Access to Work: a grant for equipment, support workers and travel, with no means test

Access to Work is the government scheme for people whose physical or mental health condition or disability makes it harder to get or stay in work. It offers a grant for practical support, separate help with managing mental health at work, and money for communication support at job interviews. The grant does not affect your other benefits and does not have to be paid back.

What can the Access to Work grant pay for?

Specialist equipment and assistive software; support workers such as a BSL interpreter, a job coach or a travel buddy; the cost of travelling to work if you cannot use public transport; adaptations to your vehicle so you can get to work; and physical changes to your workplace. Your workplace includes your home if you work there some or all of the time.

The money does not always arrive first: you or your employer may need to pay some costs up front and claim them back later.

What will Access to Work not pay for?

Reasonable adjustments. These are the changes an employer is legally required to make so that workers with disabilities or health conditions are not substantially disadvantaged, and the duty covers all workers, including trainees, apprentices, contract workers and business partners.

Examples include changing the recruitment process so a candidate can be considered at all; giving someone with social anxiety disorder their own desk rather than hot-desking; installing a ramp or an audio-visual fire alarm; moving a wheelchair user to the ground floor; a special keyboard for someone with arthritis; a phased return to work with flexible or part-time hours; and access to training and refreshment facilities. Access to Work does not fund these, but it will advise your employer where changes should be made. The Disability Employment Adviser at your local Jobcentre Plus can advise too.

Who is eligible?

Four things at once: a physical or mental health condition or disability that means you need support to do your job or get to and from work; you are 16 or over; you are in paid work, or about to start or return within 12 weeks; and you live and work in England, Scotland or Wales. Northern Ireland runs a different system, and the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are excluded.

You do not need a diagnosis. The scheme covers, among others, physical disability, learning disability, developmental conditions such as autism spectrum disorder, ADHD and dyslexia, illnesses such as diabetes and epilepsy, temporary conditions like a broken leg, and mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression.

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Paid work can be full or part-time and includes employment, self-employment, an apprenticeship, a work trial, work experience, an internship or a work placement. Voluntary work does not count. Working from home does not affect eligibility.

How do income and benefits affect it?

Barely at all. You can get Access to Work alongside most benefits as long as you work more than 1 hour a week. If you are employed, support is available however much you earn or hold in savings. If you are self-employed, you need an annual turnover of at least £6,500. If you get Employment and Support Allowance, you can hold both as long as you work fewer than 16 hours a week. Civil servants cannot use Access to Work — their employer provides the support instead.

How do you apply, and what happens next?

Online, or by phone on 0800 121 7479, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. You need your contact details, your workplace address and postcode, an account of how your condition affects your work and what support you think you need, a workplace contact who can confirm you work there (not contacted without your permission), your UTR if you are self-employed, and your National Insurance number if you have one.

Someone from Access to Work will then get in touch. If phone calls are difficult — because you are deaf or hard of hearing, say — you can ask for all communication by email. They may want more information, permission to speak to your employer, or an assessor to view your workplace by video call or in person. The decision arrives by letter, stating the grant and what it should pay for. If you disagree, call the helpline and ask for a reconsideration.

Changes must be reported by phone: your name, address, contact details or workplace address changing, a change of job, or a change in your condition.

How do you claim the money and renew the grant?

Claims go in online or by post. You need the dates support was provided, invoices or receipts, and bank details for whoever receives the money — sometimes also a workplace contact who can confirm the support. Claiming online needs a GOV.UK One Login, and you may be asked to prove your identity, usually with photo ID, though other routes exist. You cannot claim before the letter confirming your grant arrives; a paper form comes with it, and copies of invoices are accepted if you have no originals.

If the grant pays for ongoing support, such as a support worker, renew it before it ends; the end date is in your decision letter and you can apply 12 weeks beforehand. Have your unique reference number ready. An adviser may ask for updated information if anything has changed and may arrange another workplace assessment, asking permission before contacting your employer.