Humble
Guide · For assessors, coaches and HR
Can Access to Work fund software?
Yes. Access to Work funds software in the same category as equipment: anything that removes a barrier at work caused by a disability or health condition. This guide covers what qualifies, how an award is decided and paid, and what the employer is asked to contribute.
Start here
Yes. Access to Work is a UK government grant that pays for practical support at work, and software counts. It has to address a barrier the person's condition creates in their job. A diagnosis isn't required. An assessor usually recommends the specific software, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) confirms it in an award letter, and either DWP pays the supplier or the person or employer pays first and claims it back.
What Access to Work is
Access to Work is a grant from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). It pays for practical support that helps someone with a disability or health condition start or stay in work. It covers England, Scotland and Wales; Northern Ireland runs its own version through the Department for Communities.
Three things about it matter for software:
- It's a grant, not a loan. Nothing is paid back and it doesn't affect other benefits.
- It sits on top of the employer's duty. An employer already has to make reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act. Access to Work pays for support beyond that, and it won't reimburse an employer for things it should reasonably have provided anyway.
- It's about the barrier, not the diagnosis. The application asks what the person finds hard at work and what would help. A formal diagnosis isn't required.
Who can apply
The person applies themselves, not the employer, coach or assessor. They need to be 16 or over, living in England, Scotland or Wales, and in or about to start paid work. That includes employment, self-employment, an apprenticeship and, in some cases, a work trial or an upcoming interview.
Their condition has to affect their ability to do the job, or to get to and from it. For ADHD and autism the effects that typically qualify are the everyday ones: holding instructions in mind, starting and finishing tasks, keeping track of time, following up after meetings, managing a noisy or unpredictable environment.
What the person says in the application matters more than any label. "I lose actions from meetings and miss deadlines as a result" describes a barrier. "I have ADHD" describes a condition. Access to Work funds solutions to the first.
What counts as software
Access to Work groups support into a few categories: special equipment and adaptations, support workers, travel to work and mental health support. Software belongs with equipment. There's no approved product list. A tool qualifies if an assessor, or the person, can show it addresses a barrier the condition creates.
For ADHD and autism, the software that usually appears on awards falls into a handful of types:
| Type | Barrier it addresses |
|---|---|
| Organising software (tasks, notes, planning, routine) | Working memory, follow-through, prioritising, time awareness |
| Dictation and speech-to-text | Getting thoughts out faster than typing allows; written output |
| Text-to-speech and reading support | Processing long documents; reading fatigue |
| Mind-mapping | Planning and structuring non-linear thinking |
| Note-taking and meeting capture | Holding a conversation and recording it at the same time |
These aren't alternatives. An award for ADHD often contains two or three of them, because each addresses a different barrier. Organising software is usually the layer the others feed into: a dictated note or a meeting transcript still needs to land somewhere the person will look tomorrow.
How an award is decided
After the application, a DWP adviser reviews it and, for most ADHD and autism cases, arranges a workplace needs assessment. The assessor talks to the person about their job, identifies the barriers and writes a report recommending support by category, usually naming products that fit. DWP considers the report and sends an award letter setting out what's funded, for how long and any employer contribution.
Three practical points for anyone supporting the applicant:
- Apply before buying. Access to Work doesn't reimburse costs incurred before the award. If the person needs a tool now, it's better for the employer to provide it as an adjustment than for the person to pay and hope.
- Timelines vary. A decision usually takes several weeks and at busy times longer. The set-up of software doesn't need to wait: an employer can fund it in the meantime and the award, if granted, can cover renewals going forward.
- The assessor's wording carries the award. A recommendation that names the barrier, the software and why they match is rarely questioned. One that names only a product often is. Our guide to workplace needs assessments covers what that wording looks like.
Who pays, and when
There are two payment routes, and the award letter says which applies.
- DWP pays the supplier directly. Increasingly common for software. The supplier invoices DWP, or the person submits the supplier's quote with the claim.
- The person or employer pays first and claims back. They buy the software, keep the invoice and submit a claim form. DWP reimburses to the account named on the claim.
Either way, the supplier's paperwork matters. A quote or invoice needs to be in pounds, show VAT separately and be addressed to the person or the paying employer. Humble issues quotes within one working day for exactly this reason; the Access to Work page has the details.
What the employer contributes
Employers with fewer than 50 staff contribute nothing. Larger employers are asked to share the cost of equipment and software where the person has been in the job for more than six weeks:
| Employer size | Employer pays |
|---|---|
| Fewer than 50 staff | Nothing |
| 50 to 249 staff | The first £500, plus 20% of costs up to £10,000 |
| 250 or more staff | The first £1,000, plus 20% of costs up to £10,000 |
Access to Work pays everything above £10,000, up to the annual cap (£69,260 at the time of writing, uprated each April). Two consequences for software: a £72-a-year licence sits entirely inside the employer's share for a larger employer, which is why many simply buy it as an adjustment; and applying within six weeks of starting a new job removes the employer contribution altogether, whatever the employer's size.
The thresholds change from time to time. Check the current figures on GOV.UK before quoting them in a report.
What it won't pay for, and what happens later
Access to Work is narrower than it looks from the outside, and the refusals follow a pattern. It won't fund:
- Standard equipment every employee gets. A laptop, a desk, the office software the whole team uses. If the person would have it anyway, it's the employer's to provide.
- Reasonable adjustments the employer should make. Written instructions, a quieter desk, flexible hours. These cost the employer nothing and the Equality Act already requires them.
- Costs incurred before the award. Buy first and the grant won't reimburse it, however clearly it would have qualified.
- Treatment. Assessment, diagnosis, medication and therapy sit with the NHS or the person. Access to Work funds support at work, not healthcare.
Three things happen after an award that supporters get asked about:
- Renewals. An award letter states how long each element runs. A software subscription is typically funded for a set period; before it ends, the person contacts Access to Work to renew rather than reapplying from scratch.
- Changing jobs. An award is tied to a role. A new employer usually means a new application, though equipment already bought goes with the person. Applying within six weeks of starting the new job resets the employer contribution to nothing.
- Self-employment. Self-employed people can apply on the same basis. There's no employer contribution, and the person claims the costs directly.
Where Humble fits
Humble is organising software: one place for tasks, notes, meetings and the people they relate to, built for ADHD and autistic working patterns. On an Access to Work award it sits in the task and project management, planning and routine category, alongside dictation, text-to-speech or note-taking tools rather than instead of them.
It costs £8 a month or £72 a year per person, is invoiced in pounds with VAT shown separately, and is set up with the person in a single session so the licence doesn't sit unused. The assessor spec sheet has the wording for a report; the claiming page walks the applicant through the claim.
Reading this as the employee, rather than for someone else? humbleai.com's Access to Work guide is written for you, including how to apply.
Common questions
Does the person need a diagnosis to get software funded?
No. Access to Work is about the effect a condition has on work, not the label. Someone who suspects they have ADHD, or is waiting for an assessment, can apply and be awarded support.
Can the software be something the person already uses?
Yes, if the assessment identifies it as addressing the barrier. Access to Work won't reimburse costs already paid before the award, so it's better to apply first and buy after the award letter.
Does the employer have to pay anything?
Employers with fewer than 50 staff don't contribute. Larger employers are asked to share the cost of equipment and software if the person has been in the job more than six weeks. Applying within the first six weeks avoids the contribution entirely.
Is Humble eligible?
Yes. Humble is organising software, in the task and project management, planning and routine category that Access to Work already funds for ADHD and autistic people. The assessor spec sheet has the wording.
Sources
- Access to Work: get support if you have a disability or health condition — GOV.UK. Eligibility, what the grant covers and how to apply.
- Access to Work: factsheet for customers — GOV.UK. Employer cost sharing and the six-week rule.
- Access to Work: staff guide — GOV.UK. The internal guidance DWP advisers follow, including assessment and award decisions.
- Employers' responsibilities: workers with disabilities or health conditions — GOV.UK. Where Access to Work stops and the reasonable adjustments duty starts.