Access to Work: Funding Mental Health Support at Work

If a mental health condition is making parts of your job harder, there is a government grant that can help. Access to Work is usually linked to physical disability, but it also funds practical support for people with depression, anxiety, PTSD and other conditions. Understanding what it covers and how the application works can help you get support in place sooner rather than waiting until things feel unmanageable.

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In short: Access to Work is a UK government grant that can fund practical workplace support for people whose mental health affects their job, including coaching, equipment, travel and adjusted working arrangements. It sits alongside therapy rather than replacing it.

• Access to Work is a grant, not a loan, so you don't repay it
• It can fund workplace coaching, equipment, travel costs and adjustments, not therapy itself
• You can apply if you're employed, self-employed, or about to start a job

What Access to Work can pay for

Access to Work is a grant, not a loan, so you do not pay it back. For mental health, it can fund:

• A support worker or workplace mentor who helps you manage specific tasks, deadlines or difficult conversations.
• Coaching focused on building confidence, routines or coping strategies for work, rather than general life therapy.
• Specialist software or equipment, such as tools that help with concentration, planning or communication.
• Extra travel costs if your mental health means you cannot use your usual route or mode of transport to work.
• Communication support, for example if anxiety makes phone calls or meetings particularly difficult.
• Changes to how your role is structured, such as adjusted hours or a phased return after time off.

The exact package depends on what you need to do your job and what would make the biggest practical difference, so two people with similar conditions may end up with quite different support. Depending on the size of your employer, part of the cost may also be met by them, though this is arranged by Access to Work rather than something you need to negotiate yourself. Mind has further detail on what reasonable adjustments for mental health can look like in practice.

Who is eligible and how to apply

You can apply if you are employed, self-employed, or about to start a new job or work placement, and a mental health condition affects your ability to work or to get to work. You do not need a formal diagnosis to apply, although describing your difficulties clearly helps the process move faster.

To apply, you will typically need to:

• Explain how your mental health affects specific tasks at work, such as concentration, decision-making or attending in person.
• Provide basic details about your employer, or your self-employment if relevant.
• Say what kind of support you think might help, even if you are not sure of the exact solution.

You can apply online or by phone. If you are moving jobs, it is worth applying as soon as you have a start date, since support can sometimes be arranged to begin alongside you, rather than after you have already been struggling for weeks.

What the assessment involves

Once your application is in, Access to Work usually arranges a conversation with an assessor, either by phone or video call. This is not a medical assessment, and no one is checking whether your mental health condition is "serious enough" to count.

Instead, the assessor will talk through:

• What your day-to-day work actually involves, task by task.
• Where things become difficult, and what that looks like in practice.
• What has helped before, and what you think might help now.

From this, the assessor puts together a report recommending specific support and, where relevant, how much Access to Work will contribute. You will usually see this before anything is finalised, so you can raise it if something does not feel right or does not match how you actually work day to day.

How to combine it with therapy

Access to Work pays for workplace adjustments and coaching. It is not designed to fund therapy itself, so it works best running alongside treatment rather than instead of it.

A practical approach is to run both at the same time:

• Use Access to Work funding for the practical side: adjustments, coaching, equipment, travel.
• Pursue therapy separately, whether through your GP, NHS talking therapies, a workplace benefit, or a private therapist.
• Let your workplace coach and your therapist each focus on what they are best placed to help with, rather than expecting one to cover both.

If you manage a team and are reading this on someone else's behalf, it is worth thinking of these as two separate layers of support rather than one. Access to Work handles the practical, work-specific side. Therapy addresses the underlying mental health condition. If you want to make it easier for your organisation to offer both, you can support your team through Mind a Porter, connecting staff with suitable therapists alongside whatever Access to Work arranges.

What to do this week

• Write down two or three specific moments at work where your mental health makes things harder, in plain, practical terms.
• Check whether you are eligible, as an employee, self-employed person, or someone about to start a new role.
• Start the application this week rather than waiting until things feel unmanageable, since the process can take some time to complete.
• If you are not already in therapy, look into NHS talking therapies or another route alongside your application, rather than waiting for one before starting the other.

Taking both strands forward together, practical workplace support and ongoing therapy, tends to work better than treating either as a complete answer on its own.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to pay back the government grant? You do not have to pay back the money you receive through this scheme. Access to Work is a grant rather than a loan, which means it does not need to be repaid. It is designed to fund practical workplace support that helps you manage your mental health while doing your job.

Can I apply if I am currently self-employed? You are eligible to apply for this funding whether you are employed, self-employed, or about to start a new job. The grant is available to support anyone whose mental health affects their ability to work or travel to their place of work. You do not need a formal diagnosis to submit your application.

Does this funding cover my private therapy sessions? This grant does not pay for therapy itself, as it is intended to fund practical workplace adjustments. It is designed to work alongside your medical treatment by providing support like coaching, equipment, or travel costs. You should continue to pursue therapy separately through your own healthcare routes while using the grant for work-specific tasks.

What happens during the assessor conversation? The assessment is a conversation about your day-to-day tasks and which parts of your job are currently difficult. This is not a medical check, so no one will assess whether your condition is serious enough. The aim is to discuss what you find challenging and what practical support might help you manage those specific difficulties.