EV home charging Reimbursement done properly
Home EV charging reimbursement is simple to describe, but hard to do correctly.
Costs vary, drivers behave differently, and HMRC expects evidence, not estimates.
Paua Reimburse is built to handle the real-world complexity of EV charging while keeping employers compliant, drivers treated fairly, and finance teams in control.
What is home charging for business vehicles?
With petrol and diesel vehicles, reimbursement is straightforward. Fuel is paid for at the pump or reimbursed per transaction.
Electric vehicles change this completely.
- Home charging is usually cheapest but paid via a personal energy bill
- Workplace charging may be subsidised or free
- Public charging can be significantly more expensive
- Vehicles are often used for both business and personal travel
- Energy tariffs vary by time of day, supplier and smart tariff
There is no native “fuel card” equivalent for home electricity.
The result is a single question employers must answer:
How do we fairly reimburse EV charging for business use without creating tax risk?
The HMRC lens: why this is not trivial
HMRC allows businesses to reimburse EV charging costs tax-free only when:
The energy relates to a company vehicle
The charging relates to business travel
The calculation method is reasonable and auditable
Private benefit is excluded or correctly taxed
HMRC is specifically concerned about EV charging being used as a disguised cash benefit.
Flat assumptions, weak evidence, or blanket payments expose employers to:
Backdated tax and NI
Benefit in Kind risk
Audit challenges
Employee disputes
Accuracy, auditability and governance matter more than simplicity.
Paua Reimburse: five compliant ways to reimburse EV charging
No single method works for every driver.
Paua supports five HMRC-aligned reimbursement methods, allowing employers to choose the right approach per employee.
Home Energy Data (Home Energy Tariff)
What it is
Uses actual charging energy data from a connected home charger or vehicle telematics, combined with the employee’s real electricity tariff. Home data can be provided in real time or in arrears.
Best when
- A supported charger or telematics is available
- Accuracy and fairness are the priority
- Dynamic or smart tariffs are in use
Why it works
- Reflects real costs
- Supports time-of-use pricing
- Strong audit trail
- Lowest long-term employer cost
This is the gold-standard method. Paua Reimburse provides this service.
Vehicle Efficiency (Home Energy Tariff)
What it is
Calculated charging cost using vehicle efficiency (kWh per mile) and the employee’s home energy tariff. Particularly effective where home energy data cannot be gathered directly.
Best when
- No charger data is available
- Vehicle make and model are known
- A fairer alternative to flat rates is needed
Trade-off
- More accurate than AER
- Less precise than real energy data
- Dynamic tariffs are approximated
This is the best method to use where directly integrated chargers are not available. Paua Reimburse provides this service.
AER (Advisory Electricity Rate)
What it is
Uses the government-set Advisory Electricity Rate per business mile. Drivers input business miles for compensation.
Best when
- Simplicity is essential
- EV maturity is low
- Admin effort must be minimal
Limitations
- Often under-represents real charging costs
- Does not reflect tariffs or charging behaviour
- Fairness varies by driver
This is the approved Government method and best when the company is risk averse. Paua Reimburse provides this service.
AER+ (Enhanced Pay-Per-Mile)
What it is
Pays above the AER to better support drivers.
Drivers input business miles to enable the capture of their business mileage and fair compensation.
Important
- The amount above AER is taxable as a Benefit in Kind. Companies need to gross up payments to reflect this.
- Paua separates taxable and non-taxable portions for payroll
Best when
- Employers intentionally want to over-reimburse
- Predictable per-mile costs are preferred
- BiK treatment is accepted
This enables a common approach to all drivers. Paua Reimburse provides this service.
Reverse AER
What it is
The employer pays all charging costs.
The employee reimburses personal mileage at the AER rate.
Best when
- Public charging is dominant
- Home charging is rare or unavailable
Caution
- Generally unsuitable for regular home charging
- Higher employer cost
- Can leave home-charging drivers out of pocket
Paua Reimburse provides this service.
Proud Paua Customers
Comparing reimbursement methods
Each method balances accuracy, admin effort and employer cost.
- Data-led methods are most accurate and fair
- Distance-based methods are simpler but less precise
- Paua allows different employees to use different methods
This avoids forcing one solution onto every driver.
Paua Reimburse enables a busines to choose a different method for every driver ensuring maximum coverage for complex fleets.
Who pays for what: charging and reimbursement flows
EV charging reimbursement is a balance of payments.
Public charging
- Paua card: paid by employer
- External receipts: paid by employee
Home charging
- Energy bill: paid by employee
- Business portion: reimbursed via Paua
Workplace charging
- Integrated chargers: paid by employer
- Manual receipts: typically paid by employee
Paua reconciles these costs and applies:
- Business vs private splits
- Commuting rules
- Employer policy controls
Where Paua is strong
Paua Reimburse is designed for real fleets, not ideal scenarios.
Strengths
Multiple HMRC-compliant methods in one system (pick a different method for each driver or have them all on the same method)
Works with any vehicle, tariff or charger
Clear audit trails by default
Handles mixed-use vehicles
Integrates public, home and workplace charging
Flexible payment and collection options
Business vs private miles, handled properly
Accurately separating business and private mileage is critical to EV charging reimbursement.
It determines what is tax-free, what is taxable, and who ultimately pays.
Many solutions rely on assumptions or flat splits. Paua does not.
How Paua handles it
- Business trips are clearly identified and approved
- Commuting is treated separately, in line with HMRC guidance and company policy (including season rail tickets where appropriate)
- Mixed-use vehicles are fully supported
- Reimbursement is calculated only on business mileage or energy
- Private use is excluded or correctly reconciled
Why this matters
- Prevents over-reimbursement and tax risk
- Protects employers during HMRC audits with clear data
- Avoids disputes with drivers
- Ensures fairness across different driving patterns
By treating business and private miles explicitly, Paua ensures EV charging reimbursement is accurate, defensible and scalable across the workforce.
Line manager approval and governance
Paua supports approval workflows so business mileage and reimbursement claims can be reviewed and signed off by line managers or finance teams where required. This ensures business travel is legitimate, policy-compliant and clearly evidenced.
Approval records are retained alongside the claim, creating a clear audit trail and reducing the risk of errors, disputes or HMRC challenge.
Where friction still exists
No provider can eliminate all complexity.
Known challenges
- Not all home chargers expose data
- Some vehicles lack telematics support
- Shared or communal chargers add ambiguity
- Dynamic tariffs require good data quality
Paua addresses this with:
- Sensible fallbacks
- Transparent assumptions
- Employer-controlled policies
- Clear driver communication
Frequently asked questions
Yes, when applied correctly. Paua is designed around HMRC principles of accuracy, evidence and auditability.
Yes. Paua supports multiple reimbursement methods within the same organisation.
No. The card is optional and used where appropriate. It is not required for reimbursement. It is provided with all Paua Reimburse subscriptions
Yes, when home energy data is available. Otherwise, sensible averages are applied in line with policy.
Paua applies validation rules and fallback logic to maintain compliance and fairness.
Yes. Paua supports payroll reimbursement and deductions, as well as direct payments where required.