Some chargepoint grants want an application or a voucher before equipment is installed. Others pay against evidence after a compliant install. The difference is in the current guidance for that scheme, and getting it wrong is one of the common ways a claim dies. If prior approval is required, a helpful installer who starts early can cost you the grant. If the scheme is retrospective, waiting for a letter that will never come just delays the car.
Grant approval before or after the EV install
Read the timing section, not just the amount. Print or save it. Then align the installer's start date with that rule.
- Read the before-or-after rule
- Do not start early to be helpful
- Match the contract to the rule
- Deposits should respect a refusal
Check grant approval before or after the EV install before you accept a price
Put the dependency in the contract: either 'we will not attend until approval is received' or 'the price is the full price because this booking does not depend on a grant'.
The price effect of grant approval before or after the EV install
Diary pressure is how conditions get skipped. A lost grant is usually larger than a rebooking fee.
A miss that shows up later: grant approval before or after the EV install
The mistake is a deposit that is non-refundable if you cancel because the voucher was refused, on a job that should not have started. Negotiate that before you pay.
Write grant approval before or after the EV install into the quote
Write the scheme timing rule into the quote acceptance.
Frequently asked questions
What if the guidance is silent?
Ask the scheme contact route and keep the reply. Silence in a blog is not permission.
Can I buy the charger and wait to fit it?
Sometimes possession is already too late. Check whether 'installed' or 'purchased' is the verb they use.
The electrician is free tomorrow.
That is not the scheme rule. Move the diary.
We were approved and the amount changed.
Claim against the terms of your approval, and ask before you top up the specification.
Core buying guides
Start with these high-intent guides, then dig into the rest of the library.
Related guides
Sources and further reading
How this guide was prepared
This guide was written by the Local EV Installers Editorial Team. We compare official guidance, legislation and established consumer information, separate general information from project-specific advice, and show publication dates and sources. We do not accept installer accreditation claims at face value.