Access to Work rejects 1 in 3. Here's how to push back.

In November 2025, the DWP was forced to confirm what disabled workers had been saying for months: 33% of Access to Work applications were not approved in 2025-26 (to October 2025). That's 27,297 people told no in just six months, with another six months still to go in the financial year.

For context, the rejection rate was 24% in 2023-24. One year later, under the same government that keeps talking about getting disabled people into work, it had jumped to 1 in 3.

Dyslexic employees are directly affected. Over half of current Access to Work recipients have mental health or learning conditions (51%, NAO February 2026), meaning neurodivergent applicants now make up the majority of the scheme's users. And the majority are being told to wait, reapply, or accept a decision they weren't given a clear reason for.

This article covers what the data shows, why applications fail, the challenge route that does exist (it's not called an appeal, but it functions like one), and when to use the DWP complaints process instead.

The rejection numbers, year by year

The figures below come from a written parliamentary question answered by Minister for Disabled People Stephen Timms in November 2025. They show not-approved applications as a proportion of all decisions, by financial year.

Financial year	Applications not approved	As a % of all decisions
2022/23	31,482	30%
2023/24	33,886	24%
2024/25	34,874	27%
2025/26 (to Oct 2025 only)	27,297	33%

The 2025/26 figure is the one to focus on. At the halfway point of the year, the total was already within 8,000 of the full-year 2023-24 figure. Disability News Service projected the full-year total at a 22% increase on 2024-25.

The DWP's stated reasons for rejection: no contact from the applicant, insufficient evidence, not meeting eligibility criteria, and the application not being pursued. What those categories obscure is reported in the evidence heard by MPs and from disabled workers themselves: phone calls unanswered for weeks, evidence submitted and then lost, applicants told to resubmit forms they'd already sent, and caseworkers who never made contact at all.

If your application was marked "not approved" due to no contact or insufficient evidence, that's not necessarily a final decision on your eligibility. It may be an administrative failure. The reconsideration route exists precisely for this.

Why applications fail, and how to protect yours

The Access to Work backlog means caseworkers are stretched. As of February 2026, 66,749 applications were awaiting a decision (NAO, February 2026). New applicants were being told to expect waits of up to 37 weeks before their case was referred to a case manager (Disability News Service, 2026). When a system is that overstretched, applications get lost in the queue, not on their merits.

The most common failure modes, based on DWP's parliamentary answer and disability sector reporting:

• No contact from the applicant. You applied online, then heard nothing. You waited. A caseworker tried to call once, you missed it, and the application was closed. The fix: follow up in writing every two weeks. Email creates a paper trail; phone calls don't.
• Insufficient evidence. You said you have dyslexia but didn't attach supporting documentation. A GP letter, an existing workplace needs assessment, or a letter from an employer confirming your condition and its effects on your work is enough. You don't need a formal diagnostic report to apply.
• Application not pursued. This is often the catch-all for applications where contact broke down. Keep a written record of every submission and every response date.

The Access to Work calculator tells you what support you could be eligible for before you apply. Going into the application knowing what you're asking for, and why, reduces the back-and-forth that tends to stall cases.

One practical note: apply before you start a new job, or as early as possible. The DWP pays 100% of approved costs for employees who have been in post for less than six weeks (Disability Rights UK). Once you've been in the role longer, employer co-contribution rules kick in. Starting the application before your first day is one of the few things entirely in your control.

If your application failed due to contact issues or missing documents, request a reconsideration. You're not asking the DWP to change their policy. You're asking them to look at your specific case again, properly.

The reconsideration route: what it is and how to use it

You cannot formally appeal an Access to Work decision. The DWP confirmed this to Disability Rights UK: Access to Work is a discretionary grant scheme, and decisions about award levels and eligibility cannot be appealed to a tribunal the way some other benefits can.

But you can request a reconsideration. The DWP's own guidance (Disability Rights UK, 2024) says: "You can ask for it to be reconsidered by a different Access to Work Adviser." The key word is "different." The review has to be carried out by someone who wasn't involved in the original decision.

This is not a token process. A reconsideration by a different Adviser means a fresh set of eyes on your eligibility, your evidence, and the reasons for rejection. It can and does overturn decisions.

Step by step: how to request a reconsideration

1. 1 Find the contact details at the top of your decision letter. The letter should have a named team or phone number. If you don't have your letter, call the Access to Work general line: 0800 121 7479 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).
2. 2 Contact them in writing, not just by phone. Email creates a dated record. State your name, your reference number, and that you are requesting a reconsideration of the decision by a different Adviser. Keep this short. You don't need to win the argument in the opening message.
3. 3 State specifically what you disagree with. If the rejection said "insufficient evidence," attach your supporting documentation now. If it said "no contact," explain the contact attempts you made and attach any written correspondence. If it said "not eligible," explain how your condition meets the Equality Act 2010 definition of disability.
4. 4 Request a written response. Ask them to confirm the outcome in writing, not just by phone. This matters if you need to escalate further.
5. 5 Keep copies of everything. Date your submissions. If you're emailing, save the sent copies. If you call, follow up with a brief email confirming what was discussed.

There's no formal deadline for requesting a reconsideration, but doing it quickly matters. The longer you leave it, the harder it becomes to demonstrate that circumstances haven't changed.

The reconsideration process is your main lever. Use it quickly. Use it in writing. Attach everything you have. A rejection is not the end of the process unless you treat it that way.

The DWP complaints process: when to use it

The DWP complaints procedure is separate from the reconsideration. You use it for service failures, not to challenge the level of an award.

If your caseworker never called you back over several weeks, if your evidence was confirmed as received and then lost, if you were given incorrect information about eligibility by phone, or if you've been waiting well beyond the processing time targets with no communication, these are all legitimate complaints about service quality. They're also, increasingly, the reason applications fail.

Complaints about Access to Work go through the DWP's standard complaints process (gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/about/complaints-procedure). If you're not satisfied with the DWP's response to your complaint, you can escalate to the Independent Case Examiner (ICE). The ICE has the power to find maladministration and order the DWP to rectify it.

ICE investigations are slow (they can take six months to a year). But they have produced concrete outcomes for Access to Work applicants, including orders to restart assessments and reinstate support that had been incorrectly cut.

You can run a reconsideration request and a complaints process at the same time. They address different things.

If your application failed partly because the DWP's own process broke down (contact failures, lost documents, incorrect information), document those failures as a complaint separately from your reconsideration request. The complaint creates an independent record that can support your case if you need to escalate to ICE.

What to do while you wait for a decision

Access to Work is meant to fund support over and above what your employer is legally required to provide. But your employer's Equality Act duties don't pause while you're waiting for a DWP decision.

Under the Equality Act 2010, your employer must make reasonable adjustments once they know about your dyslexia. That duty doesn't require Access to Work to be in place first. If you're waiting months for an Access to Work assessment, ask your employer to put interim adjustments in place now. Those adjustments can later be replaced or supplemented by Access to Work-funded support once the application comes through.

If you're not sure which adjustments to ask for, the reasonable adjustments builder turns your specific workplace challenges into a concrete conversation plan and a draft email to your manager, in about two minutes.

The average wait for an Access to Work decision has hit 109 days (NAO, February 2026). That's over three months. Relying on the DWP timeline and getting nothing in the meantime is a long time to go without support.

Your employer has a legal duty to adjust for your dyslexia independently of Access to Work. Use it. A waiting Access to Work application is not a reason to delay asking for adjustments at work.

The call: what to do depending on where you are

Three situations, three different immediate steps:

If you applied and were rejected: Request a reconsideration in writing within the next week. Attach your supporting documentation. State clearly that you want the case reviewed by a different Adviser. Keep the email.

If you applied and are still waiting: Check how long it's been. If it's been more than 66 working days (the average for 2024-25 per NAO), follow up in writing and ask for a status update and a named contact. If you're told to expect more than 25 weeks, that's grounds for a formal complaint about service quality. The DWP's own target is 25 days.

If you haven't applied yet: Apply before you start your current role if you can, or apply now. The scheme pays 100% of costs for employees in post for less than six weeks. Beyond that threshold, employer co-contributions apply. Every week you wait is a week closer to the less favourable funding split.

Only 1 in 10 eligible dyslexic employees has ever applied for Access to Work (British Dyslexia Association, January 2024). The rising rejection rate is real and concerning. But the bigger problem is still the 9 in 10 who never applied at all.