In the UK, support to people with disabilities come in many different forms. Access to Work and ESA (Employment and Support Allowance) are just of many that are available. This article from Neuro Jumpstart goes through the similarities (and differences) between the two.
What is Access To Work?
Access to Work can help you get or stay in work if you have a physical or mental health condition or disability.
The support you get will depend on your needs. Through Access to Work, you can apply for:
- a grant to help pay for practical support with your work or business
- support with managing your mental health at work or business
- money to pay for communication support at job interviews or business activities
Also, you can find more details on this on the GOV.UK website (here’s the link)
What is ESA?
You can also apply for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) if you have a disability, health condition or neurodivergent condition that affects how much you can work.
ESA gives you:
- money to help with living costs if you’re unable to work
- support to get back into work if you’re able to
You can apply if you’re employed, self-employed or unemployed. More info on ESA can be found in here.
Can you apply for both Access To Work and ESA?
The short answer is yes… but there are a few steps you need to take to be eligible for both types of support.
Firstly, ESA limits work hours (in employment or self-employment) to under 16 hours a week, since your disability or neurodivergence affects how long you can work. Therefore to get Access To Work support, you must not be working for more than 16 hours on your business.
Also, you must fill in (and send) a Permitted Work form (PW1). Permitted work means you can
- work for less than 16 hours each week
- earn no more than £167.00 each week, after tax and National Insurance has been taken off
- get your normal amount of benefit
- build up your skills and experience
- get support while you work – we call this supported permitted work.
Therefore, when you do apply for access to work, the completed ESA form is on the DWP system by the time the adviser does their background checks on your application. You can find information on ESA Permitted work and the PW1 form here.
Conclusion
To conclude this article, you can get both Access to Work and ESA support. But… you need to inform DWP of your status to permit work. We hope this helps – feel free to reach out if you have any questions!
