{"id":128360,"date":"2026-11-07T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-07T08:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/?p=128360"},"modified":"2026-11-06T23:51:58","modified_gmt":"2026-11-06T23:51:58","slug":"dwp-confirms-4000-average-annual-payments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/dwp-confirms-4000-average-annual-payments\/","title":{"rendered":"DWP Confirms \u00a34,000 Average Annual Payments Under Scheme Helping Thousands"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The figures, published in the department’s latest annual statistics, show an increase in the number of people receiving support compared with the previous year. Access to Work provides financial assistance to disabled people<\/strong> and those with health conditions, helping them enter employment or remain in work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DWP Figures Show More People Receiving Access To Work Payments<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to the DWP’s official statistics<\/a> published on 29 October 2026, Access to Work provision was approved for 59,690 people<\/strong> during the financial year ending March 2026. This represented a 5% increase from the 56,880 people recorded in the previous financial year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The number of customers receiving an actual payment rose by 6%, from 74,200 to 78,440 over the same period. Approval does not necessarily result in a payment, as employers may cover the costs themselves or individuals may decide not to take up the support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The programme provides assistance beyond the reasonable workplace adjustments employers are required to make under the Equality Act 2010<\/strong>. Available support includes specialist equipment, workplace adaptations, communication assistance, support workers and help with travel costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The latest statistics also reveal differences between the types of assistance approved. The number of people receiving approval for non-contracted provision increased by 8%, from 42,960 to 46,500.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, approvals for assessments<\/a> rose by 20%, from 19,990 to 24,070. Assessments identify workplace barriers and recommend measures that may help individuals carry out their jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Support workers remained the most frequently approved form of assistance, with 29,590 people receiving approval. Specialist aids and equipment followed with 24,010 approvals, while 12,880 people were approved for the Mental Health Support Service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Real terms average annual payments, 2010\u20132026 \u00a9DWP<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Average Payments Reach \u00a34,000 As Overall Expenditure Falls<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to the same DWP release, the average annual payment across all Access to Work provision increased by 3% in nominal terms to \u00a34,000<\/strong> during the financial year ending March 2026. In real terms, accounting for inflation, the average remained unchanged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the increase in recipients, total expenditure fell by 4% in nominal terms, from \u00a3320.7 million to \u00a3309.1 million. Adjusted for inflation, expenditure decreased by 7%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Support workers accounted for the largest share of spending, at \u00a3222.7 million, representing 72% of the programme’s total expenditure. Travel to Work<\/strong> assistance accounted for \u00a351.9 million, while specialist aids and equipment represented \u00a316.1 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The figures also show considerable differences in average payments depending on the assistance provided. Support Worker payments averaged \u00a310,500<\/strong> annually, compared with \u00a33,400 for Travel to Work and \u00a31,900 for Special Aids and Equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As reported by BirminghamLive<\/a>, the DWP has acknowledged growing demand for the scheme, with the number of people supported nearly doubling over five years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A department spokesperson said Access to Work remained a “lifeline for disabled people and those with health conditions<\/em>“, adding that officials were working with disabled people and their organisations to improve the programme.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed that 78,440 people received payments through its Access to Work scheme in the financial year ending March 2026. The average annual payment reached \u00a34,000, while total expenditure on the programme stood at \u00a3309.1 million.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":128365,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-128360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-welfare","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128360","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=128360"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128360\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":128366,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128360\/revisions\/128366"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/128365"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}