How to Apply

You can apply for an Access to Work grant online. When you apply, the Department for Work and Pensions will contact your employer.

On submission of an application DWP will refer you for an assessment depending where you are in the UK. The two companies responsible for assessments are RBLI and People Plus.

What Happens Next?

Once approved, the Employer is then responsible for arranging the agreed support.

Access to Work can pay up to 100 per cent of the approved costs of making reasonable adjustments if the individual is one of the following:

  • Unemployed and starting a new job;
  • Self-employed;
  • Working for an employer for less than six weeks.

Whatever the individual’s employment status, Access to Work will also pay for up to 100 per cent of the approved costs for:

  • Support workers;
  • Fares to work;
  • Communicator support at interview.

If the individual has been employed in a job for more than six weeks and needs special equipment and/or adaptations to premises, then the following financial guidelines will apply:

  • employers with 1 to 9 employees will not be expected to share costs
  • employers with 10 to 49 employers will pay the first £300 and 20 per cent of costs up to £10,000
  • employers with 50 to 249 employees will pay the first £500 and 20 per cent of costs up to £10,000
  • large employers with 250 or more employees will pay the first £1,000 and 20 per cent of costs up to £10,000

The support provided will be reviewed between one and three years.