TV licence costs have gone up again this spring – along with many other household bills – leaving pensioners in particular trying to find ways to make ends meet on their weekly state pension.
Despite the surge in popularity of streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney Plus and Amazon Prime Video, the TV licence is still required for almost all households, as watching any live programme as it’s broadcast, or any BBC show, obligates you to pay the charge which is now set at £174.50 per year after the costs went up £5 in April.
There’s never been a better time to check if you can cut the costs of your TV licence, possibly all the way to £0, depending on your income and personal circumstances, according to the rules set by TV Licensing.
State pensioners don’t automatically qualify for a free TV licence. Instead, they need to be aged 74 or over, with an income below a certain threshold.
But your income also needs to be low enough to qualify for Pension Credit. The benefit is given to those who have less than £227.10 per week income (£346.60 for a couple), based on the new rates which were introduced in April.
Anyone who hit state pension age before April 2016, will be on the old basic state pension, which only pays £176. Therefore, unless you have other income or savings, everyone on the old state pension will be eligible to claim Pension Credit.
This is not automatic, and it must be claimed from the DWP with an application. In turn, those who are claiming Pension Credit will be able to apply for a free TV licence. If you were already claiming Pension Credit, you can make your free TV licence application aged 74, instead of waiting until you’re 75.
TV Licensing says: “You can apply for a free TV licence if you, as the licence holder, are 75 years or older AND you, or your partner living at the same address, receive Pension Credit.
“If you already receive Pension Credit, you can apply for your free licence when you are 74 years old. We’ll update your payments to cover you until your 75th birthday, and then you’ll be covered by your free licence. We’ll confirm this in writing.”
Even if you have too much income to qualify for pension credit, if anyone in your household is legally blind, you could at least cut your TV licence in half to just £84. It only needs one person in the household to be legally blind to cut the whole household bill in half.
