Access to Work will cover 100% of the cost of your dictation software, screen reader, or AI writing tool if you're under six weeks into a new role (DWP Access to Work guidance, verified 2026). Outside that window, your employer might have to pay a share instead. This article covers exactly what the Tech Fund pays for, when the six-week clock starts, and how to apply before it closes.
What the Tech Fund actually pays for
The first six weeks in a job are exactly when dyslexic employees are least likely to ask for anything. You're still learning where the printer is, let alone drafting an email about assistive technology. The Tech Fund exists precisely because that early window is when asking feels riskiest and support is hardest to request.
The Tech Fund removes the biggest barrier to fast adjustments: cost-sharing. Before it existed, medium and large employers had to contribute toward assistive technology approved through Access to Work. Now the DWP covers the full bill for eligible new starters, and your employer pays nothing.
That includes software licences: dictation tools, text-to-speech readers, word prediction, and AI writing assistants. It also includes hardware tied directly to the assistive need, like a tablet for voice-annotated site paperwork or a dedicated headset for focus. It doesn't include equipment your role would need anyway, like a standard laptop.
The Tech Fund removes all employer cost-sharing for assistive technology, for employees under six weeks in post (DWP Access to Work guidance, 2026).
Compare that to the standard scheme. Outside the Tech Fund window, Access to Work refunds up to 80% of approved costs under £10,000, and your employer covers the rest. The Tech Fund skips that split entirely while you qualify.
Eligibility is separate from the Tech Fund itself. You need dyslexia, or another condition, affecting your ability to do your job, and you need to be employed or about to start a role in Great Britain (Northern Ireland runs its own scheme). Being newly diagnosed doesn't disqualify you, and neither does working part-time or on a zero-hours contract.
If you're this early into a job, ask your employer to help you start an Access to Work claim this week. Full funding disappears the moment the six-week clock runs out.
The six-week clock, and when it starts
Six weeks sounds simple, but the clock runs from your start date in the role, not from the date you first apply.
You don't have to wait for day one to apply. With a written job offer, you can submit an Access to Work application up to six weeks before you start (gov.uk Access to Work guidance, 2026).
That head start matters more than it looks. The National Audit Office found average Access to Work processing time hit 109 days in November 2025, against a 25-day target (NAO, February 2026). A claim started on day one of a new job could easily miss its own eligibility window before a decision even lands.
If your start date shifts, for example your offer letter said 1 July but your first day slips to 15 July, the clock still runs from the date you actually start work. Tell your Access to Work adviser about any change straight away. A stale start date on file is one of the most common reasons a Tech Fund claim gets queried.
Apply the day you accept the offer, not the day you start. It's the only way to have your tools funded and ready before the six-week window closes.
Which tools qualify
The Tech Fund covers the same categories Access to Work has always funded: dictation software, text-to-speech readers, word prediction, and increasingly, AI writing assistants. Here's what full retail price looks like against Tech Fund coverage.
| Tool | Retail price | Tech Fund coverage (under 6 weeks) |
|---|---|---|
| Dragon Professional Anywhere | £600+VAT/year | 100%, no employer contribution |
| Read&Write | £354.99/year | 100%, no employer contribution |
| Speechify | ~£110/year ($139) | 100%, no employer contribution |
| Microsoft 365 Copilot | ~£193/year (£16.10/month from July 2026) | 100%, no employer contribution |
| ChatGPT Plus | ~£192/year (~£16/month) | 100%, no employer contribution |
The Tech Fund is tool-agnostic. It funds what an Access to Work adviser or workplace needs assessment confirms will address your specific difficulty, not a fixed list of pre-approved products. If you already rely on one of the best text-to-speech tools for dyslexia, name it directly in your application.
Each tool earns its place differently. Dragon composes text by voice in almost any application, including CRM systems with no native AI access.
Read&Write adds word prediction and reading support inside Office and browsers. Speechify is built for reading incoming documents and long PDFs.
Copilot and ChatGPT overlap heavily with dedicated dictation software, but they work best where your job already lives inside Microsoft 365 or a mix of non-Microsoft tools. Naming two tools for two different tasks, rather than one tool for everything, is a normal and fundable request.
Don't assume the Tech Fund only covers traditional dyslexia software. If ChatGPT or Copilot is already your accommodation, ask for it by name, alongside anything else your role needs.
What happens if you miss the window
Past six weeks, standard Access to Work rules apply. Your employer may need to contribute, depending on company size, and Access to Work refunds up to 80% of approved costs under £10,000.
Above £10,000, Access to Work usually covers the rest, up to the annual cap. That cap is frozen at £69,260 for 2026-27, the second consecutive year without an increase (DWP, reported June 2026).
The employer share depends on headcount, per gov.uk's Access to Work factsheet for employers (2026). The table below shows what your employer pays before Access to Work picks up the rest.
| Employer size | Employer pays | Access to Work pays |
|---|---|---|
| 1–49 employees | Nothing | Up to £10,000 in full, then the balance to the £69,260 cap |
| 50–249 employees | First £500, plus 20% of costs up to £10,000 | The remainder, up to the £69,260 cap |
| 250+ employees | First £1,000, plus 20% of costs up to £10,000 | The remainder, up to the £69,260 cap |
A real example
Say a workplace needs assessment recommends Dragon Professional Anywhere (£600+VAT) plus a support worker for weekly check-ins. Inside the Tech Fund window, all of it is free to you and your employer. Wait until week eight to apply at a 300-person company, and your employer pays the first £1,000 plus 20% of costs up to £10,000, before Access to Work covers the rest.
Missing the window still leaves funding on the table, just with your employer as a stakeholder in the cost conversation. That's exactly the situation many dyslexic employees try to avoid before they've built trust in a new role. Our Access to Work guide covers the standard application process step by step.
If you're already past six weeks, apply anyway. A partial employer contribution still beats paying full retail price yourself, and small employers under 50 staff pay nothing either way.
What this means for you
If you have a written job offer and haven't started yet, the math is straightforward. Apply for Access to Work now, name the specific tools you need, and ask your new employer to confirm your start date in writing to the adviser.
If you're already in the role and under six weeks in, apply today, not next month. Every week that passes is a week closer to losing 100% funding and inheriting an employer cost-share instead.
The application itself is short. Five steps cover most of it:
- Confirm your written job offer or your actual start date with your new employer, since this sets your six-week clock.
- Register at gov.uk/access-to-work and start your application before day one if you can.
- Name the specific tools you need, such as "Dragon Professional Anywhere" or "ChatGPT Plus," rather than a vague description like "software."
- Ask your employer's HR team to confirm your start date directly to your Access to Work adviser if requested.
- Keep your application confirmation email. It's your evidence of when the six-week clock started.
Six weeks is a hard deadline, not a guideline. Treat your Access to Work application like a start-date task, not an onboarding afterthought.