The UK Access to Work grant helps people 16+ with disabilities or health conditions pay for job support like interpreters, equipment, travel, and workplace adjustments. It doesn't affect other benefits and never needs repaying. You can apply online or by phone if you're in paid work, self-employed, on an apprenticeship, or about to start a job.
Chapters
This recording about Access to Work grants is part of a series of videos to support young people with additional needs to prepare for adult life. Access to Work is a government grant. It aims to help anyone over the age of 16 who has a physical or mental health condition or disability which means they need support to do their job or to get to and from work. For example, a young person or adult may have a learning disability or a developmental condition. They may have learning difficulties or an illness, a physical or sensory disability, or a mental health condition. Access to Work gives the person and their employer support with extra costs which arise because of the person's physical or mental health condition or their disability. Access to Work can help people who are either in a paid job or self-employed, doing an apprenticeship or a supported internship, about to start a job or have a job interview, or who are going back to a job. For a person in paid work, including apprenticeships, the grant could help pay for communication support at job interviews, like British Sign Language interpreters or lip-speakers. It might help pay for a support worker or job coach to help in the workplace, or disability awareness training for staff at work. It could also help pay for practical support with work, including specialist equipment aids or apps like Brain in Hand. Or it could help pay for adapting the person's vehicle so they can get to work, or taxi fares to work, or a support worker if the young person or adult cannot use public transport. Access to Work could also help pay for physical changes to the workplace. The workplace can include a person's home if they work there some or all of the time. Access to Work can help with managing mental health at work, which might include a tailored support plan to help the person get work., or stay in work, or it might include one-to-one sessions with a mental health professional. For a young person doing an unpaid supported internship, Access to Work could be used for job coaching while they are on their work placement, or helping with travel from the college to the employer, or providing specialist equipment for when the young person is at the workplace. A young person or adult cannot apply for Access to Work if they are doing any other unpaid work, like volunteering. If a person gets Universal Credit, Jobseeker's Allowance, or Income Support and works more than 1 hour a week, they can get an Access to Work grant. It does not matter how much someone earns. If they get an Access to Work grant, it will not affect any other benefits they get, and they will not have to pay it back. A young person or adult can apply online or by phone using the details on screen. To find out more about assistive technology to support disabled people at work, you might like to visit the Scope website. Scope is a disability equality charity offering practical information and resources and emotional support for disabled people. And we have other short videos to help young people and young adults to prepare for adult life. This video was made by Suffolk Sending Us But every county will have an impartial and confidential SEND information, advice, and support service.