How does the Workplace Charging Scheme grant work for your business?

The Workplace Charging Scheme supports eligible organisations buying and installing workplace chargepoints. The current maximum is £500 per socket, subject to the scheme's eligible-cost percentage and organisation-wide socket limit [S1]. Apply for a voucher before installation and use an authorised installer. Confirm your intended users, parking rights and application details before treating support as part of your budget. Checked October 2026.

Last checked 16 October 2026

What is the Workplace Charging Scheme grant amount?

WCS covers up to 75% of eligible purchase and installation costs including VAT, capped at £500 per socket and 40 sockets across all sites per applicant [S1]. Treat those as simultaneous limits, rather than assuming every socket attracts the maximum payment.

The calculation below is an illustration, not a quote. Assume the installer confirms that every cost shown is eligible, that you have enough unused socket entitlement and that the project meets the other conditions.

For each equal-cost example, take the lower of the percentage result and the socket cap. The last example leaves £8,000 − £2,000 = £6,000 to pay before any separate tax treatment. Ask for a per-socket allocation where costs differ. Do not apply the percentage to an entire project without checking eligible expenditure.

The commercial charger cost guide helps you assess the remaining budget. Grant support does not establish whether the equipment is suitable or whether charging will earn a surplus.

Can your business qualify?

The scheme is open to eligible businesses, charities and public sector organisations [S1]. Ask your installer to review your applicant identity, evidence and previous claims before preparing an application. Describe the actual organisation that will incur the cost, rather than choosing a trading name simply because it appears on your sign.

Separate applicant eligibility from site suitability. Prepare parking rights, the proposed user group, a survey and an equipment specification. Your own project folder should record who checks each condition, who applies and who retains the grant paperwork. An installer quote mentioning WCS is not itself an award.

State-funded education institutions have a separate scheme [S5]. Check that route before using a business budget. If your business belongs to a group or has other sites, ask the administrator how previous support affects the available entitlement. Do not split a proposed project between applications to assume a larger allowance. Put uncertainties to the administrator before entering declarations you cannot substantiate.

Do you need dedicated off-road parking for staff or fleet?

WCS excludes installations required by building regulations or a planning condition [S2]. Ask your solicitor to check whether the proposed works are mandatory before including a grant in your budget.

The current official listing requires suitable parking associated with your premises and ownership or permission to install. Ordinary business use is staff or fleet charging, with specified out-of-hours resident use. Public authorities, charities and small accommodation businesses have wider user permissions [S2]. Check the applicable route before describing customer parking as a workplace installation.

Ask your solicitor to review landlord consent, access and equipment removal where relevant. A grant application does not settle those property questions. Include accessible routes, parking circulation, cable locations and maintenance access in your survey brief. Your distribution network operator (DNO) is the local electricity network company; ask the designer whether the proposed load needs a network application or supply changes.

Keep the design understandable. kW means kilowatts of power and kWh means kilowatt-hours of energy. Ask how much energy your staff or fleet could receive during actual parking periods, then compare that with their needs. Review workplace charging before fixing the socket count.

How do I claim my EV charger grant?

Agree the sequence with an authorised installer: survey and eligibility review, application, voucher validation, installation and claim. The installer claims on your behalf and deducts the grant from your invoice. Installation and the claim must be completed within 180 days of voucher issue [S1]. Leave room in your project plan for the claim, not just the physical works.

GOV.UK publishes the installer claim form and its evidence requirements [S3]. Ask your installer what records it needs before work begins. Keep the quote, approved scope, voucher, completion evidence and final invoice together. Check that a changed site layout or equipment choice has been reviewed before accepting it as a substitute.

The downloadable application is an alternative for applicants unable to use the portal, including relevant businesses primarily run from residential property [S4]. Use the current official instructions. An enquiry to our referral service is not a WCS application, and we do not make eligibility declarations for your business.

When does the scheme end, and what else should your budget include?

The current scheme end date is 31 March 2027 [S3]. Confirm the timetable against your voucher and the current scheme instructions before ordering. Do not assume a late application removes installation or claim deadlines.

Request separate figures for operating software, payment handling, electricity, maintenance and replacement. Compare fully funded, part funded and self funded proposals only after identifying who pays those bills. The part funded guide shows why a capital contribution and a grant are separate parts of the calculation.

HMRC describes a 100% first-year allowance for qualifying new chargepoint expenditure, with expenditure windows ending 31 March 2027 for Corporation Tax and 5 April 2027 for Income Tax [S6]. This is a tax deduction rather than a refund of equipment cost. Check with your accountant how grants, ownership and your circumstances affect any claim. Leave unconfirmed tax effects out of your initial budget.

Next step

Bring your parking plan, intended users and proposed timetable to get matched with an installer that covers your area. Piggy Pineapple Ltd operates this referral service. We refer enquiries to installer partners and may be paid a fee. Our owner holds shares in at least one partner. Before passing on your details, we name the proposed partner and disclose whether our owner holds shares in it. See how we work.