Access to Work
What is Access to Work (ATW)?
Access to Work is an award that can help you access support in the workplace if you have a physical or mental health condition or disability including if you are D/deaf, hard of hearing, visually impaired or Deafblind.
The support you get will depend on your needs and individual circumstances.
What support can I get from Access to Work?
- A grant to help pay for practical support with your work.
- Support with managing your mental health at work.
- Money to pay for communication support at job interviews.
- Specialist equipment and assistive software.
- Support workers, British Sign Language (BSL) Interpreters or travel assistant.
- Costs of travelling to work if you cannot use public transport due to physical or mental health.
- Adaptations to your vehicle so you can get to work.
- Physical changes to your workplace.
Your workplace can include your home if you work from home some or all of the time.
It does not matter how much you earn. If you get an Access to Work grant, it will not affect any other benefits you get and you will not have to pay it back.
You or your employer may need to pay some costs up front and claim them back later.
How to apply for Access to Work?
You can apply for Access to Work online.
By phone – Telephone 0800 121 7479/ Textphone 0800 121 7579
Relay UK – (If you cannot hear or speak on the phone) 18001 then 0800 121 7479
BSL Video Relay Service on a computer
Find out how to use the BSL relay service on a mobile or tablet.
You will need to provide:
- Your contact details
- Your workplace address and postcode
- Information about how your condition affects your work and what support you think you need
- Details of a workplace contact – this could be the person from your HR department or line manager who can confirm you are working there – they will not be contacted without your permission
- If you are self-employed, your Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) number
If you need help doing this, contact us via our online referral form or email, info@bid.org.uk, and we can support you if we deliver services in your area, otherwise we will try and signpost you to a suitable organisation.
If you would like further information or support, please visit our website, www.bid.org.uk, to see the other resources we have available and the services we deliver in your area. Alternatively, you can email us on info@bid.org.uk.
If you would like to receive the information in a different format, such as Braille, large print or Audio, then please contact us at marketing@bid.org.uk.