05 Mar Can I take a tax credit for installing an EV charger?

Q. I installed an EV charger at my home in 2025. In order to install the EV charger, the electrician upgraded my main electrical panel, installed the EV charger and installed wiring to connect my EV charger to my panel. Are my EV charger installation and my panel upgrade costs eligible for the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit?
— Taxpayer

A. The saying “timing is everything” applies in this instance.

Here’s what you should know.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) signed into law last July changed the termination date for the alternative fuel vehicle refueling property credit from Dec. 31, 2032 to June 20, 2026, said Neil Becourtney, a certified public accountant and tax director with Smolin, Lupin & Co. in Red Bank.

This credit cannot be claimed for property placed in service after June 30, 2026, he said.

The credit is 30% of the property cost, limited to $1,000.

“The basic requirement to claim the credit is that the property be used to recharge an electric vehicle, which you meet,” he said.

There are several additional requirements in order to claim the credit.

1. The original use of the property began with you.
2. The property is not used predominantly outside the United States.
3. The property must be installed on property used as your main home.
4. The property must be located in an eligible census tract.

“The census tract requirement will require some research on your part,” he said. Below is guidance from the instructions to Form 8911, Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit, https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-8911 on which one reports the credit.

“Use the address or coordinates on line 3 with the Census Bureau’s 2020 Census Tract Identifier to obtain the 11-digit census tract GEOID. The mapping tool is available at www.census.gov/data/data-tools/2020-census-tract.html.

“Search for the 11-digit census tract GEOID in Appendix B available at IRS.gov/pub/irs-drop/appendix-b-list-of-2020-census-tract-boundary-30c-eligible-tracts-v2-1-4-2024.pdf. If it is listed in Appendix B, check “Yes” in line 6a and enter the GEOID in line 6b. If it is not listed in Appendix B, the refueling property was not placed in service in an eligible census tract and you cannot claim the credit for this property.

“Note: The 11-digit census tract GEOID is a GEOID defined by the U.S. Census Bureau and comprised of a 2-digit state GEOID, 3-digit county GEOID, and 6-digit census tract GEOID. The 11-digit census tract GEOID provides a unique identifier for each population census tract in the United States, including tracts in U.S. territories.”

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This story was originally published in March 2026. 

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