When does the Boiler Upgrade Scheme end?
The government’s Find a grant service lists the scheme as opening on 23 May 2022 and closing to applications on 30 December 2029. Ofgem’s installer guidance (5.70) words it differently: the final date on which Ofgem can issue vouchers is 31 December 2029. That follows the amending regulations in force from 28 April 2026, which extended the scheme’s financial years into 2030. Before them the scheme was due to end in 2028, and many websites still say so.
Two cautions apply. A closing date is not a promise of funding for every year up to it, because money is set year by year. And the rules can change inside the window, as they did several times in 2026. We are not predicting any change; we are saying that the safest assumption is to read the current GOV.UK page when you are ready to commit, and to treat this one as a dated summary.
How the budget works
Each financial year has a budget, and vouchers are issued first come, first served until it is allocated. For 2026 to 2027 the headline budget is £400 million, the largest so far in Ofgem’s budget table, which shows larger figures for 2027-28 to 2029-30 (Table 9). Ofgem’s note says part of the 2026-2030 budget is set aside for potential innovation activity, including wider heat pump rollout, so the figures may not equal the funding available for vouchers. Ofgem publishes a running figure in its monthly update. On 9 September 2026 it showed £199,563,000 remaining for year 5 (April 2026 to March 2027), and Ofgem says that figure includes undetermined applications and vouchers issued but not yet redeemed.
Ofgem calls the figure dynamic: vouchers that expire or are returned release money again. That is why the number can go back up as well as down. Ofgem’s installer guidance (7.19 to 7.21) does set out what happens when a year’s budget runs out. Ofgem cannot issue new vouchers once the budget threshold is met, though vouchers already issued and in date are still paid after a successful redemption application. Ofgem may operate a queue, in which installers can still apply but receive no voucher until they reach the front, ordered by when the application was properly made. The Secretary of State may also cap vouchers per quarter (beginning 1 April, 1 July, 1 October and 1 January), with a notice published before the quarter begins.
Spend so far
| Financial year | Amount spent |
|---|---|
| Year 1 (May 2022 to Mar 2023) | £50,009,000 |
| Year 2 (Apr 2023 to Mar 2024) | £88,330,500 |
| Year 3 (Apr 2024 to Mar 2025) | £188,770,000 |
| Year 4 (Apr 2025 to Mar 2026) | £232,720,000 |
| Year 5 (Apr 2026 to Mar 2027), remaining at 9 September 2026 | £199,563,000 |
By the end of September 2026, Ofgem reported £661,303,000 in grants paid across 96,611 redemptions. Annual spend has risen each year, and July 2026 was the busiest month on record for applications. The statistics page tracks each monthly release. Ofgem’s next update after 9 September 2026 is the one to check for a fresh remaining-budget figure.
The dates that change your sums
The honest deadlines are a short list, and none of them is the closing date.
| Date | What changes | Who it affects |
|---|---|---|
| 31 March 2027 | The £9,000 band is due to end for new applications; back to £7,500 unless extended | Off-gas homes replacing oil or LPG |
| 31 March 2027 | 0% VAT on installing a heat pump in a home is due to end; 5% from 1 April 2027 | Every domestic installation |
| 31 December 2026 | ECO4 ends | Households using ECO4 instead of, or before, the grant |
| 30 December 2029 | Published closing date for applications | Everyone |
Unless either is extended, an off-gas oil or LPG household applying after 31 March 2027 would get £7,500 instead of £9,000, and pay VAT on the installation. The size of the VAT effect depends on the quote; our VAT guide explains how it shows on a quote.
Planning around the dates
A date only matters if your project can realistically meet it, so here is how to think about it without pressure. The voucher stage rather than the installation date is what counts for the grant band: the £9,000 band applies to applications properly made from 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027. A project at survey stage in the final weeks of that window is better advised to ask the installer to confirm in writing which application date they expect, than to rush a design.
Typical sequence timings are on the installation process page. Voucher validity is 3 months, or 6 for ground source, and the consent step has a 14-day limit (how to apply). If the numbers do not stack up in your case, do not buy to beat a date. A well-designed system installed a month later at the lower band is a better outcome than a poorly sized one installed at the higher one.
Extensions and changes
We do not know whether the off-gas band or the VAT relief will be extended, and we will not guess. The record shows the scheme changes often: the grant rose to £7,500 on 23 October 2023 (from £5,000 for air source and £6,000 for ground source), the insulation condition went on 8 May 2024, and in 2026 air-to-air joined, the EPC requirement went, MCS became the only certification and the off-gas band arrived. We update this page when official sources change.
Timeline
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 23 May 2022 | Scheme opens in England and Wales |
| 23 October 2023 | Heat pump grant rises to £7,500 |
| 8 May 2024 | Insulation recommendation condition removed |
| 29 May 2025 | England permitted development rules for heat pumps relaxed |
| 28 April 2026 | Amending regulations: air-to-air at £2,500; no EPC required; MCS only; grant deducted upfront; scheme years extended |
| 21 July 2026 | £9,000 for off-gas oil and LPG homes |
| 31 March 2027 | Off-gas band and 0% installation VAT due to end |
| 30 December 2029 | Published closing date for applications |
Whatever the date, the sequence is the same: check eligibility, collect quotes from MCS-certified installers, and let the chosen one apply.
Two things people get wrong about the dates
“The scheme ends in March 2028.”
That was the end date before the April 2026 amending regulations. The regulations in force from 28 April 2026 extended the scheme years into 2030, Find a grant gives 30 December 2029 as the closing date, and Ofgem’s installer guidance gives 31 December 2029 as the last date it can issue vouchers.
Plenty of otherwise accurate websites still carry the old 2028 date.
“Once the budget is spent, that is it.”
The budget is set per financial year and allocated first come, first served. Ofgem’s remaining figure is dynamic. On 9 September 2026 it stood at £199,563,000 for the year to March 2027.
That is a snapshot, and demand has been rising, so the balance deserves checking if your installation falls late in a financial year.