The ATW cap (maximum award / budget) is worked out as 2 x the National Average Salary (NAS). If the National Average Salary goes up, then the ATW cap goes up too.

The old cap from April 2022 to March 2023 is £65,180.  

The new cap from April 2023 to March 2024 is £66,000.  (This is an increase of just over 1.25%)

For information, see below for caps for all previous years since they started:

Update 21/3/22:
 
DeafATW, NUBSLI and RNID (and maybe other organisations) have all written to the DWP about the delay to renewals (see original post below). 
 
ATW has said that to solve this problem and deal with renewals more quickly they have introduced a new ‘light touch’ renewal process. 
 
DeafATW has now had feedback from some deaf people that, although they were told they would have to wait 12 to 16 weeks for their renewal, their award has in fact been agreed very quickly. 
 
From feedback it looks like this new ‘light touch’ process means people’s awards are being approved as they are now. This is really good if it helps ATW approve renewals faster, but there may be some problems.
 
(1)  If your award is capped, make sure that you check your award is renewed at the maximum for this year (£62,900 before 31/3/22, or the new maximum if your award is renewed from 1/4/22).
 
(2)  If you need to increase your budget or hourly rate, e.g., because interpreter fees are going up in line with inflation, you may need to make a change of circumstances request. (More information in this update).
 
Please let DeafATW know what happens with your renewal application, and if you have any problems.
 
If you want to be kept up to date with information about this issue, please sign up for updates from DeafATW.
 
Original post 3/9/22:
 
DeafATW is being contacted by people who are having problems with renewing their ATW award.  This problem seemed to start about November 2021.
 
People have been told different things, but the email DeafATW saw says that “current wait times to be allocated to an adviser is around 16 weeks from date of application but any award will be back-dated so there will be no gap in support.”
 
There are two problems with this:
 
1)  Most interpreters (and other support workers) can’t afford to work without being paid for many weeks or months. Interpreters may also be unwilling to take the risk of doing this work and not being paid in the end if something goes wrong.
 
2)  When you ask interpreters (etc.) to work, the contract is between you and the interpreters, not ATW and the interpreters. 
 
This means that if you ask interpreters to carry on working after your award, and ATW does not renew your award, or reduces it, you will be personally responsible for paying the interpreters for their work with you. (If your award is agreed, then you won’t have to pay anything, but you can’t know for sure that it will be agreed, even if it is likely to be.).

AtW have updated their factsheet for customers to include changes they're making to AtW because of COVID-19.  www.gov.uk/government/publications/access-to-work-factsheet

These changes are mostly the same as the changes that DeafATW has shared in earlier updates.  Please read these updates because I only explain new information in this update.

There are four things useful to say about the update:

1)  In the Factsheet there is a section with the heading "If your support needs change".  It then says "If the support you need changes, for example because you have started to work from home, you need to tell Access to Work."

This means that you only need to tell AtW you are working at home if your support needs have changed.  If your support needs are the same, you don't have to tell AtW.

2)  In the Factsheet there is a section with the heading "Assessments".  This says that if you apply for AtW and know what support you need, you don't need a workplace assessment.  

​If you don't know what support you need, an organisation (not AtW) will do the assessment over the phone.  Let that organisation know if you need the assessment done in BSL, e.g. through a video interpreting service.

3)  In the Factsheet there is a section with the heading "Interpreters".  It then says "You need to tell Access to Work if you change the type of support you are using. For example, if you start using an online interpreting service instead of a BSL support worker." 

This advice looks different from the information that DeafATW shared in an update before. In this factsheet it seems to say that you should tell AtW if you change to use a remote interpreter instead of a face to face one. DeafATW has checked with ATW, and this means that if you stop using face-to-face interpreters and switch to a remote interpreting service and plan to carry on doing this in the future, then you should tell AtW. But if you are just using a remote interpreter because of Coronavirus, and will carry on using face-to-face interpreters in the future, then you don't need to tell AtW.

4)  In the Factsheet there is a section with the heading "Claiming for costs".  It then says "If you cannot leave home or ask someone else to post your claim for costs, contact your Access to Work adviser and ask if you can send your claim by email. They will tell you what you need to do. You can also send the email from your employer or your support worker by email."

This means that if you can't post your claim form you should contact your AtW adviser and ask them how you can email your claim form to AtW.

This information has been checked with AtW.

This information has been updated to say that the advice in the earlier AtW update is still correct after the updated customer factsheet was published.  (For number 3 above).

If you are employed:

If you are having problems getting your manager to sign your claim from (DP222), because of Coronavirus,   then you can send your claim form to AtW without it being signed.  You can do this for any work that was done on or after 13th September 2019.

There are three ways you can do this.  

First way:

1)   Complete your claim form (without the manager's signature).  
2)   Write on the claim form "Additional evidence is being sent by email".  You must do this.
3)  Contact your employer, and ask them to email AtW directly, saying that they can confirm (agree) the information on your claim form is correct. Your employer must send that email to: [email protected].  (Ask your employer to CC you in to that email, so you know it has been sent).
4)  Post your completed claim form to AtW as normal.

Second way:

1)   Complete your claim form (without the manager's signature).  
2)   Write on the claim form "Additional evidence is being sent by email".  You must do this.
3)  Contact your employer ask them to email you, saying that they can confirm (agree) the information on your claim form is correct.  You can then forward your employer's email to: [email protected]  
4)  Post your completed claim form to AtW as normal.

Third way:

1)   Complete your claim form (without the manager's signature).  
2)   DeafATW suggests you write on the claim form "Additional evidence is attached".
3)  Contact your employer ask them to email you, saying that they can confirm (agree) the information on your claim form is correct.  Print their email out. 
4)  Attach your employer's email to your claim form.
5)  Post your completed claim form and your employers' printed email to AtW as normal.

If you are self-employed:

You can do the same as above.  But instead of your employer, email the Support Worker / interpreter, and ask them to email AtW directly.

If you can't post your claim form:

In the AtW Factsheet posted 12/5/20 it says that if you can't post your claim form you should contact your AtW adviser and ask them how you can email your claim form to AtW.

...

This information has been checked with AtW.  This information was updated 14/5/20 with information from the AtW factsheet about what to do if you can't post your claim form.

If you have an award for face to face interpreting, but because of Coronavirus and lockdown you need to use a remote interpreter provider instead, you can use use your award to pay for this.  If the cost remains the same overall, you don't need to ask or tell Access to Work.

When you do the AtW paperwork (DP222 claim form) you can say that this is "COVID-19 VRS instead of face-to-face", but you don't have to.

This advice looks different from the information in the updated AtW Customer Factsheet. In this factsheet it seems to say that you should tell AtW if you change to use a remote interpreter instead of a face to face one. DeafATW has checked with ATW, and this means that if you stop using face-to-face interpreters and switch to a remote interpreting service and plan to carry on doing this in the future, then you should tell AtW. But if you are just using a remote interpreter because of Coronavirus, and will carry on using face-to-face interpreters in the future, then you don't need to tell AtW.

This information has been checked with AtW.

This information has been updated to say that you can make this change without checking with AtW if the cost overall stays the same, and to check that it is still correct after the updated customer factsheet was published.

AtW have told DeafAtW that if you need to renew your AtW, and you have no change in circumstances (no change in your job, or what communication support you need, etc.), then you should apply online the same way as normal. AtW will then automatically add six months to your current award. For example, if your award finishes 30th May 2020, and you apply for renewal, your award will be automatically extended six months to 30th November 2020.

If you prefer to use BSL to apply for renewal, you can. Go the .gov AtW renewal page, and look down the page until you see "British Sign Language (BSL) video relay service" (see picture below), then click on the "go to video relay service" link.

If you need to renew and you have a change in circumstances (e.g. you have new things you have to do for work, or want to change the communication support you need, etc.) then AtW will first check if you are a Key Worker (e.g. you work in the NHS). If you are a Key Worker AtW will try to sort out your renewal as a priority. If you aren't a Key Worker, then AtW will sort out your reconsideration and change of circumstances request as soon as they can.

This information has been checked with AtW.

Originally the extension to the award was for three months, but is now for six months. AtW have also said they will prioritise (try to to deal with as quickly as possible) Key Worker Renewal requests when there is also a change in circumstances.  This update has been changed to reflect this information.