Before financing a panel upgrade or EV charger install, get one fact straight: the federal Section 30C tax credit for home EV charger installation expired on June 30, 2026, and is no longer available. Contractors and websites still quoting the 30% credit up to $1,000 are citing an incentive that ended weeks ago. What remains live is the HEAR program, offering up to $4,000 toward an electrical panel upgrade for income-eligible households in states where it has launched, alongside a full lineup of dealer-fee and subscription-based lenders willing to finance panel upgrades, rewires and EV charger installs regardless of any rebate.
Key takeaways
- The federal Section 30C EV charger tax credit, 30% of hardware and installation costs up to $1,000, expired June 30, 2026 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Do not quote this credit to customers as currently available.
- The HEAR program remains live in states including Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, New York and others as of early 2026, offering up to $4,000 toward a panel upgrade for income-eligible households, though some regional allocations have already closed.
- Hearth, GreenSky, GoodLeap and Service Finance Company all finance electrical work, including panel upgrades, EV charger installs and full rewires, independent of any rebate program.
- Some utilities in states including California, New York and Michigan offer on-bill financing, letting customers repay panel upgrade costs directly through their monthly utility bill.
- We already rank on Google for Hearth's electrician-specific financing program, but the multi-lender comparison in this guide covers the broader set of options beyond a single lender.
The expired incentive contractors need to stop quoting
Section 30C, the federal Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit, offered homeowners 30% of EV charger hardware and installation costs up to $1,000, claimed via IRS Form 8911. Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed in 2025, the residential version of this credit expired June 30, 2026. As of this writing in August 2026, it is no longer available, and continuing to reference it in sales conversations or marketing material is both inaccurate and a real liability if a customer relies on it when filing taxes. Update any sales scripts, website copy or quote templates that still mention this credit immediately.
What is still genuinely available: the HEAR program
The HEAR program, funded through the Inflation Reduction Act, remains scheduled to run through September 30, 2031, or until individual state allocations run out, whichever comes first. It offers up to $4,000 toward an electrical panel upgrade for income-eligible households, structured as roughly 100% of cost covered for households below 80% of area median income and up to 50% for households between 80% and 150%. As of early 2026, states with live programs include Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Maine, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, New York, Rhode Island, Washington D.C. and Wisconsin, though administration is state by state, and some regional allocations within states have already closed, Colorado's Front Range single-family program closed in April 2026, for example.
Check your specific state's current HEAR program status before quoting this to a customer, since availability changes as state allocations are exhausted, and confirm your customer's eligibility against the income thresholds before setting expectations.
Multi-lender financing for panel upgrades, rewires and EV chargers
Beyond rebates, the standard contractor financing lenders all cover electrical work. Hearth's subscription model works well for electricians financing regularly across panel upgrades, rewires and EV installs, since the flat annual cost does not scale per transaction. GreenSky and GoodLeap both use dealer-fee models that buy down a promotional rate, useful for a big-ticket panel and EV charger combo job where a low advertised rate helps close the sale. Service Finance Company explicitly lists electrical work among the trades it finances, with stage funding that can release payment before a multi-day rewire is fully complete.
| Program | Model | Best for |
|---|
| Hearth | Flat subscription | Electricians financing regularly across job types |
| GreenSky / GoodLeap | Dealer fee on promos | Big-ticket panel + EV charger combo jobs |
| Service Finance Company | Dealer fee, stage funding | Multi-day rewires needing cash flow before completion |
| Utility on-bill financing | Repaid via monthly utility bill | Panel upgrades in participating utility territories |
| HEAR program | Direct rebate, income-based | Income-eligible households in a live state program |
Stacking rebates with financing
The HEAR program and contractor financing are not mutually exclusive. A customer can apply HEAR's rebate against the panel upgrade cost and finance the remaining balance through a standard lender, meaningfully reducing the amount that needs to be financed at all. Walking a customer through this stacking explicitly, rather than presenting financing and rebates as separate, competing options, often turns a hesitant homeowner into a closed sale, since the out-of-pocket number drops meaningfully once both are combined correctly.
On-bill financing: the option most electricians overlook
Some utilities in states including California, New York and Michigan offer on-bill financing specifically for panel upgrades and electrification work, letting a customer repay the cost as a line item on their regular monthly utility bill rather than through a separate loan or credit card. This option is easy to overlook since it does not come through a typical contractor financing partnership, but it is worth checking your local utility's program directly, since a customer who is wary of taking on a new loan may find a utility bill line item psychologically easier to accept.
What to tell customers about financing electrical work
- Confirm current program status before quoting anything, since both rebate programs and financing terms change over the course of a year.
- Check state-specific HEAR eligibility and income thresholds before promising a rebate amount.
- Present financing and rebates as stackable, not competing, options where both apply.
- Never reference the federal EV charger tax credit as currently available; it expired June 30, 2026.
For the trade-specific financing relationship most electricians already know, see Hearth financing for electricians. For the broader picture on offering financing at all, how to pitch financing to homeowners and 10 homeowner financing objections apply directly to panel and EV charger conversations. If a customer's credit is a concern, contractor financing for bad credit covers the options, and best CRM for electrical contractors is worth reading if you are also evaluating how financing integrates with your quoting and dispatch tools.
How we put this together
The Section 30C tax credit expiration date and terms are drawn from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act's provisions and multiple independent tax and energy policy sources reporting the June 30, 2026 expiration consistently. HEAR program status and state availability are drawn from federal program documentation and state-level program trackers as of early 2026; state allocations change over time, so verify current status for your specific state before quoting a customer. Lender program details for Hearth, GreenSky, GoodLeap and Service Finance Company are drawn from company materials covered in our individual reviews of each program. Confirm current terms directly before relying on any figure in a customer conversation.
Frequently asked questions
Is the federal EV charger tax credit still available?
No, the Section 30C residential EV charger tax credit expired June 30, 2026, under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Contractors should stop referencing this credit as currently available in sales conversations or marketing materials.
What is the HEAR program and is it still active?
The HEAR program is a federally funded rebate offering up to $4,000 toward an electrical panel upgrade for income-eligible households. It remains active in many states through 2031 or until state funding runs out, though availability varies by state and some regional allocations have already closed.
Can a customer combine HEAR rebates with contractor financing?
Yes, a customer can apply the HEAR rebate against the total project cost and finance the remaining balance through a standard lender like Hearth, GreenSky or Service Finance Company, reducing the amount that needs to be financed.
Which lenders finance EV charger installs specifically?
Hearth, GreenSky, GoodLeap and Service Finance Company all finance electrical work broadly, including EV charger installs, panel upgrades and rewires, independent of any expired or active rebate program.
What is on-bill financing for electrical work?
On-bill financing lets a customer repay the cost of a panel upgrade or electrification project directly through their monthly utility bill rather than a separate loan, offered by some utilities in states including California, New York and Michigan.
How do I check if HEAR is available in my state?
HEAR is administered state by state with varying launch dates and funding levels, so check your specific state's energy office or the federal program's state tracker directly rather than assuming availability based on national program status.
