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BICS

Key dates and timeline for applying for BICS

Key BICS dates and timeline: applications open 1 October to 30 November 2026, decisions in January 2027, and levy exemptions from April and October 2027.

Millie Palmer

The British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS) is now open for applications, but the window is short. Applications opened on 1 October 2026 and close on 30 November 2026, and businesses that miss it will not see any support begin in 2027. Knowing what happens before, during and after that window makes it much easier to plan the work.

What is the BICS application window?

The first application window runs for roughly two months. Each business can make one application per year, and it can cover multiple sites. Once an application has been submitted, it can’t be amended, so preparing your evidence early is essential to give you time to check and double check.

Applications can be saved and resumed, and the person who starts an application must be the person who submits it. Applications cannot be transferred between users, which is worth bearing in mind if more than one colleague is involved in gathering evidence.

From application to exemption: the 2026 and 2027 dates

  • 1 October 2026: Application window opens
  • 30 November 2026: Application window closes
  • January 2027: Eligibility decisions confirmed and applicants notified by email
  • Before April 2027: Electricity supplier details confirmed with the scheme team
  • April 2027: Exemption from Renewables Obligation (RO) and Feed-in Tariff (FiT) costs begins
  • October 2027: Exemption from Capacity Market (CM) costs begins

First thing to notice, there is no contact between applicants and the scheme team after submission (unless they require more information, like if you use a private wire supply or have activity in Northern Ireland), so the January email is the first formal response you should expect.

Second, the scheme team will ask businesses to confirm their supplier details before exemptions go live. If you change supplier in the meantime, tell the team promptly; a late change may mean an exemption does not take effect on 1 April.

What happens after the first year

An approved exemption lasts for five years. Along the way, there are a few dates to diarise.

  • Annual declaration: in the years that do not include a full review, i.e., year 1, 3 and 4, you confirm that your company, site, production and electricity details have not changed. The declaration window runs from December to the end of January.
  • Year 2 review: this is a full eligibility reassessment as well as a declaration. The submission window runs from April to 30 November of the second year.
  • Renewal: if you want support to continue beyond the five years, the renewal application window runs from April to December of the final year.
  • Appeals: if you believe your application was assessed incorrectly, there is a single right of appeal, which must be made within 10 working days of the decision. Appeals cannot be used to challenge the scheme rules themselves, only to defend your eligibility.

Missing an annual declaration or the year 2 review or providing false information will result in the exemption being revoked.

A realistic working plan for the window

The official dates set the limits, but they should also help to set your own earlier milestones. The plan below is a suggestion rather than official guidance, and it assumes a business starting in the first weeks of the window:

Company A is a precision engineering business with one site and a shared supplier contract.

It starts its application in the second week of October.

By the end of October, it has confirmed its SIC code and HS codes and collected six consecutive months of electricity bills.

By mid-November, it has pulled production records and drafted its free-text statements.

It then holds the application for a final check and submits in the week beginning 16 November, leaving a buffer of two weeks.

That buffer matters. Evidence problems tend to appear late: a bill that does not show the MPAN, a landlord who is slow to reply, or a production record that is not broken down by month. Each of these can take days to resolve, and none can be fixed after submission.

Key takeaways

  • The deadline is firm. Applications close at 11:59pm on 30 November 2026, and submitted applications cannot be amended.
  • Support starts in two stages. RO and FiT exemptions begin in April 2027, and Capacity Market exemptions follow in October 2027.
  • Decisions arrive in January. The scheme team confirms eligibility decisions by email, with a single 10 working day right of appeal for assessment errors.
  • The work continues after approval. Annual declarations, the year 2 review and the renewal window all carry their own dates.

If you're planning an application and want to be sure your evidence is ready well before 30 November, speak to the Energy Relief Vault team and the team will help you build a plan that fits the window.