It took months, but last week the Federal Public Service Finance published the much-anticipated circular: company car drivers who can charge their car at home and receive compensation for it do not need to prove the actual costs. A flat rate is applied, which is revised quarterly and per region based on market prices.
With this decision, the government addresses the concerns of employees and employers regarding the complexity of calculating actual costs. An exact calculation is not always straightforward. Many parameters need to be considered, which can lead to a significant administrative burden for both the employee and the employer: day and night tariffs, fixed, variable or dynamic energy contracts, contract changes during the year, electricity from solar panels, home batteries, capacity tariffs, and more.
The government therefore accepts the application of a fixed amount per kWh, but only on the condition that this fixed amount per kWh does not exceed the CREG tariff. This implies that the employer must know the exact electricity consumption for home charging of the company car for each employee. A connected charging station or smart cable is thus essential. Whether it is paid for by the employee or the employer does not matter further.
Compensation for Charging at CREG Tariff
The maximum fixed amount per kWh is determined quarterly per region based on the employee’s residence. Thus, per calendar year, a maximum amount per kWh is determined four times per region.
How is the fixed quarterly amount established? First, the fixed amount per kWh for a specific month is determined based on the “average all-in commercial electricity price in the retail market for residential customers with a digital meter, an electric vehicle, a consumption of 8,000 kWh/year, and an average monthly peak of 7.36 kW, as published by CREG in its dashboard on its website for that month.” The all-in price includes the cost of energy, network costs (transmission/transport and distribution), taxes, surcharges, and VAT.
Reimbursement at Quarterly Rate
The fixed amounts per kWh for August, September, and October of year N-1 form the basis for calculating the maximum fixed amount per kWh for reimbursing electricity consumption during the first quarter of year N. The fixed amounts per kWh for November and December of year N-1 and January of year N form the basis for the second quarter of year N, as stated in the circular.
The fixed amounts per kWh for February, March, and April of year N form the basis for the third quarter of year N. Those for May, June, and July of year N are used for the fourth quarter of year N.
How Much Can Employers Pay per kWh?
The calculated amounts are considered maximums. Employers may also pay less. Employers can also reimburse electricity consumption without considering the employee’s residence. In such cases, the maximum fixed rate per kWh, as determined above, is equal to the lowest rate applicable in any of the regions for the respective quarter. The quarterly rate helps to smooth out large fluctuations.
kWh Rate for the First Quarter of 2025
For the first quarter of 2025, the maximum tariff per kWh for home charging is:
- Flemish Region: €0.2822/kWh
- Brussels-Capital Region: €0.3294/kWh
- Walloon Region: €0.3256/kWh
The circular can be consulted here.