Black and White TV Licence Cost 2026
£60.50/year from 1 April 2026. That is £119.50 less than the colour licence. Yes, it still exists, and around 4,000 to 5,000 households still hold one.
Annual fee 2026-27
£60.50
from 1 April 2026
Saving vs colour
£119.50
colour licence is £180
Annual issuance
~5,000
down from 212k in 2000
Why does this still exist?
The black and white television licence has been part of the UK fee structure since colour broadcasting began in 1967. When colour transmissions launched on BBC2, licensing was split into two tiers: a higher fee for households watching in colour and a lower fee for those still on monochrome equipment. The two-tier structure has survived every Charter renewal since, even as B&W set ownership collapsed.
In 1980, B&W licences accounted for roughly a quarter of all UK TV licences. By the mid-1990s the figure had fallen below 5 per cent. By 2000, around 212,000 B&W licences were still issued each year. The most recent published figure, reported via BBC News and confirmed in TV Licensing operational releases, suggests approximately 4,000 to 5,000 B&W licences are now active at any one time.
The persistence is partly inertia, partly genuine demand. A subset of older viewers continue to use working monochrome equipment they have owned for decades. A smaller subset of vintage and broadcast-history enthusiasts maintain CRT B&W sets as a hobby. A handful of households operate small portable B&W travel TVs (still manufactured for camping and emergency-radio use) and choose the B&W tier on principle.
What counts as a B&W television?
The TV Licensing definition is tied to equipment capability, not picture content:
- YesVintage CRT monochrome television (e.g. 1960s and 1970s sets)
- YesPortable LCD travel TVs sold as monochrome only
- YesComputer or test monitor hardware-locked to greyscale output
- NoColour TV with B&W picture mode enabled
- NoSmartphone or tablet (these can show colour)
- NoSmart TV with grayscale accessibility setting on
The key phrase TV Licensing uses is "capable of receiving and displaying a colour signal." If the equipment can show colour at all, even occasionally, the colour licence is required. The fee is determined by the device, not by what you watch on it.
The £119.50 question: should you switch?
Switching from a colour to a B&W licence saves £119.50 per year. For a small number of households this is real money. But the conditions are strict, and mis-declaring (claiming a B&W licence while owning equipment that can show colour) is a breach that triggers the full colour fee plus potential enforcement action.
In practical terms, the switch makes sense only if every TV-capable device in your home is genuinely incapable of colour. That rules out almost every modern household: a smartphone, an iPad, or a laptop disqualifies you. Even a plugged-in smart TV with a colour-capable panel disqualifies you, regardless of whether you ever use it.
If you have stopped using your colour set entirely and only watch on a vintage B&W TV, the switch is straightforward. Contact TV Licensing online or by phone (0300 790 6165), explain the change, and request the B&W licence. You will be refunded the difference pro-rata for any complete remaining months on your colour licence. TV Licensing may follow up with verification correspondence, and in some cases an enforcement enquiry, before approving the switch.
B&W licence price trajectory
| Year | B&W Licence | Colour Licence | Saving |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | £53.00 | £157.50 | £104.50 |
| 2021-22 | £53.50 | £159.00 | £105.50 |
| 2022-23 | £53.50 | £159.00 | £105.50 |
| 2023-24 | £53.50 | £159.00 | £105.50 |
| 2024-25 | £57.00 | £169.50 | £112.50 |
| 2025-26 | £57.00 | £169.50 | £112.50 |
| 2026-27 | £60.50 | £180.00 | £119.50 |
Sources: TV Licensing published fee schedules, DCMS funding settlements 2022 and 2024. The 2022-2024 freeze froze both tiers; the CPI link resumed in April 2024.
Edge case: faded colour TVs
One frequently-asked scenario: you own an old colour CRT or early plasma set whose colour reproduction has degraded to the point where the picture is essentially monochrome. Does that qualify for the B&W licence?
In most cases, no. TV Licensing has historically taken the position that a set with degraded colour is still "capable of receiving and displaying a colour signal" even if the actual picture is poor. If the colour can be restored by adjusting settings, recalibrating, or replacing a failed component, the colour licence applies.
There are exceptions. If the set has a confirmed hardware fault that makes colour display impossible without economically irrational repair (typically a failed CRT phosphor or a dead colour-decoder chip on a vintage set), TV Licensing has in some past cases accepted a downgrade to B&W. Expect to provide evidence such as a repair estimate.
Free over-75 vs B&W licence
If you are 75 or over and receive Pension Credit, you are entitled to a free TV licence regardless of whether you watch in colour or black and white. The free licence supersedes the B&W tier. Apply via TV Licensing with evidence of your Pension Credit entitlement.
If you are 75 or over but do not receive Pension Credit, you pay the standard rate for whichever licence applies to your equipment. There is no automatic age discount. This change took effect on 1 August 2020 when the universal free licence for over-75s was withdrawn. See our over-75 TV licence cost guide for the full rules.
Not legal advice
This page describes TV Licensing's public fee structure and policy as published. For your specific situation, check tvlicensing.co.uk or seek free advice from Citizens Advice.