Access to Work statistics
Every figure on this page is drawn from official UK government sources: the Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) Access to Work statistics: April 2007 to March 2025 (updated 29 January 2026) and the Access to Work factsheet for customers (updated 5 May 2026). Where a figure could not be verified against an official publication, it has been left out rather than estimated.
Last updated: July 2026.
Citing this page: Journalists, charities and researchers are welcome to cite or link to this page as a summary of the official Access to Work statistics. Please attribute the underlying data to DWP / gov.uk (linked throughout) and, where possible, link to
talintyre.com/blog/access-to-work-statisticsas the secondary source.
Headline statistics (financial year ending March 2025)
- 56,000 people had Access to Work provision approved, a 12% decrease on the previous year.
- 74,190 customers received an Access to Work payment, a 10% increase on the previous year.
- £320.7 million was spent on Access to Work provision, a 22% nominal increase on the previous year.
- £4,000 was the average annual payment received per customer across all provision.
- £69,260 is the current annual cap per person, unchanged since April 2024.
- £6,500 is the minimum annual turnover required for self-employed applicants.
Source: DWP, Access to Work statistics: April 2007 to March 2025, "Main stories," updated 29 January 2026.
Applications, approvals and the trend
In the financial year ending March 2025 (FY25), Access to Work provision was approved for 56,000 people, down from 63,450 in the year ending March 2024 (FY24). DWP describes this as the first decrease in approvals since the COVID-19 pandemic, a 12% fall year on year.
| Measure | FY24 (year to March 2024) | FY25 (year to March 2025) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Any provision approved | 63,450 people | 56,000 people | -12% |
| Any Element approved | 61,840 people | 54,760 people | -11% |
| Assessment approved | 16,730 people | 18,870 people | +13% |
| Non-contracted provision approved | — | 43,120 people | -13% vs FY24 |
Source: DWP, Access to Work statistics: April 2007 to March 2025, section 3, "Approvals."
Within approvals, Support Worker was the most commonly approved element type in FY25, with 25,670 people (46% of everyone who had any Element approved) receiving one or more Support Worker elements. The next most common were Special Aids and Equipment (22,900 people, 41%), Mental Health Support Service (13,540 people, 24%) and Travel to Work (10,290 people, 18%). All four of the most commonly approved element types fell year on year, with Special Aids and Equipment down 16% and Support Worker down 2%.
Note: the 2025 release was revised on 29 January 2026 to correct a data issue affecting approval totals for the Support Worker element between the years ending March 2019 and March 2025. The figures above reflect the corrected, current release. DWP states that payment, expenditure and average payment figures were not affected by this revision.
Payments and who receives them
Approval and payment are not the same thing: an approval does not guarantee a payment is claimed, since an employer may cover the cost directly or the person may not take up the support. In FY25, 74,190 customers received a payment for some form of Access to Work provision, up 10% from 67,240 in FY24, continuing a multi-year upward trend.
Among customers who received a payment for any Element in FY25:
- By primary medical condition: those with a mental health condition were the largest group, at 22,820 customers (38% of Element recipients), followed by learning disability (6,420, 11%), deaf or hard of hearing (4,980, 8%) and difficulty seeing (3,820, 6%). A further 18% (10,890 customers) were recorded under "Other," which DWP notes may include neurodivergent conditions such as autism and ADHD.
- By employment status: employed customers made up 75% of Element recipients (45,080 people), self-employed customers made up 12% (7,080 people), unemployed customers 9% (5,400 people) and supported interns 4% (2,630 people).
- By employer size: 59% of Element recipients worked for a large employer, 33% for a small employer and 8% for a medium employer.
Source: DWP, Access to Work statistics: April 2007 to March 2025, section 4, "Payments."
Mental health support usage
Mental health is the largest single category of Access to Work recipients by primary condition, accounting for 38% of everyone who received a payment for an Element in FY25 (22,820 customers). Looking specifically at the Mental Health Support Service (MHSS) element, 22,240 customers received an MHSS payment in FY25, up 11% on the previous year, making MHSS the most common element among payment recipients that year. By expenditure, MHSS accounted for 4% of total Access to Work spending (£11.9 million, a 3% real-terms increase). Separately, among customers whose primary medical condition is a mental health condition, the average annual Element payment was £1,600 — the lowest average of any primary-condition group.
Source: DWP, Access to Work statistics: April 2007 to March 2025, sections 4-6.
Expenditure
Total nominal expenditure on Access to Work provision was £320.7 million in FY25, a 22% increase on the previous year. £318.2 million (99%) of this went on Elements, and £2.5 million (1%) on Assessments. By element type, Support Worker accounted for the largest share of spending at 71% (£226.9 million), followed by Travel to Work at 17% (£53.3 million), Special Aids and Equipment at 6% (£18.9 million) and Mental Health Support Service at 4% (£11.9 million).
By primary medical condition, customers who are deaf or hard of hearing accounted for the largest share of Element expenditure at 28% (£90.3 million), ahead of those with a mental health condition at 12% (£38.3 million) and those with difficulty seeing, also at 12% (£38.2 million).
Source: DWP, Access to Work statistics: April 2007 to March 2025, section 5, "Expenditure."
Average award values
DWP calculates "average annual payment" by dividing total expenditure for a group by the number of customers who received a payment in that group. This is not the same as an individual's total award, and it is not representative of what any one person will receive.
| Group | Average annual payment (FY25) |
|---|---|
| Any provision | £4,000 |
| Any Element | £4,900 |
| Non-contracted provision | £7,200 |
| Support Worker element | £10,500 |
| Travel to Work element | £3,400 |
| Mental health condition (by primary condition) | £1,600 |
Source: DWP, Access to Work statistics: April 2007 to March 2025, section 6, "Average Payment Amounts."
These are averages across very different types of support, from a few hundred pounds of software to tens of thousands of pounds of ongoing support worker hours, so no individual figure here should be read as "what you'll get." For how the money actually works in practice, including the reimbursement model and claim deadlines, see our guide to the Access to Work grant for ADHD.
The annual award cap
There is no fixed amount for an Access to Work award. What you receive depends on your assessed needs, up to an annual cap that DWP reviews periodically. The cap has been frozen at £69,260 since 8 April 2024, and is confirmed to remain at that level through 31 March 2027.
| Grant awarded or reviewed | Annual cap |
|---|---|
| 1 October 2015 – 31 March 2016 | £40,800 |
| 1 April 2018 – 31 March 2019 | £57,200 |
| 1 April 2021 – 31 March 2022 | £62,900 |
| 1 April 2023 – 7 April 2024 | £66,000 |
| 8 April 2024 – 31 March 2025 | £69,260 |
| 1 April 2025 – 31 March 2026 | £69,260 |
| 1 April 2026 – 31 March 2027 | £69,260 |
Source: Access to Work factsheet for customers, "How much is the maximum award," updated 5 May 2026. Grants awarded before 1 October 2015 were not capped, and the cap has applied to all grants since 1 April 2018.
Most awards, including the majority of coaching awards, sit well below the cap. Our Access to Work coaching page explains what funded coaching looks like in practice, and our eligibility checker gives a quick indication of whether you're likely to qualify.
Self-employed eligibility
Self-employed applicants are eligible for Access to Work on the same basis as employed applicants, with one specific financial threshold: you must have an annual turnover of at least £6,500. You can still apply if you don't currently pay National Insurance, for example because the business made a loss or you've reached State Pension age. Applicants must also be aged 16 or over, and employed applicants must have a contract of employment and be paid at least the National Minimum Wage.
Source: Access to Work factsheet for customers, "Self-employment" and "Who can apply," updated 5 May 2026.
Claiming costs
Once support is approved, Access to Work largely operates on a reimbursement model: you or your employer pay first and claim the cost back. Applicants have 9 months to submit expense claims after the costs are incurred, and DWP's case managers can authorise an email confirmation in place of a physical signature where getting one signed is difficult.
Source: Access to Work factsheet for customers, "Claiming for costs," updated 5 May 2026.
What isn't officially published
DWP does not currently publish official statistics on application processing times or waiting times between application and decision. The Access to Work statistics release notes that these figures are "statistics in development," and DWP has stated it is exploring whether to expand their scope to cover more of the applicant journey, including application volumes, in future releases (next release expected September or October 2026). We've left official-looking processing-time figures off this page rather than repeat the unsourced estimates that circulate elsewhere, and will update this page when official data becomes available.
What we can offer is first-hand experience: among clients we've worked with at Talintyre, the wait from application to a decision has typically run to 6–8 months. That's anecdotal — a practitioner's view from one coaching practice, not a national statistic — but if you're applying now, it's a realistic horizon to plan around, and a strong reason to check your eligibility and apply earlier rather than later.
Frequently asked questions
What is the current Access to Work award cap?
£69,260 per year, for grants awarded or reviewed between 8 April 2024 and 31 March 2027. Most individual awards are well below this figure.
How many people were approved for Access to Work support in the most recent year?
56,000 people had some form of Access to Work provision approved in the financial year ending March 2025, a 12% decrease on the year before, DWP's first fall in approvals since the pandemic.
What's the minimum turnover to qualify as self-employed?
£6,500 in annual turnover.
What proportion of Access to Work recipients have a mental health condition?
38% of customers who received a payment for an Element in the year ending March 2025 had a mental health condition recorded as their primary condition, the largest single category.
Does Access to Work publish processing or waiting times?
Not currently. DWP's official statistics cover approvals, payments, expenditure and average award values, but not processing or waiting times. In our own clients' experience the wait from application to decision has typically been 6–8 months, though that is anecdotal rather than an official figure.
Sources
- DWP, Access to Work statistics: April 2007 to March 2025, updated 29 January 2026 (originally published 14 October 2025).
- GOV.UK, Access to Work: factsheet for customers, updated 5 May 2026.
- GOV.UK, Access to Work statistics collection (index of all annual releases).
If you think Access to Work support could help you or someone you manage, our Access to Work coaching page explains what funded coaching involves, and our eligibility checker takes a few minutes to give an early steer on whether you're likely to qualify.