The over-75 TV licence: what changed and what you need to do

Since June 2020, the free TV licence for people aged 75 and over is no longer universal. It is now means-tested. If you receive Pension Credit, you qualify and the licence costs you nothing. If you don't, you pay the standard fee, currently £174.50 a year. That's the short version. The rest of this article explains the history, the exceptions, and exactly how to sort it out.

What actually changed in 2020?

For many years, any household where at least one person was aged 75 or over received a free TV licence automatically. The BBC took over responsibility for funding the concession from the government in 2018, then announced in 2019 that it could no longer afford to extend it universally. After a delay caused by the pandemic, the change came into force in August 2020.

The result was that roughly 1.5 million over-75 households lost their free licence overnight, according to figures cited by Age UK at the time. A significant number of those households were entitled to Pension Credit but weren't claiming it, which meant they were paying for something they could have had for free.

That mismatch still exists today. It's one of the reasons I'd always suggest checking your Pension Credit eligibility before assuming you simply have to pay.

Who still qualifies for a free licence?

The qualification rules are straightforward, if narrow.

You get a free TV licence if:

• At least one person in the household is aged 75 or over, and
• That person (or their partner) receives Pension Credit

Both conditions have to be met. Age alone is no longer enough.

There's a separate exemption worth knowing about: if you're registered blind (severely sight impaired), you're entitled to a 50% discount regardless of age or income. And if you live in qualifying residential care, the ARC concession applies instead (see the FAQ below for more on that).

What is Pension Credit, and might you be entitled to it?

Pension Credit is a means-tested top-up benefit for people of State Pension age (currently 66 and over) on lower incomes. There are two parts: Guarantee Credit, which tops your weekly income up to a minimum level, and Savings Credit, which is an additional amount for people who saved modestly for retirement.

The weekly income thresholds change each April. For 2024/25, the Guarantee Credit threshold is £218.15 a week for a single person and £332.95 for a couple. Those figures include any State Pension you receive, so even if you have some savings or a small private pension, you might still qualify.

I've lost count of the number of times I've spoken to people who assumed Pension Credit was only for those with no money at all. It isn't. The DWP estimates that somewhere between 800,000 and 1.4 million eligible households aren't claiming it (GOV.UK, 2023). The reasons vary: some people feel it's charity, some simply don't know about it, some find the form daunting.

If you're unsure whether you'd qualify, the quickest starting point is the Pension Credit calculator on GOV.UK. Age UK also offers a free benefits check through its advice line (0800 055 6112), and I'd particularly recommend that route if your situation involves a carer, a disability premium, or a mixed-age couple.

How do you apply for the free over-75 licence?

Once you're receiving Pension Credit, there are two routes.

The first is to wait. TV Licensing and the DWP run a data-matching exercise that's supposed to identify eligible households automatically. If it works as intended, you'll receive a letter telling you your licence is now free. In practice, data matches aren't instant and some households are missed, so I wouldn't rely on this alone.

The second route is to apply directly with TV Licensing, which is what I'd recommend. You can do this:

• Online at tvlicensing.co.uk (search "over 75 application")
• By phone on 0300 790 6117
• By post by requesting a form from the same number

You'll need your Pension Credit reference number, which appears on your Pension Credit award letter. If you've mislaid that letter, call the Pension Credit helpline on 0800 731 0469 and ask for a duplicate.

The process itself is simple. TV Licensing will verify your Pension Credit status and issue a free licence for the household. If you've been paying by direct debit in the meantime, ask them to refund payments made since you became eligible.

What if you're just above the Pension Credit threshold?

This is the genuinely difficult situation, and I want to be honest: there's no middle ground in the current rules. Either you receive Pension Credit and get the free licence, or you don't and you pay.

That said, if you've been turned down for Pension Credit recently or were told you earn slightly too much, it's worth a fresh look. The threshold rises each April in line with the triple lock on State Pension. If your income has stayed flat while the threshold has risen, you might now qualify when you didn't before.

There's also a less obvious angle. Certain disability-related costs can be factored into the Pension Credit calculation if you or your partner receives Attendance Allowance or the daily living component of PIP. A benefits adviser at Citizens Advice or Age UK can work through the full calculation with you.

One more thing: if you were claiming Pension Credit before May 2022 and you or your partner was born before 6 April 1953, you may still be on Savings Credit only. TV Licensing's rules say Savings Credit on its own does qualify you for the free licence, so don't assume you need to be on Guarantee Credit specifically.

What about people who were getting a free licence before 2020?

If you had a free licence under the old universal scheme and you don't receive Pension Credit, your entitlement ended in August 2020. TV Licensing would have written to you at the time. If you continued watching television without paying after that point, you were technically unlicensed, and TV Licensing does enforce this.

The good news is that there's no retrospective penalty if you simply didn't realise and then sorted it out. Getting a licence in place promptly is what matters. If you're struggling to pay, TV Licensing offers a payment plan by monthly or quarterly direct debit rather than one annual sum. That doesn't reduce the cost, but it can make it more manageable.

What should you do right now?

If you're 75 or over, the practical steps depend on your situation.

Already on Pension Credit: Contact TV Licensing to confirm your free licence is in place. Don't assume the data match has happened.

Not on Pension Credit and unsure whether you'd qualify: Do a benefits check. Use GOV.UK's Pension Credit calculator or call Age UK's advice line. The check is free and carries no obligation.

Not on Pension Credit and certain you earn too much: You'll pay the standard licence fee. Consider the direct debit option if cost is a factor.

For a broader look at benefits that often go unclaimed later in life, including Attendance Allowance and Council Tax reduction, see our guide to benefits for over-65s.