The Workplace Charging Scheme isn’t just for big offices and fleet depots. If you run your business from home, you may qualify too — here’s exactly how.

If you’re a contractor, sole trader or director running your business from home, there’s a government grant with your name on it that you’ve probably been told doesn’t apply to you. The Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) is usually pitched at offices, warehouses and fleet yards — so most people working from a home office assume it’s not for them. In a lot of cases, they’re wrong.

Get the details right and you can claim £500 per socket off the cost of installing an EV charger at home, treated as your place of work. With the van or company car charging on your own driveway overnight on a cheap tariff, the maths starts looking very good. Here’s how it works.

Can a home-based business really claim?

Yes — and this is written into the official OZEV guidance, not a loophole. If your primary place of work is also your home, you can apply under the WCS, provided you meet a specific set of conditions. The key is that your home address has to be recognised as a business address, and the charger has to be the right type.

You qualify if all of these are true: ✓  Your home is your primary place of work, AND your address is either listed as your place of business with      Companies House, or recorded on your business (non-domestic) rate bill from your local council or Land and Property Services (LPS). ✓  You have off-road parking (a driveway, garage or similar — not on-street). ✓  You use an OZEV-authorised installer. ✓  You choose a chargepoint approved for BOTH residential and commercial use.

⚠  The mistake that gets claims declined If you fit a residential-only chargepoint, your claim will be refused — even if everything else is correct. The unit must be on the OZEV list as eligible for both residential and commercial use. This single detail trips up more home-business applicants than anything else, which is exactly why using the right installer matters.

One thing worth being honest about: simply having a company doesn’t automatically make your home eligible. The address genuinely has to be registered as your place of business, and you genuinely need off-road parking. If you tick those boxes, though, the grant is open to you.

Who this is perfect for

This route tends to suit people who run a real business from home and rely on a vehicle to do it:

• Tradespeople — electricians, plumbers, builders, decorators and gardeners running a van from a home base.
• Mobile and field-based contractors — anyone whose company car is core to the job, from surveyors to mobile groomers.
• Consultants and directors — limited company owners registered at their home address who drive to clients.
• Sole traders and freelancers — those whose home is recorded as the business address on official records.

How much you can claim

From 1 April 2026 the WCS pays £500 per socket (up from £350), covering up to 75% of the total purchase and installation cost including VAT — whichever is lower. The scheme has been extended for a final year and runs until 31 March 2027. See the latest changes on GOV.UK.

For a typical home installation, that £500 makes a real dent. And because the charger lives on your driveway, you can plug in overnight on an off-peak EV tariff — usually far cheaper than public charging — so the savings keep stacking up long after the grant is spent.

Bonus: employers can install at an employee’s home too

There’s a second, less well-known route. If you employ someone who drives a company vehicle but can’t charge it at your workplace, you (as the employer) can install a chargepoint at that employee’s home under the WCS.

The extra step here is evidence: you’ll need to provide DVLA with a letter confirming the employee works for you and that you have permission to install the chargepoint. The application still goes through the standard WCS portal in the usual way.

How to apply — step by step

1. Check your address is registered. Confirm your home is listed as your place of business with Companies House, or appears on a non-domestic rate bill.
2. Book a free site survey. We check your off-road parking and electrical supply, and confirm you’re eligible before anything is ordered.
3. Choose a dual-use chargepoint. We only spec units approved for both residential and commercial use, so your claim won’t be declined on a technicality.
4. We handle the WCS application and installation. As an OZEV-authorised installer we submit the claim through the official portal and fit your charger.
5. Pay only the net cost. The £500 per socket is deducted from your invoice — you never chase the grant yourself.

Not sure if your home setup qualifies? That’s the most common question we get from contractors — and it usually takes us five minutes to answer. Book a free, no-obligation check at ocunioenergy.com and we’ll tell you straight whether the Workplace Charging Scheme works for your home business, and what it’ll cost after the grant.