If you’ve been putting off installing EV chargers at your business because of the upfront cost, the workplace charging grant could be the solution.
The government scheme covering workplace charging increased from £350 to £500 per socket as of April 1st, 2026.
If you’re weighing this up now, here’s exactly what’s on offer, who qualifies and how to claim it.
What Is the Workplace Charging Scheme?
The Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) is a UK government grant that helps businesses, charities and public sector organisations cover the cost of buying and installing EV chargepoints at their premises. It’s run by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) and administered by the DVLA.
It’s a voucher scheme, not a cash-back scheme. You apply, get approved, receive a voucher code and hand that to your installer. They complete the work, then redeem the voucher directly with OZEV and deduct the value from your invoice. You never have to chase a refund.
How Much Can You Claim?
Here’s where things stand now.
- £500 per socket for installations completed on or after 1 April 2026 (up from £350). This applies regardless of when you applied, so if your install lands after that date, you get the higher rate.
- Covers 75% of the total purchase and installation cost, including VAT.
- Capped at 40 sockets per applicant, which puts the maximum total grant at £20,000, up from £14,000 under the old rate.
- Extended to 31 March 2027. OZEV has called this the scheme’s final confirmed year, so there’s no guarantee it gets renewed after that.
Two related grants have already closed. The EV infrastructure grant for staff and fleets and the commercial landlord grant both stopped taking new applications on 31 March 2026. Installers had until May 26th to submit claims for work already agreed, with a final resubmission window closing in July. If you were relying on either of those, the WCS is now your main route.
There’s one eligibility change worth knowing about; small accommodation businesses and charities were recently added to the scheme, and for these organisations, there’s no restriction on who uses the charging bays. That’s an excellent opportunity for tourism and hospitality operators, since it opens the door to guest charging alongside staff use.
Who’s Eligible for the Workplace Charging Grant?
The rules are reasonably broad, but there are a few conditions worth checking before you get too far into planning:
- You need to own the property, or have written consent from the landlord to install chargepoints.
- You need dedicated off-street parking clearly associated with your premises, either on-site or a reasonable distance from the workplace.
- The parking has to be for staff or fleet use, not primarily for customers (unless you fall under the small accommodation or charity category above).
- All chargepoint parking must be designated to your organisation, though the rest of the car park can be shared.
- Your site needs to be surveyed by an installer before you apply, not after.
- The scheme covers England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It doesn’t extend to the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.
- Larger organisations should be aware of the £315,000 cap on minimal financial assistance over three financial years, which includes this grant alongside any other state subsidies you’ve received.
Businesses, charities and public authorities of any size can apply, which is different from the closed staff and fleet grant that was restricted to organisations with under 250 employees.
You don’t need to already have EVs on your fleet or among your staff to apply either; a declared future need is enough.
And standard businesses can let residents use their chargepoints outside office hours without falling foul of the staff-and-fleet restriction, though if you open chargepoints to the public more broadly, you’ll need to comply with the Public Chargepoint Regulations 2023.
How To Claim the Workplace EV Charging Grant?
- Get a site survey. An OZEV-authorised installer assesses your parking, electrical capacity and how many sockets you can realistically fit.
- Apply for the grant. This has to happen before any work starts. Retrospective applications aren’t accepted, so don’t get chargers installed first and try to claim after.
- Receive your voucher. If approved, you’re typically emailed a voucher code within 5 working days, valid for 180 days.
- Book your installer. Only OZEV-authorised installers can redeem WCS vouchers, and the chargepoints themselves need to be on OZEV’s approved list with smart functionality built in. Wired by Jessops are OZEV-authorised and only fit approved units, so that side of things is taken care of the moment you book us in.
- Installation happens. Your installer completes the work and photographs it to OZEV’s evidencing requirements, which are stricter from 1 April 2026 and now include close-up shots of the unit, model, serial number and parking space.
- Claim the grant. The installer redeems your voucher with OZEV and deducts the value from your final invoice. You only ever pay the net amount.
Keep an eye on the 180-day voucher window. If your installation runs over and part of it slips past the deadline, you’ll need to withdraw and reapply for a new voucher, and vouchers aren’t transferable between sites. It’s also worth holding onto your paperwork; OZEV can audit claims and expects records to be kept for three years.
Tax Treatment Worth Knowing About
Workplace charging comes with a couple of tax advantages beyond the grant itself. If you let employees charge a vehicle they use (including as a passenger) at your premises, that electricity isn’t currently treated as a taxable benefit, provided certain conditions are met.
And the capital cost of installing chargepoints can typically be claimed against your tax bill through capital allowances, which reduces the real-world cost of the project further, on top of the 75% grant.
Although it’s worth checking the current position with your accountant.
Why Use an Ozev-Authorised Local Installer
The grant only applies if you install your EV charger through an OZEV-authorised installer. At Wired by Jessops, we’re OZEV-authorised and handle the WCS application on your behalf, from the initial site survey through to submitting the installer claim once the work’s done.
Joe visits your site personally to look at your electrical capacity and parking layout, and designs a system that accounts for load balancing across multiple chargers, so you’re not creating expensive demand charges down the line.
If you’ve already got solar or are thinking about it, we can design the charging setup to prioritise that energy first. For hospitality and tourism businesses in particular, guest-facing charging can become a revenue line and a reason eco-conscious visitors choose you over your competitor.
Ready To Claim Your Grant?
The WCS won’t run forever, and OZEV has been clear that this is the scheme’s final confirmed year. Applying now locks in the higher £500-per-socket rate while it’s still available.
Book a site visit with Wired by Jessops, and we’ll walk you through eligibility, handle the grant application and design a workplace charging setup built around how your business operates.
Find out more about our workplace EV charger installation.
