# Access to Work ask list for ADHD (printable)

From ADHD Helper, adhdhelper.co.uk/access-to-work/application-pack/
Static companion to the interactive ask-list generator: adhdhelper.co.uk/tools/atw-ask-list-generator/
Version: 27 July 2026. Information only, not benefits advice. The DWP decides every award.

How to use: tick the barriers that are true of your work life, then request the support listed under each. Keep every ask anchored to a work barrier and deliver it in your own words with your own examples. Every item is a recognised Access to Work support category (gov.uk, Access to Work, checked 19 July 2026).

## [ ] Organising, prioritising and starting work (executive function, time blindness, task paralysis)
- Specialist ADHD workplace coaching: a block of sessions with a coach experienced in ADHD specifically. If your symptoms fluctuate, say so; fluctuation is the case for renewable support.
- Executive-function or accountability support (job coach): regular short check-ins, for example weekly, to set priorities and keep momentum.

## [ ] Admin that slips: invoicing, paperwork, follow-up emails, scheduling, diary
- A support worker or administrative PA for a set number of hours per week, tied to the specific tasks that slip.
- Extra PA hours to help complete the monthly Access to Work claim forms themselves. This is allowed.

## [ ] Meetings and verbal information: forgetting what was agreed, processing fast speech, draining calls
- Meeting transcription or note-taking software so every meeting produces a written record automatically.
- A human note-taker for high-stakes meetings.

## [ ] Producing written work: far easier to say it than type it
- Speech-to-text or dictation software, framed as reducing the effort cost of turning thoughts into written output.
- Written-communication support tools (grammar, clarity, drafting) framed around the time and anxiety cost of writing in your role.

## [ ] Absorbing long documents, contracts and reports
- Text-to-speech or read-aloud software.
- Support-worker hours to break dense documents into manageable sections where the stakes are high.

## [ ] Too many ideas, no priority; email avoidance; decision overload
- Task-management and AI productivity software, named by category with examples, framed around decision overload and email paralysis in your actual role.

## [ ] Noise sensitivity: background conversation and busy environments cause overload
- Noise-cancelling headphones or ear defenders. If you already self-fund earplugs or similar, say so: it is evidence the need is real and current.

## [ ] Work travel: unfamiliar journeys and crowded transport cause severe anxiety or avoidance
- A travel support worker for unfamiliar work journeys.
- Taxi funding where public transport is not workable (Access to Work funds the difference over the standard fare). Keep it tied to work journeys.

## [ ] Anxiety, low mood or repeated burnout affecting work
- A referral to the Mental Health Support Service: a separate, confidential 9-month strand delivered by approved providers. It does not come out of your grant budget and can only be used once, so time it for when you can engage.

## [ ] Long screen-based days; physical toll of hyperfocus and overwork
- Ergonomic workspace equipment: sit-stand desk, ergonomic chair, second monitor, ergonomic peripherals. Do not lead with a standard laptop; standard equipment for the job is usually refused, the assistive layer is not.

## [ ] Self-employed or a director of your own company
- Ask the classification question at the start: "Am I assessed as self-employed or as an employee of my own company, and does any cost share apply?" All self-employed support is 100 percent funded.
- Have your Unique Taxpayer Reference ready; the turnover eligibility line is 6,500 pounds a year.

Do not trim the list to look modest. The cap is 69,260 pounds a year (2026/27) and a full ADHD package sits far below it. Ask for everything that removes a genuine work barrier and let the assessor scope it.

Information only, not benefits advice. Free personal advice: Citizens Advice and local welfare rights services.