THE cost of a TV licence is set to hit £174 a year in April and if the rise has left you ready to switch off it could be time to cancel and claim a refund.
But, before you decide to ditch live TV for good, it’s worth checking if you could be eligible for a discount or even a free licence.
The price of a TV licence will increase to £169 a year from April[/caption]
From April 1 the cost of a standard colour TV Licence will increase from £169.50 to £174.50 a year, while a black and white licence will go up from £57 to £58.50.
The TV licence funds BBC services across television, radio and online.
Legally, if anyone in your household watches live television the property needs to be covered by a licence.
If you’re caught watching live television, including that broadcast across Sky or streaming services, without a licence you could face a fine of £1,000, plus any legal costs and/or compensation
But, if you only ever watch television using catch-up services and never watch live TV across any platform you do not need a licence.
If you’re watching BBC iPlayer be aware that you also wont be able to legally record or download programming without a licence.
If you decide not to pay for a TV licence you can cancel and apply for a refund.
It’s simple to cancel your licence on the TV licensing website and if you have more than a month remaining on it, you’ll be able to apply for a refund.
You can also apply for refund if you find that you’re eligible for a discount or a free licence.
Who is eligible for a discounted TV licence?
You could be eligible for a discount if you live in residential care or sheltered accommodation, or if you’re registered blind.
If you are over 60 and live in sheltered accommodation or a residential care home you can get a licence for just £7.50, although it has not yet been confirmed if this price will rise in April.
If you’re registered blind, or live with someone who is, you’re in line for a 50% discount.
The current discounted fee is £84.75, which will rise to £87.25 in April.
The licence must be in the name if the person registered blind, but if your existing licence is not in their name you can make an application to transfer it.
You can apply for the discount on the TV Licensing website.
Who is eligible for a free TV licence?
You can claim a free TV licence if you’re 75 or older and claim Pension Credit or live with a partner who receives the benefit.
If you will be eligible you can apply for in advance but, you will still be charged full price until the end of the month before your 75th birthday.
You can apply for your free licence online or by calling 0300 790 6071.
What is Pension Credit?
Pension Credit is a benefit that supports pensioners on low incomes with living costs.
It’s available to those who are over the state pension age of 66 and tops up weekly incomes to £218.15 if you are single or to £332.95 if you have a partner.
This rate will increase by 4.1% from April 1.
It can also help with housing costs such as ground rent or service charges.
Pension Credit is separate from State Pension and can be claimed even by those who have other income, savings or own their homes.
If you’re a carer, are severely disabled, or are responsible for a child or young person, you could be entitled to extra help through Pension Credit.
Who’s eligible for Pension Credit?
To be eligible for Pension Credit, you must live in England, Scotland or Wales and have reached State Pension age (currently 66).
You must include your partner on the application if you live together and to be eligible you must have both reached state pension age or receive housing benefit for people over state pension age.
To be eligible, your income must currently be below £218.15 if you’re single, or £332.95 jointly if you’re applying with a partner.
Income includes State Pension, other pensions, earnings from employment or self-employment and most social security benefits.
Some benefits are not included such as:
- Adult Disability Payment
- Attendance Allowance
- Christmas Bonus
- Child Benefit
- Disability Living Allowance
- Personal Independence Payment
- Social fund payments like Winter Fuel Allowance
- Housing Benefit
- Council Tax Reduction
If you’re entitled to a personal, state or workplace pension and you have not claimed it yet, the amount you’d expect to get still counts as income.
If your income is above the threshold, you could still be eligible if you have a disability, you care for someone, you have savings or have housing costs.
Savings under £10,000 will not affect your Pension Credit, if you have more than £10,000, every £500 over £10,000 counts as £1 income a week.
How do you apply?
You can start your application for Pension Credit up to four months before you reach State Pension age.
To apply you’ll need to provide your National Insurance number, information about any income, savings and investments you have, and your bank account details.
If you live with a partner you’ll also need to provide their details.
You can apply online here or by calling 0800 99 1234.
How do I apply for pension credit?
YOU can start your application up to four months before you reach state pension age.
Applications for pension credit can be made on the government website or by ringing the pension credit claim line on 0800 99 1234.
You can get a friend or family member to ring for you, but you’ll need to be with them when they do.
You’ll need the following information about you and your partner if you have one:
- National Insurance number
- Information about any income, savings and investments you have
- Information about your income, savings and investments on the date you want to backdate your application to (usually three months ago or the date you reached state pension age)
If you claim after you reach pension age, you can backdate your claim for up to three months.
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