‘Access to Work’ scheme for disabled people

Access to Work provides practical advice and support to disabled people and their employers with the intention of helping more disabled people start or stay in work. It is available to people aged 16 years or over who live and work in Great Britain.

Access to Work was launched in June 1994 and is delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

What support is provided?

As part of the Equality Act 2010, employers must make reasonable adjustments to support disabled job applicants and employees. Access to Work will not pay for these reasonable adjustments, as these are adjustments that employers have a legal obligation to make.

Access to Work may contribute to the additional employment costs resulting from a disability or health condition that the employer would not normally be expected to cover.

This provision includes:

• Communication support for interviews
• Special aids and equipment
• Adaptations to premises and vehicles
• Help with travel costs
• Support workers
• A mental health support service.

Funding cap

In October 2015, a cap was introduced on the amount of Access to Work funding that any new applicants could receive each year.

The cap was originally set at £40,800 per person per year for 2015/16, and it increased each year until 2024/25 when it was £69,260.

The cap of £69,260 has not increased from 2024/25 to 2026/27.

Access to Work reform

In the March 2025 Pathways to Work Green Paper, the government said that, as part of its intention to reform employment support, it would “consider the future role and functions of Access to Work”. The green paper explained that spending on Access to Work had increased considerably in recent years, from £142 million in 2019/20 to £258 million in 2023/24, and that it is expected to rise further in future years.

In April 2026, the government said it was “reviewing all aspects” of Access to Work.

Processing delays and backlogs

The number of outstanding Access to Work applications increased from 6,900 in March 2022 to 66,700 in February 2026. The average time taken to process the applications by the DWP also increased, from 28 days in 2020/21 to 100.5 days in April 2025 to January 2026. The DWP aims to process applications in 25 working days.

The DWP plan to recruit an additional 480 Access to Work staff and have been prioritising applications where the applicant is due to start work within the next four weeks. The DWP has said the increase in staff will enable it to clear the backlog by September 2027.

Reports of cuts to Access to Work

Since the Pathways to Work Green Paper was published in February 2025 there have been various reports from disability rights groups about cuts to the level of support that has been provided by Access to Work. Disability Rights UK reported in March 2026 that the “evidence of widespread cuts to Access to Work packages is now overwhelming”.

The government has said it has not made any changes to Access to Work.

The DWP informed the National Audit Office that “some customers may have seen a reduction in their funding without any change in their circumstances” as it has been “more rigorously and consistently applying its guidance.

Other criticisms of the Access to Work scheme

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) highlighted various other criticisms of Access to Work that they heard in the evidence they received for their June 2026 inquiry into the scheme. This included concerns about the complexity of the application process, about the consistency of decisions on what support should be provided, and whether the scheme offers value for money.

Take up of Access to Work

Access to Work provision was approved for 56,000 people in 2024/25, which was a fall of 7,450 from 2023/24. The number of people who were approved for provision had generally been increasing from 2015/16 until 2023/24, with particular large increases in 2022/23 and 2023/24. The number of approvals increased by over 28,000 between 2021/22 and 2023/24, an increase of 82%.

In 2024/25 the most common primary medical condition of those people who have provision approved was a mental health condition. This was the primary medical condition for 17,370 people who were approved, which was 31% of approvals.

In 2024/25, the most common element that was approved was a Support Worker, followed by Special Aids and Equipment:

• A support worker was approved for 25,670 people, which was 46% of people who had any element approved.
• Special Aids and Equipment were approved for 22,900 people, which was 41% of people.

There has been a large increase in the number of people who have had a support worker approved. Less than 10,000 people had this element approved in 2017/18.

Access to work expenditure

The Government spent £321 million on Access to Work provision in 2024/25. This was £58 million more than spend in 2023/24, and an increase of £165 million from 2021/22.

In real terms, expenditure in 2024/25 increased by £138 million from 2023/24 and by £138 million from 2021/22.