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The nine-month limit on Access to Work claims
Last checked 25 October 2026 against GOV.UK and the sources below. General information, not advice. AwardMatch is independent and not affiliated with DWP or Access to Work.
Graeae, which campaigns on Access to Work, reports a nine-month limit: support older than that may not be paid. If claims pile up, or one comes back while the clock is running, a month can slip past it.
What the limit is
Graeae’s claims guidance says: “You can only claim for support that has been provided in the nine months prior to your claim date.” Its visual guide puts it as: Access to Work “will only make a payment for support received in the last nine months”.
So a session on 10 February can be claimed until about 10 November. After that, it may not be paid at all.
Where months get lost
- Claims saved up. Leaving several months to claim together risks the oldest passing the limit, and Graeae reports that adding months to one claim slows it down anyway.
- Returned claims. The clock keeps running while a claim is away. A return near the limit can push sessions past it.
- Waiting for a renewal. Graeae says claims can’t be submitted early, even while a renewal or reconsideration is pending, so keep claiming each month as normal.
Staying ahead of it
- Claim every month, soon after the month ends.
- For each month you haven’t claimed, note the date nine months after its earliest session.
- Set a reminder a few weeks before that date.
- If a claim comes back, fix and resend it straight away, and check none of its sessions has passed the limit.
AwardMatch works this out for you. It shows the last day to claim each unclaimed month, warns on the invoice when a session is within 30 days of the limit, and blocks sessions already past it. The Key dates tab adds the deadlines, plus when renewal opens, to your phone’s calendar. If Access to Work tells you a different limit applies, you can change it in settings.
Questions
Is the nine-month limit on GOV.UK?
Not on the GOV.UK claiming pages we checked on 25 October 2026. Graeae reports it as Access to Work’s rule, in both its claims guidance and its visual guide. If you’re close to the limit, call the Access to Work helpline (0800 121 7479) to check.
When does the nine months start?
Graeae describes it as support “provided in the nine months prior to your claim date”. So each session has its own deadline, nine months after the date of the session. The earliest session in a month is the one to watch.
Can I claim in advance?
No. Graeae says Access to Work won’t process claims early, and you can only claim for support you’ve already had.
What about renewing the award?
That’s a separate date. GOV.UK says you can apply to renew 12 weeks before the award ends, and you must renew before it ends if it pays for ongoing support such as a support worker.
Make every month’s claim match the award. AwardMatch keeps a log of each session with sign-off on the day, checks the month against the award’s hours, rate and dates, and makes the invoice PDF. It runs in your browser and your records stay on your device. Free for one award.
Open AwardMatchSources
- Graeae: Access to Work campaign, claims process
- Graeae: Access to Work claims visual guide (May 2026, PDF)
- GOV.UK: Access to Work, claiming money from your grant
- GOV.UK: Access to Work, renew your grant
More guides
- Access to Work invoice template (free)
- Access to Work support worker invoice: what to include
- Access to Work claim returned: common reasons and fixes
- Access to Work taxi receipts: what they need to show
This guide is general information, checked on 25 October 2026. It isn’t advice, and the claims process changes: check GOV.UK or call the Access to Work helpline (0800 121 7479) about your own claim. AwardMatch is independent and not affiliated with DWP or Access to Work.