Hundreds of thousands of Britons are thought to qualify for a free TV licence but aren’t claiming the support – possibly because they’re unaware of the discount.
The TV licence fee, which currently stands at £169.50 a year, is set to rise to £174.50 from April 2025. Every household in the UK that watches live TV or BBC iPlayer must have a licence.
However, households aged 75 and over who claim the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Pension Credit benefit are able to claim their TV licence for free.
According to the latest figures from the DWP, more than 968,000 people aged 75 and over currently receive Pension Credit. However, many are not taking advantage of the free TV licence benefit linked to Pension Credit, as it is not automatically applied.
In fact, research by Policy in Practice earlier this year showed a staggering £249million worth of free TV licences were going unclaimed. What’s more, latest DWP data estimates as many as 700,000 more state pensioners qualify for Pension Credit – which would unlock a free TV licence – but aren’t claiming the benefit.
How to claim a free TV licence
You can get a free TV licence if you’re 75 or older and you either:
The licence covers everyone living at the address. People can apply when they’re 74 if they already get Pension Credit.
They’ll still need to pay for the licence until the end of the month before their 75th birthday. After that, the claimant will be covered by the free licence.
People can then apply for a free licence online or by phone on 0300 790 6071.
Who is eligible to claim Pension Credit?
To claim Pension Credit, which is worth an average of £4,200 a year, a person must live in England, Scotland or Wales and have reached the state pension age (currently 66 and over). They or their partner must also be receiving housing benefits.
If this applies, the person must then work out their total weekly income. This should include the state pension, other pensions, earnings from employment and self-employment, and most social security benefits, such as Carer’s Allowance.
Not all benefits are counted as income. For example, the following are not counted and shouldn’t be included in the calculation:
- Adult Disability Payment
- Attendance Allowance
- Christmas Bonus
- Child Benefit
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Social fund payments, such as the Winter Fuel Allowance
- Housing Benefit
- Council Tax Reduction.
People are most likely to be eligible if their total weekly income is roughly under £220.
However, if their income is higher, they might still be eligible, so it’s worth checking the Government Pension Credit calculator just in case.
To apply for the benefit, people can reach the helpline by telephone at 0800 99 1234 or by textphone on 0800 169 0133. They can also apply online here.
