport or guiding you on a route you cannot manage alone. Their costs can be funded through the support worker element of your grant rather than the separate travel costs element (gov.uk, accessed September 2026).
Sources
- GOV.UK, Access to Work: get support if you have a disability or health condition (main page, eligibility, apply, after you apply, claiming, renew). Accessed 10 September 2026.
- DWP, Access to Work factsheet for customers. Updated 5 May 2026.
- DWP, Access to Work factsheet for employers. Updated 7 October 2025.
- National Audit Office, The Access to Work scheme, press release and report. Published 6 February 2026.
- DWP press release, Huge recruitment boost to tackle backlog in vital disability work scheme. 19 May 2026.
- nidirect, Access to Work (NI): practical help at work. Accessed 10 September 2026.
General information, not benefits advice. Not affiliated with DWP or the NHS. Check current guidance at gov.uk before applying.