Workplace Charging Scheme 2026: £500 Per Socket Guide
The UK Workplace Charging Scheme covers up to 75% of EV charger costs, capped at £500 per socket from April 2026. Eligibility, limits, and how to claim.
The Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) is the UK government grant that helps businesses, charities and public-sector organisations install EV chargepoints at their premises. From 1 April 2026 the maximum grant rose from £350 to £500 per socket, and the scheme runs through to 31 March 2027. Here's exactly how it works, who qualifies, and how to claim.
What the grant pays out
The £500-per-socket cap, in plain numbers
The headline figure is straightforward: from 1 April 2026, the WCS pays up to £500 per socket, up from £350 previously. But the cap is only one of two limits - the grant also covers a maximum of 75% of the total cost, including VAT. Whichever limit is hit first is what you receive.
That means the grant only pays the full £500 once your installed cost exceeds about £667 per socket (since 75% of £667 ≈ £500). For lower-spec single-socket installs costing less than that, you receive 75% of the actual invoice, not the full £500.
Who can apply
Eligibility for businesses, charities, and the public sector
The WCS is open to four broad applicant types across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland:
Registered businesses (limited companies, LLPs, sole traders, partnerships)
Including small enterprises, SMEs, and large employers across any sector with eligible parking provision.
Registered charities
Including charitable trusts, CIOs, and Scottish/Northern Irish equivalents.
Public-sector organisations
Local authorities, NHS bodies, government agencies, and other publicly-funded institutions.
Small accommodation businesses
Hotels, B&Bs, holiday lets and similar - added as an explicit category to widen access for visitor-economy operators.
State-funded education institutions - schools, colleges, academies, and universities - apply through a separate, parallel WCS variant with its own application route, rather than the main scheme. Same £500-per-socket rate, slightly different eligibility detail.
Site and parking requirements
What your premises need to qualify
The site rules are where most ineligible applications fall over. Get these right before you apply:
You must own the property - or have written landlord consent for the chargepoint installation
Lease arrangements need explicit sign-off; verbal agreements are not accepted.
The site must have dedicated off-road parking
On-street bays do not qualify, even if your business pays for them. The parking must be private to your premises.
The parking must be for staff or fleet use - not customers
This is the rule that catches retailers and hospitality operators most often. Customer-facing parking is excluded; only employee or company-vehicle bays count.
The parking must be on-site or a reasonable distance from the place of work
Detached overflow car parks are accepted if they're clearly associated with the business address.
How many sockets you can claim
The 40-socket cap and how it splits across sites
The per-applicant cap is 40 sockets across all sites - not 40 per site. A single business with 40 sites can install one socket at each, or twenty sockets at two sites, or any other distribution. Once the 40 are gone, the applicant cannot return to WCS for the same legal entity.
For organisations with bigger needs - large fleet operators, council depots, NHS trusts - WCS is typically used to seed initial provision, with later expansion paid for outside the scheme or under separate fleet-charging programmes.
How to apply, step by step
From voucher application to grant payment
Apply online for a voucher
Submit the WCS application form at apply-workplace-chargepoint-grant.service.gov.uk. You confirm eligibility, applicant type, number of sockets requested, and parking evidence.
Receive a voucher code
If approved, OZEV (the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles, run by DVLA) issues a voucher code valid for 180 days. The clock starts the moment the voucher is issued.
Choose an OZEV-authorised installer
Only installers on the OZEV-authorised list can redeem WCS vouchers. The list is published on GOV.UK; most national chargepoint suppliers (Pod Point, Rolec, EO Charging, Hypervolt and similar) appear on it.
Provide your voucher code to the installer
The installer validates the code via the OZEV portal before quoting and scheduling the install.
Installer completes the install
Using a chargepoint model from the OZEV-approved equipment list. Hardware must be on the list - installing a non-approved unit invalidates the voucher.
Installer claims the grant on your behalf
Within the 180-day voucher window, the installer submits photos of each chargepoint (showing model/serial number and the parking bay) and the invoice.
Grant payment processed
OZEV verifies eligibility evidence and pays the grant to the installer, who passes the discount through on your invoice. You pay the net of grant - you do not have to claim the money back yourself.
How WCS interacts with other EV grants
Where the schemes overlap and where they don't
The WCS sits inside a stack of three OZEV-funded EV chargepoint grants. Knowing which one applies to which scenario saves a lot of wasted application time:
| Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) | EV Chargepoint Grant for households | EV Chargepoint Grant for landlords | Cross-Pavement Charging Grant | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who | Businesses, charities, public sector, small accommodation | Renters and flat owners with off-street parking | Residential and commercial landlords | Households without off-street parking |
| Where | Workplace off-road parking | Home | Tenant home or workplace | Pavement-cable channels for kerbside charging |
| Amount | 75% / max £500 per socket | 75% / max £350 per socket | 75% / max £350 per socket | Up to £500 per installation |
| Cap | 40 sockets per applicant | 1 socket per property | 200 grants per landlord per year | 1 per property |
The schemes don't stack - you can't apply WCS and the household chargepoint grant to the same socket. But a business that operates from an owner-occupied workplace can claim WCS for the staff car park and the household chargepoint grant for the directors' homes (separate properties, separate eligibility).
WCS and salary-sacrifice EV schemes
How the two interact for employee benefits
Salary-sacrifice EV schemes - run by providers like Octopus Electric Vehicles, The Electric Car Scheme and similar - are completely separate from WCS, but the two often appear together in employer EV strategies. The salary-sacrifice scheme funds the vehicle through pre-tax payroll deductions; WCS funds the chargepoint at your workplace. They neither overlap nor block each other.
For an employer offering salary-sacrifice EVs, the obvious play is to pair the scheme with WCS-funded workplace chargers - employees get a tax-efficient car and convenient charging at work, the business gets up to £500 per socket back from OZEV against the install cost. Most employers find the chargepoint side surprisingly cheap once WCS is netted off.
Common mistakes that block applications
What we see catch applicants out
Five recurring issues account for most rejected or delayed claims:
Customer parking declared as workplace parking
If your bays double as customer parking, the application will fail. You need clearly demarcated employee-only or fleet-only spaces.
Missing landlord consent on leased premises
OZEV asks for written consent - emailing 'my landlord said yes' is not enough. Get a signed letter or contract amendment before applying.
Non-OZEV-approved hardware specified
Untethered models from major brands are usually approved; obscure imports often are not. Cross-check the model number against the OZEV-approved chargepoint list before you order.
Voucher expiry chased too late
180 days sounds long, but DNO approvals, three-phase upgrades and structural civil works regularly slip past four months. Apply once you have firm install-window confidence, not as a 'just in case'.
Trying to combine WCS with the household grant
You can't double-dip on the same socket. If you're a sole trader running the business from home, only one of the two grants applies - pick the larger.
Frequently asked questions
Q01What is the Workplace Charging Scheme grant amount in 2026?
Q02How many sockets can my business claim?
Q03Who can apply?
Q04When does WCS close?
Q05Can I apply directly, or does the installer apply for me?
Q06How long does the voucher last?
Q07Does WCS cover three-phase or DC fast chargers?
Q08Can I claim WCS at a property I lease?
EV Chargepoint Grant 2026: £500 explained
Cross-Pavement Charging Grant: who qualifies for £500
Best home EV chargers UK 2026
Apply for the WCS voucher
Application is free and takes about 15 minutes online via GOV.UK.