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Access to Work, step by step
By Nancy Osazee, Founder
Access to Work is a Department for Work and Pensions scheme. It can help pay for practical support at work if you have a disability or a health condition. It is not the same as a reasonable adjustment, and it does not replace your employer's legal duty.
Checked against GOV.UK on 9 October 2026. Schemes change. Use the official links below rather than a screenshot of this page.
Written by Nancy Osazee, Founder of CareerPilot. This is a practical note, not medical advice and not a diagnosis. The legal points are a short plain summary, not advice about your own situation.
How to apply for Access to Work
- Read what the scheme is. Start at https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work. It explains the grant, mental health support, and communication support at interviews.
- Check eligibility. Use https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work/eligibility before you apply.
- Apply for the grant. Apply online or by phone from https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work/apply. Helpline: 0800 121 7479, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Relay UK: 18001 then 0800 121 7479.
- Use the separate route if you need mental health support. GOV.UK says to apply directly to either Able Futures or Maximus, and only to one. If you have had this support before, you cannot apply again.
- Keep reasonable adjustments separate. GOV.UK says Access to Work will not pay for reasonable adjustments. Ask the employer for those yourself.
Eligibility, as published on GOV.UK
For a grant or for mental health support, GOV.UK says you must have a physical or mental health condition or disability that means you need support to do your job or to get to and from work, be 16 or over, be in paid work or about to start or return within 12 weeks, and live and work in England, Scotland or Wales. Northern Ireland has a different system. The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are not covered.
GOV.UK lists ADHD, dyslexia, and autism among the examples. It also says you do not need a diagnosis to apply.
A paid job can be employment, self-employment, an apprenticeship, a work trial, work experience, an internship, or a work placement. Voluntary work is not covered. Working from home is fine.
If you are employed, GOV.UK says you can get support however much you earn or have in savings. If you are self-employed, it says you need an annual turnover of at least £6,500. You can get Access to Work alongside most benefits if you work more than one hour a week. If you get Employment and Support Allowance, GOV.UK says you can get both if you work less than 16 hours a week, and that you should ask your work coach.
Civil servants: your employer provides the support instead. Contact them.
Mental health support through Access to Work can be claimed once. If you have had it before, you cannot apply again.
What you will be asked for
- Your contact details
- Your workplace address and postcode
- How your condition affects your work, and what support you think you need
- A workplace contact, if you are employed. GOV.UK says they will not be contacted without your permission
- Your Unique Taxpayer Reference, if you are self-employed
- Your National Insurance number, if you have it
The grant cap
The Access to Work customer factsheet, updated 5 May 2026, lists a maximum grant of £69,260 for 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. That is a cap on the grant toward extra costs. It is not an amount you are promised, and it is not a payment for reasonable adjustments. Check the factsheet before you rely on a figure: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/access-to-work-factsheet/access-to-work-factsheet-for-customers
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On CareerPilot
If the gap is the interview itself, the adjustments template is the page to use alongside this one.
Questions
Will this replace what my employer should already do?
No. GOV.UK says Access to Work will not pay for reasonable adjustments. Those stay with the employer. The scheme can advise them.
Do I need a diagnosis of ADHD?
GOV.UK says you do not need to be diagnosed to apply. You do need a condition or disability that means you need support to do the job or to travel to it.