How to apply for BICS before the 30 November 2026 deadline

Before you start the online form, gather:

• Eligibility checker result. Run the government's free BICS eligibility checker.
• ID for GOV.UK One Login for Businesses. A passport or driving licence, if you don't already have a business account.
• Companies House details. Your company number and an officer who can authorise the application, if you're not one yourself.
• Site list with MPANs. Every manufacturing site in Great Britain you're claiming for, with its Meter Point Administration Numbers.
• Six consecutive months of electricity bills from within the last 12 months, for each site. This is mandatory.
• Product evidence. What you make at each site, the 6-digit HS codes, and six months of evidence of eligible production.
• Private-wire confirmation, if you're supplied through a private network, from your electricity supplier.

The person who starts the application must be the one who submits it, because applications can't be transferred between users.

At least one SIC code on your Companies House record must be on the BICS eligible list, and it must genuinely reflect what happens at the site. If it doesn't, you can update it by filing a confirmation statement, which usually takes 24 to 48 hours. Be aware that a SIC code changed in the last six months can attract extra scrutiny, and Companies House can penalise inaccurate codes. Don't change a code just to qualify.

For BICS, a site is an area where you carry out manufacturing. Adjoining buildings you control count as one site, even if they're separated by a road, railway or canal. A factory in Manchester and another in Leeds are two sites, each assessed separately. A warehouse or office-only site doesn't qualify on its own unless manufacturing happens there.

For each site with a mix of eligible and ineligible products:

1. Take total grid electricity for the six-month period from your bills. Exclude on-site solar, CHP or wind.
2. Work out the grid electricity used making eligible products. That's the production line plus supporting loads such as compressed air, HVAC, chillers, lighting, IT, handling, testing, R&D and on-site offices.
3. For supporting loads that serve both eligible and ineligible lines, count 50% of their electricity if 25 to 50% of their use supports eligible products, or 100% if more than 50% does.
4. Divide eligible by total. 25% or less = no exemption; over 25% but under 50% = 50%; 50% or more = 100%.

Worked example: a site used 1,000 MWh over six months. 300 MWh went into eligible production. Supporting loads used 200 MWh, of which about 30% served eligible products, so 50% of the 200 counts (100 MWh). Eligible total: 400 MWh, or 40% of 1,000, which gives a 50% exemption.

Sub-metering data must be used where you have it. Without it, you can estimate from machine ratings or production data, as long as you explain your method.

If you share a meter with another business, only your share counts, and you must evidence it. Get your landlord's figures early, because they're your responsibility, not theirs. Your exemption is then multiplied by your share of the meter. If a meter is already partly covered by an EII (Supercharger) certificate, BICS only applies to the uncovered portion. These three situations cause most errors, and there's only one appeal route, which can't be used to fix your own omissions.

Decisions are emailed by mid-January 2027, or late January for complex cases. The government then tells your supplier directly, and the exemption should appear on bills from April 2027 (RO/FiT) and October 2027 (Capacity Market). How it shows varies by supplier: a zeroed levy line, a '% exempt' note, or split volumes. It's worth checking your first bills after April. After that you'll make yearly declarations, complete a fuller review in year 2, and keep records for six years.