Per-kWh reimbursement is simple in outline: your employer pays an agreed rate for each kilowatt-hour the charger records going into the company car. Whether you actually break even depends on two things drivers often miss — the rate you are paid versus the price on your own tariff, and whether the figure that counts is the charger’s session record or your meter’s total. Settle both before your first claim and the system runs itself.
Key Takeaways
- A per-kWh claim is three numbers: charger-recorded kWh, the agreed rate, and the period.
- Peak-time charging against a flat rate is the usual way drivers lose money — schedule off-peak.
- Agree whether the charger’s figure or the meter’s figure counts, before the first claim.
- Submit monthly, with the session record attached.
The Three Numbers in Every Claim
- Energy: the kWh from the charger’s session log for the company car — not the whole house bill.
- Rate: the per-kWh amount in your employer’s agreement. It may be a flat rate, or it may follow a published average.
- Period: the dates the claim covers, matched to your utility billing period so the two can be compared.
For scale, the U.S. average residential electricity price is 18.31 cents per kWh (EIA). If a reimbursement rate were set at that average, a month of company-car charging would look like this:
| Company-car energy in a month | At 18.31 cents per kWh |
|---|---|
| 200 kWh | About $36.62 |
| 400 kWh | About $73.24 |
| 600 kWh | About $109.86 |
That is an illustration using a national average, not a prediction of your claim. Your agreement’s rate and your charger’s records are the real inputs — and our guide to the cost of charging an electric car at home shows how to work out your own per-kWh price from a bill.
Where Drivers End Up Out of Pocket
The most common gap is timing. If you are paid a flat per-kWh rate but your tariff charges more at peak times, every session you run in the evening peak costs you more than you get back. The fix is in your control: schedule charging into your cheap window, as described in our guide to smart charging and time-of-use tariffs. The second gap is measurement. The kWh a charger reports delivering and the kWh your meter records the house drawing will not match exactly, because of conversion losses and the charger’s own standby use. Neither figure is “wrong” — but agree in advance which one your claim is based on, so the difference never becomes a dispute.
A Monthly Routine That Takes Five Minutes
- Export or screenshot the month’s company-car sessions from the charger app.
- Check the total against your utility bill’s dates, and note your tariff’s rate for the same period.
- Submit the session record and the total together, every month, rather than letting a quarter’s worth pile up.
- Flag any change — a new tariff, a new car, a house move — before the next claim, not after it is queried.
A charger that records sessions per user makes this routine trivial. The EVDANCE EV-ACT3204PE 22 kW wallbox, with RFID and app control, keeps work sessions under their own identity, so the monthly export is already separated from household charging.
Frequently Asked Questions
My employer’s rate is lower than my tariff. Can I ask for it to be reviewed?
Yes — bring your actual bill and a month of session records. Agreements usually name a review point or a published average the rate follows; ask which one applies to you.
Should the claim be based on the charger reading or my meter?
Most schemes use the charger’s session log, because the house meter includes everything else in the home. What matters is that the choice is written into the agreement.
Is the reimbursement taxed?
Treatment differs by country and by how the payment is structured. That is a question for your employer and a tax adviser — do not assume either way.
Related Reading
- How Much Does It Cost to Charge an Electric Car at Home?
- Smart Charging and Time-of-Use Tariffs: How Scheduling Cuts EV Charging Costs
- RFID and User Management for Shared EV Chargers
