TV licence discounts available to claim – how to check if you can get money off | Personal Finance | Finance
The Government has announced that it will be frozen for at least two years. Those who are 75 or over and receive Pension Credit can claim a free TV licence.
The free TV licence will cover them and anyone else they live with.
TV licences for over 75s were free from November 2000 until the end of July 2020.
Since then, free licences have only been available to people aged over 75 who are in receipt of Pension Credit.
These individuals need to apply for a free TV licence as it’s not given out automatically.
People who are registered blind can also receive a 50 percent discount on their TV licence fee.
If a person lives with someone who is registered blind, they can also apply for the discount.
However, the TV licence must be in the blind person’s name.
With the discount applied, a blind individual can expect to pay £79.50 for their TV licence if it is in colour and £26.75 for a black and white TV licence.
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People can apply for their free or discounted TV licence online.
Another option is to call 0300 790 6071 and request an application form.
Claimants must send evidence of their blindness to TV Licensing as part of their application.
This includes a Certificate of Visual Impairment (CVI) or BD8 Certificate which acts as proof of diagnosis.
A TV licence is needed in the UK to watch or record any programmes as they are being broadcast live on television.
It is also required to watch or stream live programming on any online TV streaming service, such as BBC iPlayer or Sky Go.
This applies to any device a person uses such as a TV, computer, tablet or mobile phone.
The Culture Secretary, Nadine Dorries recently confirmed the licence fee freeze when she revealed that it is set to be frozen at £159.
It means that the overall BBC budget will be reduced.
The BBC currently receives around £3.7billion per year from the TV licence fee.
This move comes as inflation in the UK is expected to hit a 30 year high of six percent or more in April this year.
Overall, households will need to pay £159 per year until April 2024 when the fee will rise in line with inflation for four years.
