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What support is available if I am unable to work?

This page has information on benefits and other support that you may be entitled to if you cannot work, whether you are employed, self-employed or unemployed. It also explores sick leave policies at work, fit notes from healthcare professionals and help to return to work, if that’s right for you.

Barriers to work for autistic people

Anyone can experience physical or mental illness, disability or other challenges in their life that mean they are unable to work for a short period or in the longer term. 

Some autistic people cannot work and must get the support and benefits they need, for as long as they need them. Read the section below, Benefits and other financial support. 

Many autistic people can work and want to work, but can face significant barriers to work, including: 

  • a lack of autism understanding in society 
  • a lack of autism understanding and appropriate support in many workplaces 
  • experiences of workplace conflict, bullying and harassment 
  • discrimination. 

Every UK worker and job candidate is protected by equality and employment laws, including from discrimination based on protected characteristics, including disability (autism is a disability in UK law). 

Autistic people are entitled to reasonable adjustments at work to remove disadvantages they are facing compared to non-disabled people. If you are unable to work because of a lack of appropriate support at work, you may also find our page What are reasonable adjustments and when can they be requested? helpful. 

If you are unable to work because you are experiencing workplace conflict, bullying or discrimination, you may also find our page What can I do if I’m having trouble at work? helpful. 

If you require urgent help, please refer to the services and resources on our Urgent help page. 

Benefits and other financial support

Financial support is available if you cannot work or the amount you can work is reduced because of a disability (including autism) or health condition. 

For information about autism and the legal definition of disability visit the section ‘Autism, disability and UK equality law’ on our page What are reasonable adjustments and when can they be requested? 

If you are employed, you may be able to claim Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), paid by your employer (see the next section Sickness and absence policies and procedures). 

If you cannot claim SSP, or your entitlement has run out, you may be able to claim Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or other benefits. 

Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) 

You can apply for New Style Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) if you have a disability or health condition that affects how much you can work. 

You can apply if you’re employed, self-employed or unemployed. You need to be under State Pension age and to have both: 

  • worked as an employee or have been self-employed 
  • paid enough National Insurance contributions, usually in the last 2 to 3 years – National Insurance credits also count. 

ESA gives you: 

  • money to help with living costs if you’re unable to work 
  • support to get back into work if you’re able to. 

If you are receiving Statutory Sick Pay (see the section Sickness and absence policies and procedures below) and it is due to end, you can apply for ESA. 

Other benefits and support 

The UK Government website explains other disability-related benefits you can apply for, including: 

  • Universal Credit 
  • Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Disability Living Allowance (DLA) 
  • Attendance Allowance. 

And, in Scotland: 

Depending on your circumstances, you might also be able to get: 

Information by nation 

Benefits calculators and advice services 

Some charities and other organisations provide online benefits calculators that you may find helpful to estimate the benefits you may be entitled to claim, such as Turn2us and Entitledto. 

Other charities provide advocacy, information and advice services, including: 

Please read our disclaimer and carry out your own checks before accessing external services and links included on this page. 

Employer sickness and absence policies

If you are off sick from work, you may have a right to sick pay. Sickness includes both physical and mental health issues that affect your ability to work. 

Your employment contract should state: 

  • if you are entitled to sick pay 
  • how much sick pay you could receive 
  • how long you could receive sick pay for 
  • any rules your employer has about sick pay. 

If you are entitled to sick pay, you may receive statutory sick pay (SSP). This is a minimum amount for those who meet the criteria. Some employers may provide more than statutory sick pay. This can be called 'company', 'contractual' or 'occupational' sick pay. 

For information about what you are entitled to, read your employment contract and/or contact your manager or human resources (HR) department at work. You can also contact the Government-funded public service ACAS for information and advice on sick pay entitlement in the UK, and the Labour Relations Agency in Northern Ireland.  

Reasonable adjustments to absence policies and procedures 

Employers must make reasonable adjustments for people who meet the legal definition of disability (including autistic people) to stop them being disadvantaged. This includes employers making changes to the way they usually do things, including their decisions and actions such as how they apply their absence policy. 

Some employers manage absence by using a system that can identify when an employee reaches a certain number of absences within a period of time, or their absence exceeds a certain duration. This is called a review point or trigger point, and it can vary between employers. 

However, your employer should consider your individual needs and circumstances if you are absent. For example, they might adjust the review point or decide that any absence relating to autism or disability will not count towards the review point. 

For more information, review or ask to see your employer’s policy on unplanned absences, including sickness. This might be called an ‘Absence management’, ‘Sickness absence management’, ‘Coming to work’ or ‘Unplanned absence’ policy. It should include what the employer will do if someone needs time off for reasons related to a disability. 

If you have concerns about your employer’s policies or how you are being treated, you may want to speak to your human resources (HR) department, a relevant trade union or a government run or funded organisation, such as: 

Fit notes 

If you are not able to work for seven calendar days or fewer, you do not need to provide medical evidence for your absence to your employer in order to receive sick pay. This is called 'self-certifying' your sick leave. The counting of calendar days includes weekends and bank holidays, and days you don’t normally work, if you’re part-time. 

If you are unable to work for more than seven calendar days (including weekends and bank holidays, and days you don’t normally work, if you’re part-time), you will need to provide your employer with medical evidence (called a fit note or sick note). Usually this will be from your GP but could also be from one of these registered healthcare professionals: 

  • doctors 
  • nurses 
  • occupational therapists 
  • pharmacists 
  • physiotherapists. 

The fit note will include an official statement about your fitness to work, stating either that you are not fit for work, or that you might be fit for work. 

If the healthcare professional says you might be fit for work, they should explain what they think you are able to do. For example, if you have a physical injury, you might be fit to carry out work sitting at a desk but not lifting things. 

The fit note might also say how your employer could help you return to work. For example: 

  • a phased return to work 
  • flexible working 
  • giving you different duties 
  • making changes to your workstation or working pattern. 

Help to return to work

You can discuss how you can be supported to return to work with a healthcare professional who is providing a fit note for you (they can note this on your fit note) and/or with your employer. Options could include a phased return to work and flexible working arrangements. 

A phased return to work 

A phased return to work is when someone who has been absent from work gradually builds up to returning to work full-time, or whatever their working hours were previously. For example: 

  • starting on reduced hours 
  • doing work that is different to their usual job 
  • having a lighter workload. 

A phased return to work might be appropriate after a: 

  • long-term illness 
  • serious injury 
  • bereavement 
  • a period of stress-related absence. 

Flexible working 

UK employment law gives employees a legal right to request flexible working. This can mean a change to when, where or how you work. For example: 

  • part-time hours 
  • staggered hours 
  • remote working 
  • working from home 
  • hybrid working 
  • flexitime 
  • job sharing 
  • compressed hours 

Employers can either accept, partially accept or reject a request for flexible working. The employer can only reject the request if there is a genuine business reason, such as: 

  • it will cost your employer too much 
  • your employer cannot recruit more staff or reorganise the work among other staff 
  • there will be a negative effect on performance or the quality of work 
  • there would not be enough work for you to do at the times when you’ve requested to work. 

Reasonable adjustments and Access to Work 

As an autistic person, you are entitled to reasonable adjustments to stop you being put at a disadvantage at work compared to non-disabled people. You may also be able to get an Access to Work grant to help pay for things you need to do your job or stay in work. 

Visit our pages What support can I get at work as an autistic person? and What are reasonable adjustments and when can they be requested? for information about this. 

Links, resources and article sources

 

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