Wallbox grants in 2026: what is still available
For a wallbox at a detached or terraced house, there is no federal money in 2026. For owners’ associations and landlords of apartment buildings, a new programme with clear rules exists.
Worked through by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Apartment building: how many spaces, how much support
At most at the minimum number
€9,000
| Spaces to pre-wire at least | 6 |
| Maximum per space | €1,500 |
| All spaces fitted, at most | €36,000 |
Buildings with at least 3 homes; apply by 10 November 2026. The amounts are caps; at most the eligible share of the costs is paid.
There is no federal grant in 2026 for your own wallbox at a house. The KfW programme 442 (Solarstrom für Elektroautos, solar power for electric cars) can no longer be applied for, and the earlier programme 440 for private charging stations no longer exists. What is funded is charging in apartment buildings: under a guideline of the Federal Transport Ministry (BMV) dated 16 March 2026, 500 million euros are available. Owners’ associations (Wohnungseigentümergemeinschaft, WEG), small and medium-sized businesses and private landlords can apply if the building has at least 3 homes. At least 20 % of the parking spaces, and never fewer than 6, must be pre-wired for charging at 11 to 22 kW. Per space the cap is €1,300 for pre-wiring, €1,500 with a charging point and €2,000 for bidirectional charging. Applications run from 15 April 2026 to 10 November 2026. Tenants cannot apply themselves.
Houses: no federal grant
Many pages still quote amounts for a private wallbox that date from earlier years. For 2026 the position is simple: KfW lists programme 442 as closed and no longer takes applications. The older programme 440 for charging stations at homes has ended too. The purchase grant for electric cars includes nothing for a charging station. If you have a wallbox installed at your own house, you pay for it, unless a state, a municipality or an energy supplier runs its own scheme. Those schemes are small, often used up quickly and tied to conditions such as green electricity or solar panels. Check your city’s and your utility’s pages; this site only gives amounts that an official source confirms.
Apartment buildings: the 2026 programme
Since April 2026 the Federal Transport Ministry has funded charging infrastructure in and at buildings with several homes. It rests on a guideline dated 16 March 2026; the call for owners’ associations gives the details. The budget is 500 million euros. It is run through its own portal with a project agency; BAFA is not involved.
| Condition | Value |
|---|---|
| Building | at least 3 homes |
| Pre-wiring | at least 20 % of spaces, never fewer than 6 |
| Charging power | 11 to 22 kW |
| Cap per space, pre-wiring only | €1,300 |
| Cap per space, with a charging point | €1,500 |
| Cap per space, bidirectional | €2,000 |
| Application window | 15 April 2026 to 10 November 2026 |
| Commitment period | 3 years |
| Excluded | planning application after 24 March 2021 |
Worked examples for owners’ associations
The minimum follows from the share of spaces, rounded up, but is never below 6. Small garages therefore hit the floor, large ones the share. The table shows the caps if exactly the minimum is fitted; the grant never exceeds the eligible share of actual costs.
| Spaces | Minimum to fit | Pre-wiring only | With charging point | Bidirectional |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 6 | €7,800 | €9,000 | €12,000 |
| 24 | 6 | €7,800 | €9,000 | €12,000 |
| 40 | 8 | €10,400 | €12,000 | €16,000 |
| 80 | 16 | €20,800 | €24,000 | €32,000 |
An association with 24 spaces must pre-wire at least 6, because 20 % of 24 falls short of the floor. If it fits all 24 with charging points, the cap is €36,000. You can enter your own number of spaces in the small calculator above.
How an owners’ association gets to an application
- An owner or the property manager (Verwaltung) puts the topic on the agenda of the owners’ meeting.
- An electrician checks the building’s connection and quotes for pre-wiring, with or without charging points.
- The meeting votes on the work and the application. Without a resolution, the association cannot apply.
- The manager applies through the portal before work starts and by 10 November 2026.
- Once approved, the work is done, the costs are documented and the grant is paid.
11 or 22 kW, with or without feeding back
The programme requires charging points of 11 to 22 kW. For a car parked overnight, 11 kW is almost always enough: eight hours add more range than most people drive in a day. 22 kW makes more sense where spaces are shared or cars stop only briefly. Every charging point must be notified to the grid operator, and units above 12 kVA also need its consent under section 19 of the Low Voltage Connection Ordinance (NAV). Bidirectional means the car can feed electricity back into the building or the grid as well as charge. That needs a car that supports it and a matching charger, which is why the cap is highest here.
Mistakes that sink an application
- Work started before approval. Starting early normally rules out funding.
- The owners’ meeting resolution is missing, or covers only part of the work.
- The building has fewer than 3 homes, a two-family house for example.
- Fewer spaces than the minimum are planned, or the power is below 11 kW.
- The building’s planning application dates from after 24 March 2021.
- The application arrives after 10 November 2026.
What a wallbox at a house costs without a grant
Without funding, three items set the price: the unit, the cable from the meter cabinet to the parking space, and any work on the meter cabinet itself. The longer the run and the older the wiring, the more it costs. Get at least two quotes from registered electricians and check that notifying the grid operator is included.
Tenants, landlords, owners
If you rent, you cannot use the programme yourself. A private landlord can apply if the building qualifies, which lowers the cost for tenants. Separately from any grant, flat owners under section 20(2) WEG and tenants under section 554 BGB have a right to be allowed to install charging; they then normally pay for it themselves. For a single electric car in a large underground garage, using that individual right is often quicker than a joint application; for an association where several owners want to drive electric, fitting the garage together usually works out better.
What a wallbox does not change
- The GHG quota payout: it is a flat rate for every electric car, whether it charges at home, at work or at a public charger.
- The purchase grant: it depends on the car and household income, not on whether you can charge.
- Vehicle tax: it depends only on registration date and weight.
Whether an electric car makes sense without your own wallbox depends mainly on the electricity prices you can charge at. How the grant combines with other bonuses is covered under combining bonuses.