The TV licence now costs £180 a year, but many people can legally reduce their bill to £0 or get a discount. The government has committed to keeping the current system and its concessions until at least the end of the Charter period in 2027.
Who can get a free or discounted TV licence?
State pensioners aged 74 or over who receive Pension Credit can apply for a free TV licence. Any household with a state pensioner receiving Pension Credit can get a free licence for the entire household.
People who are registered blind or severely sight impaired can get a 50% discount, reducing the cost to £90. There is also still a black and white TV licence available for £60.50 for those with a very old TV.
What you can watch without a TV licence
A TV licence is a legal requirement if you watch or record TV on any channel via any service (such as Sky, Virgin, Freeview, Freesat), watch live content on streaming services (e.g. ITVX, Channel 4, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Now, Sky Go), or use BBC iPlayer at all.
You do not need a TV licence to watch on-demand programmes on any service apart from BBC iPlayer. This means you can legally watch Netflix, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video or Apple TV as long as it is not live content. Watching DVDs or Blu-rays also does not require a licence.
TV Licensing states: "You need to be covered by a TV Licence to watch programmes live on any online TV service - such as ITVX, Channel 4, Amazon Prime Video, Now or Sky Go. You don’t need a TV licence if you only ever watch on-demand programmes on any TV service apart from BBC iPlayer."
One licence per household
TV licences are per house, not per person. One shared address equals one licence, so a group of students living under one roof can split the cost. However, if you live in a separate flat with its own front door, even within a house that has been split into flats, you need your own licence.
Responding to a petition, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said: "There are a number of TV licence concessions available, including for over-75s in receipt of pension credit. There is no BBC concession to provide free TV licences for all pensioners at this time. TV Licence concessions are set out in legislation and are currently available to people who are registered blind or severely sight impaired, as well as to over-75s in receipt of pension credit, and people living in qualifying residential care who are disabled or over 60 years old. The Government is committed to the current licence fee and its available concessions for the remainder of this Charter period, until the end of 2027."
Otherwise, you only need a licence if you watch live TV or BBC iPlayer, either live or on catch-up, including streaming live TV such as live football or live boxing.
