Access to Work covers Great Britain; Northern Ireland has a different service. This guide describes the office visit and the grant separately, since they are run by different teams.
Start with the Disability Employment Adviser
Turn2us notes that your local Jobcentre Plus, in England, Scotland and Wales, can put you in contact with a Disability Employment Adviser, and that it does not matter whether you are working or looking for work. Advisers can talk through your current working situation, including adjustments that could make your job easier to manage, arrange employment assessments, and refer you to work programmes matched to your needs. That first conversation is free and it is the right place to raise access needs for the appointment itself: step-free entry, a room you can turn in, extra time, or a different format for letters and forms. If you are asked to attend in person, say what you need in the same message, rather than discovering the barrier at the door.
Access to Work is a grant, not an office service
Access to Work is a publicly funded employment support programme that can pay for practical support to start work, stay in work, or move into self-employment, and the money does not have to be paid back or affect your other benefits. You can apply if you are normally resident and working in Great Britain, aged 16 or over, and have a disability or health condition that means you need an aid, adaptation or human support to do your job, and you must already be in paid work, be about to start, have an interview, or be starting a Jobcentre Plus work trial. The grant can pay for workplace aids and equipment, adapted equipment, extra travel costs where public transport is not usable, an interpreter or support at interview, and a job coach or note taker. Grants awarded from 1 April 2025 are capped at £69,260 per year. Crucially, Access to Work will not pay for reasonable adjustments: those are changes your employer must legally make, and the scheme will advise your employer where a change falls on their side of the line.
What to bring and what to ask
Bring your National Insurance number, your workplace address and postcode, and a workplace contact such as your manager, plus your Unique Tax Reference if you are self-employed. You can apply by phone on 0800 121 7479, and if letters, forms or phone calls are hard for you, the scheme offers braille, British Sign Language, hearing loop, large print, audio, email and translation options on request. Ask three questions at your Jobcentre appointment: who is my Disability Employment Adviser and how do I reach them directly, which parts of my support are reasonable adjustments for an employer and which parts could be an Access to Work grant, and what happens to my award if I change employer, since equipment may transfer but support worker and travel awards do not transfer automatically. Write down the answers with names and dates; a grant decision can take weeks, and a paper trail is what turns a phone promise into an award.
