Television Licences

The law says you need to be covered by a TV Licence to:

watch or record programmes as they’re being shown on TV, on any channel
watch or stream programmes live on an online TV service (such as ITV Hub, All 4, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Now TV, Sky Go, etc.)
download or watch any BBC programmes on iPlayer
This applies to any device you use, including a TV, desktop computer, laptop, mobile phone, tablet, games console, digital box

This article tries to answer all your questions, but you can visit TV Licensing and watch their videos.

TV Licence cost

The Government is responsible for setting the level of the licence fee. From 1st April 2020 to 2024 the cost of a TV Licence is:

£159.00 colour TV Licence
£53.50 black and white TV Licence

Reduced cost TV Licences are available if you:

Blind: You can apply for a half price colour or black and white TV licence. You will need to provide some evidence when you apply.
live in a residential care home, supported housing or sheltered accommodation: The manager of your care home or accommodation needs to apply for you

Free TV licences and concessions

Free TV licences for all over 75 year olds, are no longer available. This ended on 31st July 2020. However, people over 75 and receive Pension Credit, or live with a partner who receives Pension Credit can claim a free TV licence.

People over 75 years old not receiving Pension Credit need to pay for a TV Licence from 1st August 2020.

If you are registered blind

If you are blind (severely sight impaired) and can provide evidence, you are eligible to apply for a 50% concession. Your TV Licence will also cover anyone who lives with you. Read more about what evidence you need to provide on the TV Licensing website.

If you are partially sighted (sight impaired) you are not eligible for a concession.

If you are not registered as blind, but would like to do so, see our section on Visual impairments for information on how to do this.

If you live in a care home or in sheltered housing

The Government set the criteria for which residential care homes, supported housing or sheltered accommodation are eligible for an Accommodation for Residential Care (ARC) concessionary TV Licence.

TV Licensing’s ARC team can guide applicants through the application process and check that the detailed Government criteria for ARC TV Licences are met. (see organisation listing)

How to pay

There are a number of ways to pay for your licence. It’s worth checking first to see if you are eligible for any discounts or concessions. There are some flexible payment options to help you manage you budget explained below.

Cheque

If you are paying for your TV Licence in one go, rather than spreading the cost, you can send a cheque in the post. Write your cheque for the full amount and make it payable to ‘TV Licensing‘. You should also write your name, address and TV Licence number (if renewing) on the back of the cheque. (see address on the organisation listing)

Your TV Licence will then be sent to you in the post within 10 working days. You’ll also be able to view your licence online.

Direct Debit

Setting up a direct debit can be a convenient way to pay for your television licence and you can choose whether to pay in monthly, quarterly or annual instalments. You can set up a direct debit online.

Credit or Debit Card

You can pay online using your credit or debit card, or call telephone number 0300 555 0286 and have your card ready.

You can pay at a PayPoint with a debit card or cash.

Payment or savings card

A TV Licensing payment card gives you the flexibility to pay for a licence weekly and fortnightly, or monthly, from about £6. You can pay online, at any PayPoint outlet, by phone or by text. If you don’t already have a TV Licensing payment card, apply by calling 0300 555 0286.

PayPoint Outlets

PayPoint outlets are located in newsagents, convenience stores, supermarkets and petrol stations. When using a PayPoint outlet to buy or to renew your television licence, you can pay by cash, debit card, or payment or savings card.

Having problems paying for your TV Licence

If you are having problems with money, support is available in Newcastle. Read more about dealing with debt or managing on a low income on InformationNOW.

Simple payment plan

The Simple Payment Plan was created for people in financial difficulty. You can choose to make either a fortnightly or monthly payments to spread the cost of a licence over 12 months. It offers flexibility if a payment is missed, as you can spread it across rest of the year, instead of having to pay double next time. You are eligible to join the Simple Payment Plan you have:

been visited by a TV Licensing Enquiry Officer
previously had a TV licence that was cancelled in the last 6 months because you missed payments
are having money problems and are referred by a not-for-profit organisation that gives money or debt advice

Information in other languages

The TV Licensing website has information in Welsh, Bengali, Gujarati, Turkish, Cantonese, Hindi, Urdu, Greek, Punjabi, Arabic and Somali and other languages. They also:

distribute leaflets to community organisations in 26 languages.
leaflets are available in large print and easy read
Customer Care line has a text phone facility
letters to be sent in different formats including Braille
easy read online

Fraud and scams

You will receive emails from TV Licensing from the email address [email protected] . They always include your name in their emails. You can save their email address in your contact list so you know who the email is from They will never:

email you to tell you that you’re entitled to a refund
offer you a discounted TV Licence
ask for your card details to take a missed payment before they asked you to sign in to their website and identify yourself using your TV licence number, surname and postcode
ask for your mother’s maiden name
ask for your date of birth (unless you’re 74 or over and applying for a free TV Licence)

You can find more useful information about Staying safe online on InformationNOW

Other useful information

LifeBook – Age UK free resource. It can be easy to mislay important documents and information. Record your details from, who insures your car, to where you put the TV licence. The LifeBook can help you to be more organised and could be invaluable to a family member or a friend if they need to locate important information about you in an emergency.

Last updated: September 12, 2022