The TV Licence payment is rising from April 1 however some households may ditch it altogether.
The TV Licence payment is rising to £180 per 12 months from April 1 (Picture: Getty)
UK households eager to avoid wasting pennies can get a reimbursement of their pocket by cancelling their TV Licence earlier than an April value rise. A TV Licence at the moment prices £174.50 per 12 months (or £58.50 if in case you have a black and white TV set), however the value is because of go up from April 1.
The Division for Tradition, Media and Sport (DCMS) confirmed in February that the TV Licence payment will rise in keeping with inflation from April, taking the annual payment from £174.50 per 12 months to £180 – a rise of £5.50, or an additional 46p per thirty days. The annual payment for black and white TV units can be going up, rising from £58.50 per 12 months to £60.50 – a rise of £2 for the 2026/27 tax 12 months.
The DCMS mentioned the associated fee is rising in keeping with inflation as required by the 2022 Licence Charge Settlement, including that it’s going to additionally rise once more in keeping with CPI inflation in April 2027, that means additional expense for households. However with family budgets already stretched because of the rising value of dwelling, it’s price contemplating in the event you really need your TV Licence, and in the event you don’t, then you would cancel earlier than the value rise in April and get a refund.
Households are required to have a TV Licence to look at or document programmes on a TV, pc, or different system on any channel or service as they’re broadcast – together with on-demand BBC programmes on BBC iPlayer.
The UK Authorities has confirmed that the TV Licence payment will rise in keeping with inflation for the remaining years of the Constitution interval, which runs till the top of 2027, that means households face a minimum of two extra years of value hikes in April. However in the event you do not actually make full use of your TV Licence, then it could possibly be price cancelling.
In keeping with TV Licensing, it’s best to cancel your TV Licence in the event you now not watch stay TV on any channel, TV service or streaming service, or use BBC iPlayer.
So in the event you fall into this class, you may cancel your licence and could also be eligible for a refund if, earlier than your licence expires, you received’t be doing any of the next:
- Watching TV on any channel, like BBC, ITV, Channel 4, U&Dave and worldwide channels
- Watching TV on pay TV companies, like Sky, Virgin Media and EE TV
- Watching stay TV on streaming companies, like YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video.
- Utilizing BBC iPlayer
This contains recording and downloading programmes on any system.
TV Licensing explains: “You’ll be able to apply for a refund in the event you received’t want your licence once more earlier than it expires, and you’ve got a minimum of one full month left on it. In the event you’re eligible for a blind concession, you may apply for a refund at any time and for any size of time left in your licence. You’ll be able to apply for a refund as much as 14 days earlier than the date you now not want the TV Licence.”
Refunds are sometimes processed and issued inside 21 days of submitting your software and any cash that you’re owed will probably be paid again both by cheque or instantly into your checking account.
The precise quantity households will probably be refunded will depend on particular person circumstances and is calculated primarily based on if you licence was issued and its expiry dte.
Any refund due is calculated in unused months, so that you want a minimal of 1 full month left in your licence that you simply will not want earlier than it expires to get any a reimbursement.
TV Licensing mentioned: “You can get a refund for between one and 11 months, relying on how lengthy you will have left in your licence. You received’t be eligible for a refund if there’s lower than one month between the cancellation date and the expiry date. In the event you haven’t paid to your licence in full, its expiry date could also be modified to mirror what you’ve paid.
“You’ll be able to view your licence expiry date by signing in to your licence together with your licence quantity, title on the licence and postcode. Discover your licence quantity.”
In keeping with TV Licencing, most individuals select to unfold the price of the TV Licence payment with a month-to-month Direct Debit, which at the moment works out at round £14.54 per thirty days. However from April, this value will go up so in the event you assume you do not want your licence, it is price cancelling earlier than the brand new charges take impact subsequent month.
In the event you nonetheless want your TV Licence, then there are different methods to scale back the associated fee, or get it utterly free in some instances. In the event you’re aged 75 and over and also you, or your accomplice dwelling on the identical tackle, obtain Pension Credit score, then you may apply for a free TV Licence, saving you £174.50 per 12 months.
Folks dwelling in a residential care house, supported housing or sheltered lodging could also be entitled to a lowered payment TV Licence, and in the event you’re blind (severely sight impaired) and may present the suitable proof, you may apply for a 50% low cost in your TV Licence. But when neither of those applies, you then’ll should pay for a TV Licence on the full fee.
In the event you don’t meet the eligibility standards for Pension Credit score or qualify for a lowered payment TV Licence, then there are nonetheless a couple of choices to save lots of on prices.
TV Licences are per family, not per individual, so in the event you stay in a home with a number of individuals, you don’t all must have one and will all chip in to share the price of one licence.
As an alternative, you may share a TV Licence among the many complete family in the event you watch TV in a single shared space, or have a joint tenancy settlement. However if in case you have separate tenancy agreements and watch TV in your individual room, then you’ll need to pay to your personal.
The day’s largest headlines in UK and World information and extra Subscribe Invalid e-mail
We use your sign-up to offer content material in methods you have consented to and to enhance our understanding of you. This may increasingly embrace adverts from us and third events primarily based on our understanding. You’ll be able to unsubscribe at any time. Learn our Privateness Coverage
You additionally don’t want a TV Licence to look at streaming companies, akin to Netflix and Disney Plus, on-demand TV via companies like All 4 and Amazon Prime Video, movies on web sites akin to YouTube, or DVDs and Blu-rays.
So in the event you’re glad to only stick with watching any of those, and never watch or document any stay TV, BBC iPlayer, or stay sports activities akin to boxing via streaming platforms, it can save you your self £174.50. However in the event you do watch or document stay TV with out a TV Licence, you then might be issued a tremendous of as much as £1,000.
Leave a Reply