Access to Work for Memory Problems

Memory problems at work rarely look like forgetting a name. They can mean leaving a meeting unsure what was agreed, forgetting a task mentioned in passing, or spending twenty minutes finding a document saved the day before. When a condition causes them, whether a brain injury, a stroke, long Covid, multiple sclerosis or ADHD, Access to Work for memory problems may help. This government grant in England, Scotland and Wales can pay towards support and assistive software that make these parts of the job manageable. It is not paid back.

Access to Work for memory problems: who can apply

Access to Work is for people with a physical or mental health condition or disability that means they need support to do their job or to get to and from work. Memory problems qualify on the same terms as other needs. Eligibility depends on how they affect your work, rather than the condition’s name. The gov.uk eligibility rules list examples from ADHD and dyslexia to a learning disability, a mental health condition, an illness such as epilepsy and a temporary condition, and they state that you do not need a diagnosis to apply.

You need to be 16 or over, live and work in England, Scotland or Wales, and be in paid work or due to start or return within 12 weeks. Paid work can be full or part time, and includes employment, self-employment and apprenticeships. Northern Ireland runs its own scheme, Access to Work (NI).

Memory difficulties often come with fatigue, slower thinking or trouble concentrating. You can describe these together in an application. Our complete Access to Work guide covers grant limits, application steps and timescales.

Memory problems at work, in practice

Many conditions affect memory at work. The NHS lists problems with memory and concentration, also called brain fog, among the most common symptoms of long Covid, and problems with memory or concentration among the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Being forgetful and finding it hard to follow instructions are among the signs of ADHD in adults. After a stroke, the NHS recovery plan can include activities to improve memory and concentration, and Headway, the brain injury charity, describes the memory problems that can follow a brain injury and the practical steps that help.

These difficulties can affect several parts of the job:

• Meetings and calls. Following the discussion while it happens, then remembering what was agreed and who is doing what.
• Spoken instructions. Holding a request with several steps long enough to act on all of them.
• Tasks and deadlines. Keeping track of tasks that were never written down, and of when they are due.
• Finding information. Locating notes, files and emails again later.
• Interruptions. Picking up where you left off after a phone call or a question.

Describe the problem at work as precisely as you can. “I forget things” gives an assessor less to go on than “I cannot recall the action points from a meeting by the next morning”, which suggests what support could help.

Support Access to Work can pay for

gov.uk lists specialist equipment, assistive software and support workers such as a job coach or note taker. Access to Work pays towards the most cost-effective option that meets the need. Access to Work for memory problems can include the following support.

Assistive software

Software can help with tasks that rely on memory: recording and transcribing meetings and calls (with the agreement of the people being recorded), turning a conversation into a list of actions, reminders that arrive when a task is due rather than when it was set, and keeping notes in one searchable place. Headway says many people with memory problems use external memory aids such as diaries, calendars and to-do lists, and that electronic devices, alarms and voice recorders can also help. Software brings those aids together on a phone or a computer.

Support workers

If software is not enough, a note taker for meetings or a job coach may be part of the award, on their own or alongside it.

Costs it will not cover

Access to Work does not pay for standard equipment and business costs the job would need anyway, for medical aids, for the diagnosis of a condition, or for anything bought before the application is made and agreed. Buy nothing until the decision letter arrives.

Applying for Access to Work for memory problems

The person with the condition applies, online at gov.uk or by phone on the Access to Work helpline, 0800 121 7479. The application asks how the condition affects the work and what support might help, and for a workplace contact who can confirm the job. Access to Work then calls to discuss it and may arrange a workplace assessment by phone, video or in person. An assessment is not always needed: if you know what helps, say so.

Memory problems can make it hard to write down your needs. Keep a log for a week or two: whenever a memory problem costs time or causes a mistake, note what happened, what you were doing and what would have helped. Three or four examples give an assessor more to work with than a general description. You can also use the log when talking to your manager.

From April to July 2026 it took an average of 125.6 days from first contact to a decision. Apply early and ask your employer for adjustments while you wait. Once support is approved, the person or the employer buys what has been agreed and claims the money back, within 9 months of the cost.

The employer’s share of the cost

For equipment and software, an employer with 50 or more staff shares the cost: it pays everything up to a threshold (£500 for 50 to 249 staff, £1,000 for 250 or more), then 20% of the cost up to £10,000, and Access to Work pays the rest. There is no cost share for an employer with fewer than 50 staff, for people who are self-employed, or for anyone in their first 6 weeks in the job, so Access to Work can pay up to the full approved cost.

For a software licence costing £130, that means Access to Work can pay all of it for someone whose employer has 30 staff. An employer with 50 or more staff pays all of it, because £130 is under its threshold. The cost-share calculator works out any other figure.

Reasonable adjustments come first

Access to Work for memory problems adds to the support an employer must already provide. Under the Equality Act 2010, an employer has to make reasonable adjustments for a disabled worker once it knows, or could reasonably be expected to know, about the disability, and Access to Work will not pay for those. You count as disabled under the Act if you have an impairment with a substantial and long-term effect on normal daily activities, where long-term means 12 months or more. Multiple sclerosis counts from the day of diagnosis; a brain injury, a stroke or long Covid counts when its effects meet that test, as gov.uk’s definition of disability sets out.

For memory problems, common adjustments include written follow-ups after meetings, instructions given one step at a time and in writing, a shared task list, agreed reminders for deadlines, permission to record meetings, a quieter place to work and regular short check-ins. Our guide to reasonable adjustments at work gives examples by need and a format for a written request. It applies to memory problems from any cause.

Notes by condition

Brain injury and stroke

Memory problems after a brain injury or a stroke can change over months. Apply for what you need now and ask for a review if your needs change. Phased returns, rest breaks and written plans often matter as much as tools. Our article on returning to work after a brain injury covers the return.

Long Covid

Long Covid symptoms can come and go. Describe your worse days as well as your better ones, and what support would help. Our piece on brain fog and memory after Covid describes what people report and what helps.

Multiple sclerosis

Because MS counts as a disability from diagnosis, the employer’s duty to make adjustments applies from the start, and Access to Work can add to it. Our article on thinking and memory changes with MS sets out practical strategies.

Where Recallify fits

We built Recallify to help with these everyday memory tasks. Our co-founder Dr Sarah Rudebeck is a senior clinical neuropsychologist with a doctorate in memory disorders, and Recallify is the subject of a feasibility study in brain injury self-management funded by the NIHR. You record a meeting or a passing thought. Recallify transcribes it, summarises it and pulls out tasks. Reminders bring them back when due, and everything stays searchable. One of our users describes this in a case study on managing short-term memory at work.

Recallify AT is the licence for workplace and education use, priced on our Recallify AT price list. Access to Work decides each award and pays towards the most cost-effective option that meets the need, so whether a particular product is funded is a decision for the assessment and the case manager, not for us. Assessors can request a demo account through our assessor toolkit.

Next steps

Keep a short log of where memory problems cost you time and talk to your manager about reasonable adjustments. Apply for Access to Work for memory problems early, as decisions take months. Describe the work affected and what would help, as well as the condition. The support is available for these difficulties and is not paid back.

Recallify is designed as an everyday support tool and is not a medical device. It does not provide diagnosis or clinical decision support, and is intended to complement, not replace, professional medical care. This article is general information about Access to Work and the Equality Act 2010, checked against gov.uk on 1 October 2026; it is not advice on a particular case.