What changed in the Workplace Charging Scheme in 2026?

The Workplace Charging Scheme now offers eligible workplaces up to £500 per socket for installations completed from April onwards [S1]. It remains a contribution towards eligible installation costs, rather than payment for running your chargers. Check parking use, installer approval and the voucher timetable before booking work or deducting funding from your budget. Checked October 2026.

Last checked 16 October 2026

What changed in the Workplace Charging Scheme in 2026?

The headline change is the socket cap: it rose from £350 to £500 for installations completed on or after 1 April 2026. The scheme has been extended for a final year until 31 March 2027 [S1]. An older article or quote may therefore describe an earlier funding level.

Request a dated grant calculation from your installer. It should identify the relevant installation date and which sockets qualify. Keep the scheme terms with your accepted quotation so you can trace the basis of the deduction if the scope changes.

Do not assume an announced end date means every late application can be delivered. Ask the installer to work backwards from the scheme timetable, the voucher expiry and the likely installation programme. Include time for permissions and any electrical connection work in that discussion.

How much could your workplace receive?

WCS covers up to 75% of eligible purchase and installation costs, capped at £500 per socket and 40 sockets across an applicant’s sites [S2]. The cap is per socket, so ask the installer to identify socket counts explicitly rather than writing only the number of charger enclosures.

The following is an illustration, not a quote. Assume a single eligible socket and no previous claims affecting the limit. The costs below are invented calculation inputs, not market prices.

The method is the lower of the eligible percentage contribution and the socket cap. Ineligible work remains payable separately. Have the installer separate eligible costs, excluded costs and the proposed deduction on the invoice. Check VAT recovery and grant accounting with your accountant.

Which parking and organisations qualify?

The scheme is available across the UK. Applicant guidance normally requires parking associated with the premises and designated for staff or fleet use, with landlord consent where needed. It also sets out exceptions for public authorities, charities and eligible small accommodation businesses [S3].

Start by drawing the actual allocation of bays. Identify who parks there, who controls the spaces and how you would manage access after installation. A shared estate car park needs a clearer explanation than a plan showing the whole estate boundary.

Use the workplace scheme guide alongside your survey request. Explain whether you want employee charging, fleet charging or customer charging. That avoids spending time on a grant application for a different use from the project you intend to operate.

How do you apply for a voucher and avoid starting too early?

Apply before installation. An authorised installer checks the voucher, installs eligible equipment, deducts the grant and claims it. The work and claim must fit within the voucher’s 180-day validity [S2]. Ask the installer to confirm the specific expiry and delivery dates in writing.

Prepare an application folder containing your business evidence, site address, parking plan, permission to carry out the work and the proposed equipment schedule. Record previous assistance and earlier charging claims for the applicant. Ask the scheme administrator to resolve uncertainty before you authorise installation.

Agree who checks the application details against the final quote. A changed address, different socket quantity or substituted charger should trigger a review of that paperwork. Keep the voucher reference with the project record, rather than leaving it only in someone’s email inbox.

What does a useful installation quote include?

Ask for a physical survey and an itemised proposal. The question from a business owner’s perspective is what you must pay for the complete usable installation, followed by what you must pay to keep it operating.

A kilowatt (kW) measures power; a kilowatt-hour (kWh) measures energy. Ask for both the proposed power demand and an operating budget based on expected energy use. Give the installer your electricity bills and intended charging hours. Read how to compare quotes before accepting exclusions.

If the survey identifies network work, request a clear task list for the distribution network operator (DNO). Ask who submits it, what assumptions remain unresolved and when the installation programme will be updated. The DNO process guide provides a useful preparation checklist.

Can mandatory charging or other grants change the calculation?

Mandatory charging and infrastructure are excluded from WCS, including relevant Part S installations [S3]. Use the Part S guide before budgeting a grant against new building work. Ask the administrator about any proposed combination of public funding.

HMRC’s published measure gives chargepoint first-year allowance expiry dates of 31 March 2027 for Corporation Tax and 5 April 2027 for Income Tax [S4]. This is a separate tax consideration. Check your qualifying expenditure and the current enacted position with your accountant before including relief in a project appraisal.

What should you do next?

Prepare the parking plan, preferred completion date, supply information and intended users. Request a survey and a written grant eligibility check. Then get matched with an installer that covers your area.

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