Eligible state pensioners can keep away from the TV licence price, which elevated on April 1.
The price of a TV Licence is now £180 per 12 months (Picture: Getty)
Older state pensioners throughout the UK can reduce their TV Licence invoice all the way down to £0 in simply 16 minutes in the event that they meet sure standards.
Following a £5.50 enhance on April 1, a TV Licence now prices households £180 per 12 months, or £60.50 when you have a black and white TV set. The UK authorities determined that the TV Licence price would enhance consistent with inflation from April 1, 2024, for the remaining 4 years of the Constitution interval, which runs till the top of 2027, that means households nonetheless face one other 12 months of value hikes in April. The Division for Tradition, Media and Sport (DCMS) mentioned in February that licence price is rising this 12 months “consistent with inflation” as required by the 2022 Licence Charge Settlement, including that the price will even rise once more consistent with CPI inflation in April 2027.
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Pension Credit score offers more money to individuals over State Pension age and on a low earnings, and is price greater than £3,900 per 12 months on common, in line with the federal government.
Presently, the profit tops up your weekly earnings to £227.10 (or £238 from April 6) if you happen to’re single, or your joint weekly earnings to £346.60 (or £363.25 from April 6) when you have a companion, nevertheless it additionally unlocks entry to different monetary help too – together with a free TV Licence.
Pension Credit score acts as a gateway profit to a swathe of different monetary assist for pensioners, together with entry to issues like Housing Profit, a Winter Gasoline Fee, a Council Tax low cost, assist with NHS dental remedy, glasses and transport prices, and a free TV Licence if you happen to’re aged 75 or over.
In accordance with the DWP, it solely takes 16 minutes on common to use, and by doing so, you may unlock 1000’s of kilos price of additional monetary help.
The DWP mentioned final 12 months: “The web declare type – up to date by the Work and Pensions Secretary after listening to the views of pensioners– means it now takes simply 16 minutes on common to use for Pension Credit score and be eligible for as much as £4,300, with 90 % of recent clients making use of utilizing the easy on-line type, or over the telephone.”
When you already get Pension Credit score then you may apply for a free TV Licence if you’re 74, however you’ll must proceed paying in your licence till the top of the month earlier than your seventy fifth birthday. After this, you may be lined by your free licence.
For individuals who don’t meet the eligibility standards for Pension Credit score, there are different methods to cut back your TV Licence invoice, or keep away from the price totally.
In accordance with TV Licensing, you need to cancel your TV Licence if you happen to now not watch stay on any channel, TV service or streaming service, or use BBC iPlayer. So if you happen to 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. However if you happen to nonetheless want your TV Licence there are different methods to cut back the associated fee.
When you stay in a residential care dwelling, supported housing or sheltered lodging, then it’s possible you’ll be entitled to a lowered price TV Licence, and if you happen to’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 apply you then’ll need to pay for a TV Licence on the full fee.
TV licence: A have a look at reforms made to price in 2022
When you don’t meet the eligibility standards for Pension Credit score or qualify for a lowered price TV Licence, then there are nonetheless a number of choices to save cash.
TV licences are per family, not per individual, so if you happen to 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 if you happen to watch TV in a single shared space, or have a joint tenancy settlement. However when you have separate tenancy agreements and watch TV in your personal room, then you have to to pay in your personal.
You additionally don’t want a TV Licence to look at streaming companies, equivalent to Netflix and Disney Plus, on-demand TV by way of companies like All 4 and Amazon Prime Video, movies on web sites equivalent to YouTube, or DVDs and Blu-rays.
So if you happen to’re joyful to only stick with watching any of those, and never watch or file any stay TV or BBC iPlayer, it can save you your self £174.50. However if you happen to do watch or file stay TV with out a TV Licence, you then might be issued a high quality of as much as £1,000.
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