30C ended June 30, 2026: what it means for EV charger quotes

Checked Oct 27, 2026. Short answer: the federal home EV charger tax credit (the Section 30C "Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit") does not apply to any charger placed in service after June 30, 2026. If you're getting a Level 2 install quote now and it subtracts a "30% federal tax credit," that line is out of date. Ask the installer to take it out and show you the real price. If your charger was up and running on or before June 30, 2026, you may still be able to claim it on your tax return. Details and sources are below.

What the credit was for homeowners

• Amount: for a charger bought and placed in service at your main home from January 1, 2023 to June 30, 2026, the credit was 30% of the cost, up to $1,000 per item. Each charging port counts as one item. (IRS 30C page, checked Oct 27, 2026)
• What counted as cost: the charger plus labor and associated property "directly attributable and traceable" to it, such as a wall mount, or a new panel and wiring that serve only the charger. The IRS example: $1,500 charger with labor, a $500 mount and $1,000 of panel/wiring work = 30% of $3,000 = a $900 credit. If the panel or wiring serves more than the charger, some or all of that cost is excluded. (IRS Publication 6027 (Rev. 5-2026), PDF, checked Oct 27, 2026)
• Who qualified: the charger had to be new to you (original use began with you), used mainly in the U.S., installed at your main home, and located in an eligible census tract. (IRS 30C page, checked Oct 27, 2026)
• Census tract rule: the home had to be in a low-income community census tract or a non-urban census tract. The IRS says about two-thirds of Americans live in eligible tracts. For property placed in service in 2025 or later, you look up your 11-digit 2020 census tract ID (GEOID) and check it against the IRS "Appendix B" list. (IRS Pub. 6027; IRS 30C page, both checked Oct 27, 2026)
• Limits: the personal-use credit can't exceed your tax liability (as figured on the form), and any unused personal portion is lost. It can't be carried back or forward. You reduce the property's basis by the credit, and the credit can be recaptured if the property stops qualifying within 3 full years. (Instructions for Form 8911 (12/2025); IRS 30C page, both checked Oct 27, 2026)

Business and investment-use chargers had a different credit (6%, or 30% with prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements, up to $100,000 per item) on the same January 1, 2023 to June 30, 2026 window (IRS 30C page, checked Oct 27, 2026). This page is about homeowners.

How it ended: the law and the exact rule

• The law: Public Law 119-21, signed July 4, 2025 (H.R. 1, commonly called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act), Section 70504, "Termination of Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit." It changed the credit's end date in Section 30C(i) from December 31, 2032 to June 30, 2026. (Public Law 119-21 text, govinfo.gov; Instructions for Form 8911, both checked Oct 27, 2026)
• The rule as it now reads: "This section shall not apply to any property placed in service after June 30, 2026." (26 U.S. Code § 30C(i), Cornell LII, checked Oct 27, 2026) The Department of Energy's Alternative Fuels Data Center lists the credit as "Expired: 06/30/2026." (AFDC: Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Tax Credit, checked Oct 27, 2026)
• "Placed in service" means operational, not purchased. The IRS says property is generally placed in service when it's ready and available for use, and gives the example that "an EV charger installed at an individual taxpayer's principal residence will be placed in service when it is operational." (Instructions for Form 8911, Line 5, checked Oct 27, 2026) So the date that matters is when the charger was installed and working, not when you paid a deposit or bought the unit. If your situation is borderline (for example, bought in June and energized in July), ask a tax professional.

What this means for your quote

• Installs from July 1, 2026 on: there's no federal 30C credit for a new home charger. If a quote, installer website or product page shows a price "after the 30% federal tax credit," ask the installer to remove that line and give you the price you'll actually pay.
• Outdated pages are still out there. For example, on Oct 27, 2026 the City of Chicago's Drive Electric Chicago page still listed a "Federal Tax Credit for EV Charging Equipment" of 30% of the cost, up to $1,000. (Drive Electric Chicago, checked Oct 27, 2026) Treat any page that still advertises it as out of date for new installs.
• Compare quotes on the real price. With the federal credit gone, utility rebates and the installation scope matter more. Use our quote checklist and check whether your panel really needs an upgrade (100A panel options).
• Get the dates in writing. If you had a charger installed on or before June 30, 2026, keep the invoice that shows the install date and what was done. The IRS tells you to keep receipts for the purchase and the installation labor. (IRS Pub. 6027, checked Oct 27, 2026)

Installed between January 1 and June 30, 2026? How to claim it

If your charger was placed in service at your main home on or before June 30, 2026 and you meet the other rules above, you claim the credit on your tax return for the year it was placed in service (2026 for a 2026 install):

1. Confirm your home's census tract: get your 11-digit 2020 census tract GEOID from the Census Bureau's 2020 Census Tract tool, then look for it in the IRS Appendix B list (PDF). If it isn't listed, the charger doesn't qualify.
2. Fill out a separate Schedule A (Form 8911) for each charging port, then Form 8911, and attach them to your return. Schedule A asks for the placed-in-service date and, if there is one, your local or state permit or certification number.
3. The IRS says to use the December 2025 revision of Form 8911 and Schedule A for tax years beginning in 2025 or later, and to check IRS.gov/Form8911 for later developments.

(About Form 8911, Instructions for Form 8911 (12/2025), IRS Pub. 6027, all checked Oct 27, 2026)

This is general information, not tax advice. Your actual credit depends on your costs, your census tract and your tax liability. Ask a tax professional if you're unsure.

Other federal home energy credits ended too

• Residential Clean Energy Credit (Section 25D, solar panels, battery storage and similar): the IRS says it is "not available for any property placed in service after December 31, 2025." (IRS: Residential Clean Energy Credit, checked Oct 27, 2026) The same IRS page still contains an older line about the credit phasing out "in 2033"; we treat the December 31, 2025 end date as current because it matches the rest of the page.
• Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit (Section 25C): the same law (Public Law 119-21, Section 70505) ended it for property placed in service after December 31, 2025. (Public Law 119-21 text, checked Oct 27, 2026)

So for a home charger installed in the second half of 2026, don't count on a federal credit from any of these three.

What's left: utility and local programs

With the federal credit gone, the incentives that still matter are mostly from your utility, and they often come with funding caps, approved charger lists and steps you must take before the install. Our pages:

• Illinois EV charger rebates (overview for ComEd and Ameren Illinois customers)
• ComEd charger rebate: 2027 reopen watch
• Ameren Illinois ChargeReady, ChargeSmart and FlexCharge
• Level 2 charger comparison (some rebates require an ENERGY STAR or "smart" charger)
• Quote checklist and 100A panel options

Program details on those pages were checked on the dates shown on each page; we didn't re-check them tonight.

What we couldn't verify tonight

• Whether the IRS will issue a new revision of Form 8911 or Schedule A before 2026 returns are filed (the instructions point to the December 2025 revision for 2025 and later).
• How the IRS treats borderline cases, such as a charger bought before July 1, 2026 but not operational until after June 30, 2026, beyond the "placed in service = operational" example in the instructions. We found no IRS guidance specific to this.
• Whether any state replaced the federal credit with its own charger tax credit. We didn't survey state programs tonight.
• The Census Bureau 2020 Census Tract tool timed out on our check tonight, so we couldn't confirm the link still works. The IRS instructions name that URL.
• Whether your own address is in an eligible tract. We don't look up addresses.

Sources checked Oct 27, 2026

• IRS: Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit
• IRS Publication 6027 (Rev. 5-2026): Individuals, Electric Vehicle Chargers, and the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit (PDF)
• IRS: About Form 8911
• IRS: Instructions for Form 8911 (12/2025)
• Public Law 119-21 (H.R. 1), Sections 70504 and 70505, govinfo.gov
• 26 U.S. Code § 30C, Cornell Law School LII
• AFDC: Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Tax Credit (Expired 06/30/2026)
• IRS: Residential Clean Energy Credit
• City of Chicago: Drive Electric Chicago
• IRS Appendix B: 2020 census tracts eligible for 30C (PDF) (loaded; we didn't look up individual tracts)
• Census Bureau 2020 Census Tract tool: linked because the IRS instructions point to it, but it timed out on our check tonight

Back to install costs or the quote checklist.