Access to Work for Self-Employed People

Funding that may help pay for support with the parts of your work you find difficult

Access to Work is a government grant that can help pay for support if a disability or health condition affects your ability to do your work.

It is available to eligible self-employed people, including those with ADHD, dyslexia or autism.

I work with self-employed people who need help with bookkeeping and the financial and admin side of running their business, and can help with an Access to Work application where this forms part of putting ongoing support in place.

Talk it through

Is Access to Work an option for you?

Access to Work may be worth exploring if you are self-employed and a disability, health condition or neurodivergence makes parts of your work harder to manage.

It may help where you struggle with things such as:

  • keeping on top of admin and paperwork
  • organising tasks, emails or deadlines
  • maintaining bookkeeping and business records
  • staying focused and managing your workload

The important point is how your condition affects you at work, rather than the label itself.

What Access to Work may fund

Access to Work can provide funding for practical support that helps you overcome disability-related barriers at work. For self-employed people, that can include a support worker where this has been agreed as part of your award.

For the type of support I provide, this may include:

  • bookkeeping and record keeping
  • business admin and paperwork
  • help organising admin tasks and deadlines
  • support with day-to-day financial and admin routines

Access to Work can also fund other things such as specialist equipment, assistive software or travel support, depending on your needs, but I do not provide separate advice on those areas.

A few things to know

You do not need a formal diagnosis to apply for Access to Work. What matters is how your condition affects your ability to do your work. The scheme is available to eligible self-employed people, including those who work from home, and any grant awarded does not have to be repaid. Access to Work will decide what support it will fund and at what level.

Access to Work rules can change, so you can check the current eligibility guidance on GOV.UK.

How I help

1. Initial conversation

We discuss the parts of your work that are difficult to manage and the type of support that may help.

2. Access to Work application

If Access to Work looks appropriate, I can help with the application. There is no charge where this forms part of putting ongoing support in place.

3. Ongoing support

If funding is approved, I provide the agreed bookkeeping and business admin support.

Want to explore Access to Work?

We can discuss your situation and the type of support that may help.

Get in touch

Neurodivergent Business Support

If you need broader help with the day-to-day business tasks that are difficult to manage, you can read more about my neurodivergent business support.

Neurodivergent Support