Missing home charging data: add supporting records and correct reimbursements

When home charging data is missing, the reimbursement team should first establish whether energy was not measured, was merely not transmitted or was allocated incorrectly. These cases need different solutions. An empty monthly report does not automatically mean no charging took place. But it does not justify an estimated reimbursement amount without suitable evidence either.

Fleet management and payroll therefore need a shared exception process. It secures existing data, assigns responsibilities and makes later corrections visible. The following steps concern company car home charging in Germany and the legal position as of 24 September 2026.

Classify the error before recalculating

Start with the last complete period. Did transmission work up to a particular day? Are all sessions missing or only those for the company car? Is only the price blank while the kilowatt-hours are present? These questions often narrow down the error without immediately setting up devices or accounts again.

Use this classification when contacting the service provider too. “The reimbursement is wrong” is hard to act on. The vehicle, period, expected data type and observed error provide a much more useful brief.

Secure existing records before technical changes

Resetting the charger or deleting an account can make local information inaccessible. First secure the required reports and document the device identifier, period and current state. Have technical changes carried out under the intended service procedure.

Check whether data remains in the device, existing management system or with the previous service provider. An interrupted internet connection does not have to mean interrupted metering. Whether the charger stores data locally and sends it later does, however, depend on the specific model and its configuration.

For every recovered file, document the source and retrieval time. This keeps it clear which record was originally missing and what replaced or supplemented it. A file created later should not be treated as if it had already been reviewed at the original month-end close.

Do not confuse plausibility with evidence

Mileage, battery charge level and typical consumption can help identify an anomaly. However, they are not automatically equivalent to suitable metering of home charging energy. The household's total electricity bill also does not show how much of that electricity went into the company car.

The German Federal Ministry of Finance letter of 11 November 2025, paragraph 27 requires separate evidence of the electricity quantity. Which metering may be used in a particular reimbursement case must also be assessed under German measurement and verification law; the AGME technical guidance explains the requirements.

If suitable evidence cannot be obtained, the responsible reimbursement team must decide how to proceed with tax or specialist support. Fleet management should not invent a supposedly tax-free replacement allowance. An open case is better than a final approval that cannot be substantiated.

Treat a meter change as two metering periods

When a device is replaced, document the end of the old metering period and the start of the new one separately. Record the date, device identifiers and available readings. Subtracting the old meter's reading from the new meter's reading does not produce a meaningful consumption value.

Also check whether sessions from shortly before the replacement remain in the old system. A technical completion report may document the change, but does not automatically replace the required charging data. The two must be reconciled.

Plan a test session when operations resume. Check its vehicle allocation and exported record. This ensures that a repaired device is not merely switched back on technically, but also brought back into the reimbursement process.

Add missing prices without a hidden change of method

If energy data is complete but the individual tariff evidence is missing, the same troubleshooting process as for a metering failure is not required. Specifically request the relevant supplier document and period. The method chosen for the calendar year remains the starting point.

Do not silently use an estimated value from another household or the internet. The article Charging a company car at home: reimbursing electricity costs correctly in 2026 explains the distinction between actual costs and the permitted standard electricity rate. Missing documents are not a reason to switch freely back and forth between methods.

For a corrected electricity document, record which monthly value it changes. This makes it possible to distinguish a new price from a new energy quantity. That separation also helps answer employees' questions precisely.

Make corrections traceable and avoid duplicate payments

Hypothetical example: For one month, 180 kWh were initially checked and already reimbursed. Later, another 40 kWh are added with suitable evidence. The new monthly total is 220 kWh. The correction must show that 180 kWh have already been taken into account and only the difference needs to be assessed anew.

The responsible reimbursement team decides whether the correction takes place in the following month, through a separate reimbursement or by another permitted method. What matters for fleet management is the link between the original record, addition, approval and payment.

Enable the employee to understand the corrected sessions. If a previous amount is reduced, a clear explanation and an agreed next step are needed. Do not simply delete an original session to make the current display look tidier.

Use recurring errors as an operational indicator

Each month, record the number of open cases, their causes and the time taken to resolve them. This shows whether individual employees need support or a technical data path fails regularly. Use the analysis to improve the process, not as a substitute for reviewing each case.

A good provider should be able to explain how missing data is sought, subsequently delivered sessions are identified and changes are documented. Ask to see these processes in a specific demonstration. An automatic monthly overview alone does not resolve exception cases.

The StromNow home charging offering prepares reimbursement amounts and supporting records for companies. Discuss an anonymised error case with StromNow: the period, available metering source, missing data type and current reimbursement status provide the basis for an appropriate resolution process.