Workplace Charging Scheme 2026: does your car park qualify?
The Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) pays up to 75% of the cost of EV charge points, capped at £500 a socket, for up to 40 sockets. Who it covers depends on who you are and who parks. Use the checker below, then read the rules behind it.
QUICK ANSWER
The scheme pays up to 75% of the installed cost including VAT, capped at £500 per socket for installations completed on or after 1 April 2026, for up to 40 sockets across all your sites. It is open to businesses, charities, public authorities and small accommodation businesses. A business must use the chargers for staff and fleet; charities, public authorities and small accommodation businesses face no restriction on who parks. The scheme closes at 11:59pm on 31 March 2027, and the government may change it earlier with about four weeks' notice.
FUNDING CHECKER
Check whether your car park can use the Workplace Charging Scheme
Eight questions, an indicative answer on the page, and the option to send it to us. Rules last checked against the official scheme page on 20 October 2026.
What the Workplace Charging Scheme pays
The grant covers up to 75% of the total cost of purchase and installation, including VAT. The cap is £500 per socket for installations completed on or after 1 April 2026; before that date it was £350. You can claim for up to 40 sockets across all sites per applicant. The official page does not state a separate pound cap, so the ceiling is simple arithmetic: 40 sockets × £500 = £20,000.
Because the grant is the lower of 75% of cost and £500, a socket has to cost about £667 installed before the cap bites. Most car-park AC points cost more than that once cabling and commissioning are in, so in practice the £500 cap usually decides the figure. The official page does not spell out how a twin-socket unit is counted, so ask the installer how they will count sockets before you build a business case on the total.
The grant counts towards your subsidy allowance: the page says organisations can receive up to £315,000 in minimal financial assistance over three financial years, covering state grants and other government-funded incentives. A single-site car park rarely gets near it, but a group with several schemes running should check.
Who can claim, and who can park
The user rule is where most guides go wrong. It differs by applicant type.
| Applicant | Who may use the chargers | What that means for a car park |
|---|---|---|
| Business | Staff and fleet only. Local residents may use them outside office hours, when staff and fleet vehicles are not typically using them. | An office, depot or factory car park fits. A shop or retail park charging shoppers does not: parking used solely by customers is ineligible. |
| Charity | No restriction: customers, guests, visitors, staff or others. | A charity-run visitor car park can qualify if the bays are designated to the charity. |
| Public authority | No restriction. | A council car park can qualify for designated bays. Public use must meet the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023. |
| Small accommodation business | No restriction. | Hotel, B&B or guest-house guest parking can qualify. The official page does not define the term, so check you fit before relying on it. |
| State-funded education | Separate version of the scheme. | Listed at up to £2,000 per socket on gov.uk, with the same 40-socket limit. Use the education route. |
What the car park has to look like
- You own the property or have the landlord's consent. For land you do not own you need the landowner's permission.
- Dedicated, off-road parking. The charge point bays must be designated to you. The rest of the car park may be shared with other organisations.
- Evidence of use. A business must be able to show the parking is for staff or fleet, not for customers. It can be on site or a reasonable distance from the place of work.
- Voluntary installs only. Installations that are a mandatory requirement, for example under Building Regulations Part S or a planning condition, are excluded.
- No earlier claim at the address. Addresses that have previously claimed under the scheme are excluded.
- An authorised installer. The grant cannot be claimed without one. The official page links to the installer list.
If you plan to open the chargers to the public, the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023 apply: price in pence per kWh shown up front, contactless on new chargers of 8kW and above, and a free 24/7 helpline. Our operator compliance guide sets out the duties.
How to apply, step by step
- Check eligibility with the checker above, then on the official scheme page.
- Apply on the scheme's online portal. You apply, not the installer.
- Receive a voucher code by email. The official page says this takes up to 5 working days if you are successful.
- Give the code to an authorised installer. The voucher is valid for 180 days from issue and cannot be transferred, so line up the installation before you apply.
- The installer claims the grant after the installation. You pay the net cost.
Worked examples
Indicative arithmetic only. Real quotes vary, and the scheme administrator decides eligibility.
| Site | Sockets and cost | Grant |
|---|---|---|
| Business office car park, staff only | 10 sockets at £4,500 installed each (£45,000) | Cap bites: 10 × £500 = £5,000 (11% of cost), you fund £40,000 |
| Small hotel, guest and staff bays | 6 sockets at £2,500 each (£15,000) | 75% of £2,500 is £1,875, so the £500 cap applies: 6 × £500 = £3,000, if you qualify as a small accommodation business |
| Retail park, customer bays only | 12 sockets | £0 for a business: parking used solely by customers is ineligible. Look at a funded or owner-operated model |
| Council-owned car park | 20 designated sockets | Up to 20 × £500 = £10,000, with no restriction on who parks and the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023 applying |
The size of the grant is small next to the capital cost. That is why the tax position and the funded-operator route matter: new and unused charge-point equipment bought before April 2027 qualifies for a 100% first-year allowance on gov.uk's list. Our grants and tax guide compares the routes. Take your own tax advice.
The dates that matter
The scheme opened on 1 April 2022 and closes at 11:59pm on 31 March 2027. The £500 rate applies to installations completed on or after 1 April 2026. The government can end or change the scheme earlier and aims to give four weeks' notice. A voucher lasts 180 days, so an application made in the final months can leave too little time to install. Start the survey and quotes first, then apply.
If you do not qualify
Most customer-facing commercial car parks sit outside the scheme. The usual alternatives are a fully-funded charge-point operator, which puts up the capital in return for a share of the charging income, or owning the chargers yourself and using the tax relief. The funded vs owner-operated guide sets out the trade-offs, the installation cost guide prices the kit, and the long-form WCS explainer covers the detail behind each rule. Councils should also ask their Tier 1 authority about the LEVI Fund, which funds local authorities in England rather than private operators.
Workplace Charging Scheme questions
How much does the Workplace Charging Scheme pay in 2026?
Up to 75% of the total cost of buying and installing the charge points, including VAT, capped at £500 per socket for installations completed on or after 1 April 2026 (installations completed before that date were capped at £350). You can claim for up to 40 sockets across all sites per applicant, so the arithmetic ceiling is 40 × £500 = £20,000. You reach £500 a socket once a socket costs about £667 installed.
Who can apply for the Workplace Charging Scheme?
Businesses, charities, public authorities and small accommodation businesses, in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. State-funded education institutions are directed to a separate version of the scheme, which the government lists at up to £2,000 per socket.
Can customers or the public use the chargers?
It depends on who you are. A business must be able to show the parking is for its staff or fleet, not for customer use; local residents may use the chargers outside office hours. Public authorities, charities and small accommodation businesses face no restriction on who may use the parking. You may make the chargers available to the public, but if you do they must comply with the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023. Parking used solely by customers is ineligible.
How do I apply, and who claims the money?
You apply on the scheme's online portal. If you are successful you receive a voucher code by email (the official page says within 5 working days). You give the code to an authorised installer, and the installer claims the grant after the installation. Vouchers are valid for 180 days and cannot be transferred.
When does the Workplace Charging Scheme close?
The official page gives 11:59pm on 31 March 2027 as the closing time and says funding is confirmed until then. The government may end or change the scheme earlier and aims to give four weeks' notice, so the safe plan is to apply well before the deadline rather than at it.
Can I claim the grant and the 100% first-year allowance?
The grant and the tax relief are separate things. New and unused charge-point equipment bought before April 2027 qualifies for a 100% first-year allowance on gov.uk's list, claimed through your tax return. Second-hand equipment does not. How the two interact on your accounts is a tax question, so take your own tax advice.
What stops a claim?
The official page lists parking facilities not designated to you, parking used solely by customers, parking that is not yet built, addresses that have previously claimed under the scheme and installations that are a mandatory requirement, for example under Building Regulations Part S or a planning condition. You also need to own the property or have the landlord's consent.
Tell us about your car park
Free to send. No obligation.
- 1. Tell us about your car park — bays, dwell time and postcode.
- 2. We reply by email. We publish guidance and are not an installer, so we cannot promise a quote or a survey.
- 3. You decide whether to go ahead. No obligation.