Millions of people in the UK rely on disability benefits to survive. However, some of them continue to work at reduced frequencies. If you’re someone who receives state support for a disability or neurodivergence, you may be thinking about how many hours you can work on disability benefits. We’ll get into that and reveal the types of work people on disability benefits can do.
People who live with a disability, neurodivergence, or health conditions can receive forms of government funding to help them. If they cannot work, they may need state funding to survive. Research suggests the number of people entitled to disability benefits rose to almost 7 million in 2024. This contrasts against the roughly 16 million people registered as disabled in the UK.
Disability benefits can help people in different ways and individuals can access them in different forms:
Of course, disability benefits are different from government grants that help people who can work to work to their full capabilities. Access to Work, for example, is government funding that provides augmentative and supportive interventions for people in work based on their individual needs. Access to Work can provide targeted support to neurodivergent and disabled individuals such as support workers, job coaches, bespoke training, or assistive technology.
Access to Work also currently provides up to £70,000 to fund specific tools or supportive interventions that help individuals overcome barriers from their disability or neurodivergence and do their jobs. But the funding will only support individuals who are in full-time employment.
People who have disabilities, illnesses, or neurodivergence that stop or prevent them from working to their full capability are likely to need financial assistance. But even if they’re receiving Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), they’re still allowed to work in a limited capacity.
Gaining permission to work without forfeiting financial support can offer benefits to individuals like learning new skills, building professional networks, and gaining confidence. But how many hours can you work on disability benefits?
Statistics show over 6 million people were on Universal Credit in January 2024, with 2.4 of those in employment of some form. So, many people with disabilities, health conditions, and illnesses can and do still work while retaining payments and NI credits.
Such individuals come under a government classification known as ‘Permitted work’. There is no limit on the number of weeks you can do permitted work. You can do any type of permitted work for as long as you do one at a time. So let’s look more closely at some definitions.
The Permitted work lower limit puts a cap on earning more than £20 per week. But being aware of this should help you when reviewing how many hours can you work on disability benefits. If you do engage with this type of permitted work, you’ll have to inform the DWP in writing.
The higher permitted work limit suggests you can work to the following terms:
If you go over the permitted work limit, your ESA payments may stop. This means you may have to reapply. Applicants should check how much ESA they’ll get before taking on work that could push them over their permitted limit.
The third type of work is Supported permitted work. This is for people with a disability, an illness, or some type of health condition who can’t work for more than a few hours each week. To do their work, they may need supervision from a professional support worker employed by a public or voluntary organisation.
If supervised or in receipt of support from a treatment programme in a hospital, individuals can still earn £183.50 per week. And there is no limit on the number of hours they work.
It may help to consider the other types of work you could do when calculating how many hours can you work on disability benefits. Specific examples of the types of work that go beyond Permitted or Supported work include:
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Doing voluntary work is also permitted when receiving ESA or UC benefits. But individuals must meet the conditions of the benefit. Voluntary work is valuable for developing new skills and networks. And it’s possible to volunteer in the following ways:
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