The Workplace Charging Scheme in 2026
The WCS is the one direct grant in the solar-plus-charging stack: £350 per socket, up to 40 sockets, for eligible workplaces installing EV charging. Here is how it works and how to bank it without friction.
What the scheme is
The Workplace Charging Scheme is a government voucher programme that reduces the upfront cost of workplace chargepoints for businesses, charities and public bodies. It contributes up to £350 per socket towards purchase and installation, capped at 40 sockets per applicant. Unlike grant programmes that reimburse after the fact, the WCS works through a voucher: you apply online, receive a voucher code, and an OZEV-authorised installer redeems it — the discount appears on your invoice. The authoritative rules live in the official gov.uk guidance for applicants, which is worth reading before committing to hardware.
Eligibility in practice
The recurring requirements: you must be a registered business, charity or public-sector organisation; the chargepoints must serve dedicated off-street parking associated with your premises; and you declare an existing or planned need for EV charging. Landlords and multi-tenant situations need care over who applies — the entity controlling the parking is normally the right applicant. Sole traders and very small entities are eligible if registered; what the scheme does not fund is home charging (separate schemes exist) or publicly-operated forecourt charging businesses.
The process, start to finish
1. Apply online — a short application covering your organisation, site and intended socket count. 2. Receive the voucher — vouchers carry a redemption window (historically around six months), so apply when your project timeline is real, not aspirational. 3. Install — an OZEV-authorised installer fits approved hardware and redeems the voucher against your invoice. 4. Done — no retrospective claims paperwork. On combined projects we sequence the voucher application alongside the system design so the redemption window and the installation programme line up by construction, not luck.
Stacking the WCS with the rest of the case
The WCS covers sockets; it does not touch the solar side. But the stack works like this on a combined project: £350 × every eligible socket off the charging capex; the Annual Investment Allowance's 100% year-one deduction across the qualifying plant (solar and charging both); and the 10–20% capex synergy from procuring one project instead of two. On the worked example in our business case — six dual-socket chargers plus 80kW of solar — the WCS contributes £4,200 of a roughly £25,000 total reduction against doing things separately and untaxed-cleverly. Free money is rare in this sector; £350 a socket is the closest thing going.
Three practical notes from delivered projects
Socket count strategy: the 40-socket cap is cumulative, so phase freely — but duct for the end state on day one, because trenching twice costs more than any grant recovers. Approved hardware: the OZEV lists cover all serious commercial chargers; if a quoted unit isn't on them, ask why before walking away from £350 a socket. Timing: scheme terms and rates are reviewed periodically — the figures here reflect the scheme as operating at the time of writing, and the gov.uk guidance is the document of record. Build the project on the economics, treat the grant as the accelerant.
Workplace Charging Scheme questions
How much is the Workplace Charging Scheme worth?
Up to £350 per charging socket, capped at 40 sockets per applicant — a maximum of £14,000. The grant applies per socket, not per unit, so a dual-socket charger attracts £700. It contributes to chargepoint and installation costs and lands as a discount on the installer's invoice rather than money you claim back afterwards.
Who is eligible for the WCS?
Registered businesses, charities and public-sector organisations with dedicated off-street parking for staff or fleet use. The parking must be clearly associated with the premises, and applicants declare a need for EV charging (existing or planned vehicles). Always confirm the current criteria on the gov.uk guidance before applying — scheme terms are reviewed periodically.
Does using the WCS restrict which installer or hardware we use?
Installation must be carried out by an OZEV-authorised installer using approved chargepoint models. In practice the approved lists cover every reputable commercial product, and the installer manages the voucher redemption within the application window. What it does rule out: DIY installation and grey-import hardware — neither of which belongs on a commercial site anyway.
Can we claim the WCS more than once?
The 40-socket cap applies per applicant across the scheme, not per application — you can phase installations and apply again until your cumulative sockets reach 40. Phased rollouts that follow real occupancy data stay grant-supported the whole way, which suits the sensible deployment pattern anyway.