RELATED: What is the Workplace Charging Scheme in the UK?
Eligible Organisations
The scheme accepts a wide range of applicants. Registered companies with a Companies House number qualify. So do organisations with a VAT registration number or a business rate bill from the local council. If your home is also your registered place of business, you can still apply provided the charger is installed at your business premises.
Charities, NHS surgeries, schools, and colleges that lack standard business registration can upload alternative evidence. Sole traders qualify if they meet the registration requirements.
State funded education institutions including schools, colleges, and academy trusts qualify for a separate enhanced scheme at up to £2,500 per socket. That is more than seven times the standard rate. Academy trusts can apply for up to 40 sockets per institution within the trust.
Small accommodation providers including hotels, bed and breakfasts, holiday parks, and campsites qualify at the standard £350 per socket rate. Their key advantage is flexibility. Unlike standard business applicants, charities and small accommodation businesses can make their chargers available to guests, visitors, and customers, not just staff and fleet vehicles. We check which scheme and usage rules apply as part of every project.
Domestic landlords cannot apply through the Workplace Charging Scheme. A separate grant, the Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant for landlords, covers residential property installations.
RELATED: What grants are available for business EV chargers in the UK?
Site Requirements
Your premises must have dedicated off street parking clearly associated with the building. If you rent the property, you need written consent from the landlord. If you do not own the parking, you need the landowner’s permission.
For standard WCS applicants, chargepoints must be for staff and fleet use only. Customers and visitors cannot use WCS funded chargers. Public authorities, charities, and small accommodation businesses are exempt from this restriction and may open their chargers to anyone.
Each socket must correspond to a dedicated parking space. A dual socket charger counts as two sockets against your 40 socket allocation. Each socket must also receive a minimum of 3kW at all times, even when all chargers are in simultaneous use. We configure load management systems to maintain this minimum on every project.
Both the installer and the chargepoint hardware must be OZEV approved. We are fully accredited and only specify approved equipment. All chargers must meet the Smart Charge Points Regulations 2021.
How to Apply
Apply for a voucher through the OZEV online portal before any work starts. Applications submitted after installation are automatically declined. Vouchers are typically issued within 5 working days and are valid for 180 days from the date issued.
You give the voucher code to your installer. We validate it, complete the installation, and claim the grant directly. You never handle the money. The grant reduces your invoice automatically.
You can claim up to 40 sockets across multiple sites. At the standard rate, the maximum total claim is £14,000. State funded education institutions on the enhanced scheme can claim up to £100,000 across 40 sockets. If your business is part of a larger group or franchise, the 40 socket limit applies across the entire group, not per individual company. Academy trusts are an exception and can apply for up to 40 sockets per institution.
Non public authority applicants must not exceed £315,000 in minimal financial assistance over any rolling three financial year period. This includes all government grants and subsidies received as MFA or de minimis aid. Public authorities are exempt from this cap.
Combining WCS With Other Grants
The WCS can be used alongside the EV Infrastructure Grant for staff and fleets at the same site, but not for the same chargepoints. If using both grants, the EV Infrastructure Grant must be claimed first for at least one working chargepoint. Claiming both grants for the same chargepoint is not permitted. We manage both applications as part of every project so you do not have to track the rules yourself.
The 100% First Year Allowance on EV charging equipment has been extended to 31 March 2027 for Corporation Tax and 5 April 2027 for Income Tax. This lets you write off the full cost of qualifying chargepoint equipment against taxable profits in the year of purchase. Combined with the grant, the effective cost of workplace charging is significantly lower than the headline price.
