Access to Work frozen at £69,260 for 2026-27 — what dyslexic employees lose

The DWP updated its Access to Work factsheet on 6 May 2026 without any announcement. The update confirmed that the annual cap had stayed at £69,260 for both 2025-26 and 2026-27. Disability News Service broke the story the next day (7 May 2026). Labour's employment minister Dame Diana Johnson had told MPs just the previous month that there had been "no change in AtW policy."

The cap has now been frozen for two consecutive years. It was last uprated in April 2024 when it was set at £69,260 following annual increases every year since 2015-16, when the cap was first introduced. Inflation has run at roughly 3.5% per year over this period. That compounds to around a 7% real-terms reduction in the value of the maximum award over two years.

For dyslexic employees, the immediate practical impact is limited. Most Access to Work awards for dyslexia sit well below the cap. But the story behind the freeze matters: a government that quietly reduces funding for disabled employment while publicly claiming it wants more disabled people in work is one that's likely to keep quietly reducing funding. Knowing what's happening is the first step to protecting what you're entitled to.

What the cap is and who it actually hits

The Access to Work annual cap limits the total grant any one person can receive in a financial year. It covers all support elements combined: workplace needs assessment costs, assistive technology, support worker hours, coaching, and British Sign Language interpretation.

The DWP's own response to the story is telling. A DWP spokesperson said: "Only a very small number of Access to Work customers receive payments at the cap level." (Disability News Service, May 2026.) That's accurate. But "a very small number" still means real people lose real support, and the cap affects the ceiling that everyone's award is measured against.

In practice, the employees most directly affected by the freeze are Deaf employees who rely on BSL interpretation. BSL interpreter day rates in London have risen from under £300 to £375 per day (NUBSLI guidance, 2026). A full-time Deaf professional using an interpreter regularly can exhaust a £69,260 cap in under a year at those rates. The freeze means they buy fewer hours this year than last year, for the same notional award.

For dyslexic employees specifically, typical awards for assistive technology (text-to-speech software, voice dictation, screen readers), workplace needs assessment, and specialist coaching usually run between £2,000 and £15,000 per year. Most won't hit £69,260. But dyslexic employees at senior levels who need a combination of extensive coaching hours, high-end software, workplace needs assessment renewal, and Access to Work-funded support worker time can get closer to the cap than you'd expect.

The Access to Work calculator lets you estimate what your award could cover before you apply or renew. If you're approaching renewal and your needs have grown (new role, higher communication demands, additional software), document that clearly. Awards should reflect current need, not just prior year totals.

If you're well under the cap, this doesn't change your award directly. If you're approaching the cap or have had your award reduced at renewal, the reconsideration route is your first move. Keep reading.

No announcement: why it matters

The way the freeze was implemented is worth understanding. DWP didn't announce it to parliament. The factsheet update page shows the cap figures hadn't been updated since May 2024. Nobody was told the 2025-26 or 2026-27 figures until DNS found the factsheet change in May 2026, over a year after the first freeze took effect.

The DWP, when asked to point to where ministers had announced the freeze, declined. They couldn't, because ministers hadn't.

Shani Dhanda, co-founder of the Access to Work Collective, told Disability News Service: "Freezing the Access to Work cap for two years, with no clear announcement, is deeply concerning and looks like a quiet cut. In real terms, support is shrinking while costs for support workers, interpreters and equipment keep rising. For many disabled people, especially those with higher needs, the cap is already a barrier to work; this just makes it worse."

The parliamentary Public Accounts Committee opened a formal inquiry into Access to Work in February 2026, following the National Audit Office's critical report on processing failures. The cap freeze adds to a picture that's been building for a year: rising rejection rates (33% of applications not approved in 2025-26), average processing times of 109 days against a target of 25, and awards being cut at renewal without explanation. The PAC inquiry is ongoing.

The cap freeze isn't an isolated decision. It's the latest in a series of quiet reductions to a scheme that's already overwhelmed. If you've had your award cut or reduced at renewal with no clear reason, that's a pattern, not a one-off administrative error.

Award reductions at renewal: what's happening

Separate from the cap freeze, the DWP has been reducing individual awards at renewal. Research by RNID and DeafATW published in April 2026, based on a survey of 267 BSL users, found that 37% had their grant reduced when their award came up for renewal. Of those, 41% missed training and development opportunities as a result, and 19% had to reduce or change how they did their jobs.

DWP's official position is that reductions come from applying existing policy "more consistently." That explanation has been tested. Theatre director Jenny Sealey had her award cut by 50% in early 2026. She challenged it publicly. The DWP reinstated her full award in April 2026. The RNID/DeafATW survey suggests her case was not unusual; it was just visible.

For dyslexic employees, the renewal process carries real risk. If your needs assessment is more than two years old, DWP caseworkers may use it to argue your support needs have reduced, even if your role has grown. Your actual needs are the only valid basis for your award level. An outdated assessment that understates your current needs works against you.

If you're approaching renewal, request an updated workplace needs assessment before the renewal date. Access to Work can fund a new assessment as part of your renewal. The reasonable adjustments builder can help you document your current challenges in the kind of specific, evidence-based language that supports a needs assessment and renewal application.

If your award was reduced at renewal without explanation, request a reconsideration in writing. The evidence suggests DWP is overturning reductions when challenged. But it only happens if you challenge them.

What the cap doesn't cover: the Tech Fund exception

One thing the freeze doesn't affect: the Access to Work Tech Fund, which pays 100% of assistive technology costs for newly employed disabled workers in post for less than six weeks. This is a separate funding stream with a separate budget. It's not counted against your annual cap.

If you're starting a new job and you need text-to-speech software, voice dictation tools, or other AT, apply for the Tech Fund before your sixth week. The 100% funding rate (rather than the standard employer co-contribution model that applies after six weeks) makes the first weeks of a new role the best window to get software funded through Access to Work.

The standard grant, which the cap applies to, is what covers ongoing support: coaching, workplace needs assessment renewals, support worker hours. That's where the real-terms freeze bites for employees with continuous support needs.

New job? Apply for the Tech Fund before week six. Existing job with continuous support needs? Your award sits under the frozen cap. If it's been reduced at renewal, challenge it.

The call: what to do depending on your situation

Three situations, three different next steps.

Your award is well under the cap and hasn't been reduced. The freeze doesn't change your award. But know your renewal date and start preparing 12 weeks before it arrives. Update your self-assessment of your challenges. Request an updated workplace needs assessment if your last one is over two years old. Don't assume renewal is automatic or that last year's award is the floor.

Your award was reduced at renewal and you weren't given a clear reason. Request a reconsideration in writing within the next week. Use the contact details on your award letter, or call the Access to Work line (0800 121 7479) and ask for a reconsideration by a different Adviser. State specifically that you disagree with the reduction and want the decision reviewed. Attach your current workplace needs assessment as evidence. The RNID/DeafATW data shows 37% of awards are being cut at renewal; the Jenny Sealey case shows DWP does reverse decisions when pushed.

You haven't applied yet. The cap is £69,260. For most dyslexic employees, a realistic award is between £2,000 and £15,000 per year. The freeze doesn't close the scheme and it doesn't lower the cap you'd be working under. Apply, and apply now. Only 1 in 10 eligible dyslexic employees has ever applied for Access to Work (British Dyslexia Association, January 2024). The scheme is under pressure, but it still funds real support. The biggest Access to Work cost most dyslexic employees face is not having applied at all.

If you're not sure what you'd be eligible for, the Access to Work calculator gives you a working estimate before you start the application.

For questions about your employer's separate obligations under the Equality Act 2010 while you're waiting for an Access to Work decision, see our guide to what to do while Access to Work is delayed.