Can Access to Work ADHD Fund a Virtual Assistant?

If you’re wondering whether Access to Work ADHD funding can pay for a virtual assistant, the short answer is yes — it often can.

In most cases, this type of support is funded under the category of a “support worker”, but what that actually includes can be much broader than people expect. Depending on your needs, it can cover practical, organisational, and executive function support that helps you actually sustain your work.

For me, having a virtual assistant has been one of the most important parts of being able to run my ADHD coaching business consistently.

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What My Access to Work ADHD Virtual Assistant Helps Me With

My virtual assistant supports me in a very practical, day-to-day way that directly impacts my ability to function in my business.

I’m a big ideas person. I love working with clients, creating concepts, and developing new ways of working. But I really struggle with getting things over the finish line and managing detail-heavy tasks.

Without support, my ideas can easily stay as unfinished thoughts rather than usable resources for my clients.

My virtual assistant helps with proofreading and turning my coaching ideas into structured client handouts that I actually use in my practice. They help make sure my materials are clear, polished, and ready for real-world use.

They also support me with scheduling, accountability, and keeping my workload realistic and contained.

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How I Use Systems Like Monday.com in My ADHD Business

A big part of the support is helping me stay organised using systems like Monday.com.

We use the free version, and my VA helps keep it structured so it actually supports my business rather than becoming another abandoned system I never return to.

This is especially important for me because I don’t naturally think in a linear way. I tend to think in bursts of ideas rather than step-by-step sequences.

Having someone help translate those ideas into structured tasks means my business doesn’t just stay as “potential”, it actually becomes implemented work.

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Executive Function Support and ADHD

My virtual assistant also supports me with sequencing tasks and staying on track with deadlines.

This includes reminders for things like tax returns, project milestones, and multi-step pieces of work.

Without this kind of support, I can easily spiral between ideas without completing them, because my brain doesn’t naturally prioritise or sequence tasks in a linear way.

This kind of support is not about productivity in a traditional sense, it’s about making work sustainable when executive function is the main barrier.

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Can You Get a Virtual Assistant Before Access to Work Funding?

It’s also important to say that I was working with a virtual assistant before I received Access to Work funding.

For me, this support was never optional — it was a non-negotiable part of how I needed to structure my work as an ADHDer.

The key difference now is that this support is funded through Access to Work ADHD funding, which makes it financially sustainable long-term.

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How Access to Work ADHD Funding Changes Things

Access to Work doesn’t usually introduce entirely new ways of working — instead, it makes essential support accessible.

For many neurodivergent self-employed people, this means being able to continue working in a way that actually matches how their brain functions, without having to self-fund all the support needed to do it.

In my case, the virtual assistant didn’t change my business model — it made it possible to sustain it.

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If you want to understand how to apply for Access to Work ADHD funding, read this

If you want to see my full funding journey, read this