Access to Work: Full Employer and Employee Guide
What Is Access to Work?
Access to Work (AtW) is a UK government grant scheme run by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). It provides practical and financial support beyond the reasonable adjustments employers are legally required to make under the Equality Act — Access to Work does not pay for those reasonable adjustments.
AtW is not a loan — a grant does not have to be paid back, and it does not affect any other benefits the person receives.
Scale (National Audit Office, 2026): DWP spent £321 million on Access to Work provision in 2024-25, and 74,200 people received a payment from the scheme that year.
What Can Access to Work Fund?
Support Workers and Job Coaches
- British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters
- Support workers
- Job coaches
- Travel buddies
- Communication support at a job interview for people who are deaf or hard of hearing
Specialist Equipment
- Specialist equipment and assistive software
Travel and Transport
- Costs of travelling to work if the person cannot use public transport
- Adaptations to a vehicle so the person can get to work
Mental Health Support Service
Access to Work offers mental health support through two providers, Able Futures and Maximus (applicants apply to one of them only). Support includes a tailored plan to help the person get or stay in work and one-to-one sessions with a mental health professional. Able Futures describes the service as nine months of confidential, no-cost advice, guidance and support.
Key facts:
- Helps people manage work alongside conditions such as anxiety, depression and stress
- Mental health support through Access to Work can only be claimed once — people who have had it before cannot apply again
- Cost sharing does not apply to the Mental Health Support Service
Adaptations to Premises
Physical changes to the workplace.
Eligibility
To receive AtW support, the applicant must:
- Have a physical or mental health condition or disability that means they need support to do their job or get to and from work
- Be in paid work, or about to start or return to paid work within the next 12 weeks (including employment, self-employment, apprenticeships, work trials or work experience, internships and work placements — but not voluntary work)
- Be 16 or over
- Live and work in England, Scotland or Wales (Northern Ireland has a separate system)
Employed applicants can get support however much they earn. Self-employed applicants need an annual turnover of at least £6,500. Civil servants get support from their employer instead of Access to Work.
Grant Limits and Cost Sharing
From 8 April 2024, the maximum grant is £69,260 per person per year for newly awarded or reviewed grants. DWP typically approves support for three years at a time.
Cost sharing applies only to special aids and equipment and adaptations to premises or equipment, and only if the employee had worked for the employer for longer than 6 weeks when applying. It does not apply to self-employed applicants or to the Mental Health Support Service.
When cost sharing applies, Access to Work refunds up to 80% of approved costs between a threshold and £10,000. The employer pays the costs below the threshold and the remaining 20% between the threshold and £10,000. The threshold depends on employer size:
- 0–49 employees: nil
- 50–249 employees: £500
- 250+ employees: £1,000
How to Apply
The disabled person applies (employers can support the process):
- Apply online or call the AtW helpline: 0800 121 7479 (Monday–Friday 9am–5pm; Relay UK and a BSL video relay service are also available)
- Provide details: contact details, workplace address, how the condition affects work, and a workplace contact (for employed applicants)
- Assessment: Someone from Access to Work will get in touch; an assessor may call or view the workplace by video call or in person
- Decision letter: A letter explains the decision, how much the grant is and what it should pay for
- Claim costs: The person or employer may need to pay some costs up front and claim them back. Claims must be made within 9 months of the support being received
Processing time: Waits have grown. The National Audit Office reports that average processing time more than doubled from 28 working days in 2021-22 to 66 working days in 2024-25, and was 109 days in November 2025, against DWP's target of 25 days. Apply as early as possible — including before a job starts.
Employer Responsibilities
Employers play a supporting role:
- Make the reasonable adjustments you are legally required to make — Access to Work will not fund these
- Expect contact from Access to Work case managers and provide workplace information
- Take part in workplace assessments where needed
- Arrange agreed support (e.g., book interpreters, purchase equipment) and claim back eligible costs
- Keep records and receipts
Workplace Adjustments Passport
Many employees also benefit from a Workplace Adjustments Passport — a document that records agreed adjustments so they don't need to be renegotiated each time the employee changes manager or role. (See the separate InkludX article on Workplace Adjustments Passports for detail.)
Example Scenarios (illustrative)
BSL Interpreter for a Customer-Facing Role
A deaf sales associate applies for Access to Work to fund BSL interpretation for team meetings and client calls. Interpreters are a support worker cost, so the equipment cost-sharing rules do not apply.
Autism Job Coach
A software developer with autism finds the unwritten social rules of open-plan working difficult. Access to Work can fund a job coach, and specialist equipment such as noise-cancelling headphones may be covered (subject to cost sharing if the developer has been employed for more than 6 weeks).
Mental Health Support Service
A finance manager is returning from sick leave after a depressive episode. The Mental Health Support Service provides a tailored plan and one-to-one sessions with a mental health professional, at no cost to the employer.
Common Myths
| Myth | Reality |
|---|---|
| "Access to Work has to be paid back" | It is a grant — it does not have to be paid back and does not affect other benefits |
| "Only employees can use it" | Self-employed people, apprentices and people on work trials or placements can also apply |
| "It only covers physical disabilities" | People with mental health or learning conditions made up 51% of those receiving payments in 2024-25 (NAO) |
| "The employee has to push for everything" | HR can proactively mention Access to Work when discussing adjustments |
Sources: GOV.UK — Access to Work (gov.uk/access-to-work), DWP Access to Work factsheet for employers (updated October 2025), National Audit Office — The Access to Work scheme (February 2026), Able Futures