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. That date follows the amendment regulations that came into force on 28 April 2026, which extended the scheme’s financial years into 2030. Before those regulations, the scheme was due to end in 2028, and many websites still say so.
Two cautions. A closing date is not a promise of funding for every year up to it: money is set year by year. And the rules can change at any point inside the window, as they did three times in 2026.
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 budget is £400 million — the largest annual allocation since launch, according to the DESNZ business case. Ofgem publishes a running figure in its monthly scheme update: on 9 September 2026 it showed £199,563,000 remaining for the year to March 2027, and it describes that figure as dynamic, because vouchers that expire or are returned free money up again.
By the end of August 2026, Ofgem had paid £661,303,000 in grants across 93,364 redemptions. Demand is rising — July 2026 was the busiest month on record — so the in-year balance is worth watching if you are planning an installation late in the financial year. The statistics page tracks it.
The date that is close: 31 March 2027
The £9,000 grant for off-gas properties replacing oil or LPG is available for applications properly made from 21 July 2026 until 31 March 2027. On the same day, the 0% VAT rate on installing heat pumps in homes ends, with 5% applying from 1 April 2027. Unless either is extended, an off-gas oil or LPG household applying after that date gets £7,500 instead of £9,000, and pays VAT on the installation.
Extensions and changes
We do not know whether the off-gas band or the VAT relief will be extended, and we will not guess. What the record shows is that 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 alone 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 | Amendment regulations: air-to-air at £2,500; no valid EPC required; MCS only; grant deducted upfront; scheme years extended |
| 1 June 2026 | MCS consumer code approved |
| 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 |
If you are deciding now, the practical sequence is the same whatever the date: check eligibility, get quotes from MCS-certified installers, and let the installer apply — see how to apply.
Two things people get wrong about the dates
“The scheme ends in March 2028.”
That was the end date before the April 2026 amendment regulations. The regulations in force from 28 April 2026 extended the scheme’s years into 2030, and the government’s Find a grant listing gives 30 December 2029 as the closing date for applications.
Plenty of websites — including some that are otherwise accurate — still carry the old 2028 date.
“Once the budget is spent, that’s it for the year.”
Budgets are allocated first come, first served within each financial year, and Ofgem’s remaining figure is dynamic — it rises again as vouchers expire or are returned. On 9 September 2026 it stood at £199,563,000.