Over 75 TV Licence Cost 2026
Free if you or your partner receive Pension Credit. Otherwise £180/year like everyone else. Universal free licence ended 1 August 2020.
With Pension Credit
£0
apply via TV Licensing
Without Pension Credit
£180
standard fee, age 75+
Eligible households
~1.5m
UK pensioners on PC
The 2020 change everyone needs to understand
Before 1 August 2020, every UK household where the licence holder was 75 or over received a free TV licence regardless of income. The free licence was introduced in 2000 by the Blair government as a benefit funded directly from the Treasury and administered by the Department for Work and Pensions. Around 4.5 million households held the free over-75 licence at its peak in the late 2010s.
The 2015 BBC funding settlement transferred the cost of the free licence from the Treasury to the BBC, with the change phased in by 2020. In June 2020 the BBC announced it could not afford to continue the universal scheme at the existing scale: the cost was approaching £750 million a year, equivalent to roughly 20 per cent of total licence-fee revenue. The compromise was to means-test the concession, restricting free licences to over-75 households also receiving Pension Credit.
The change took effect on 1 August 2020. Around 3 million previously-free over-75 licence holders became liable for the standard fee. The transition was managed over several months with reminder letters and phone calls. The remaining 1.5 million households on Pension Credit continued to receive their licence free of charge under the new means-tested rules.
Eligibility in detail
You qualify for a free over-75 TV licence if both of the following are true:
- 1You (the licence holder) are aged 75 or over at any point during the licence year.
- 2You or your partner currently receive Pension Credit (either Guarantee Credit, Savings Credit, or both).
The licence is issued in the name of the over-75 household member, regardless of which partner receives the Pension Credit award. If only the younger partner is on Pension Credit but the licence holder is 75+, the household still qualifies.
What Pension Credit is, and why so many people miss it
Pension Credit is a means-tested benefit administered by the DWP for pensioners on low income. There are two elements: Guarantee Credit tops up weekly income to a minimum (£227.10 for a single person or £346.60 for a couple as of April 2026), and Savings Credit provides a small additional payment for those with modest savings. Either element qualifies you for the free TV licence.
The DWP estimates that around 800,000 to 1 million pensioners eligible for Pension Credit do not claim it. The figure has been raised repeatedly by Age UK, Citizens Advice, and parliamentary committees as one of the biggest under-claimed benefits in the system. The reasons include: pensioners not knowing they qualify, assumption that owning a home or having modest savings disqualifies them (neither does), reluctance to apply for what feels like a benefit, and complexity of the application form.
If you are 75 or over, even a small Pension Credit award (a few pounds per week) qualifies you for the free TV licence (worth £180/year) and a long list of other passporting benefits: Cold Weather Payment, free NHS dental treatment, free prescriptions, help with NHS travel costs, council tax reduction, and Warm Home Discount. The total annual value is often several thousand pounds. Use the official Pension Credit calculator to check, or call the DWP claim line on 0800 99 1234.
How to apply for the free licence
Apply via the dedicated TV Licensing over-75 portal at tvlicensing.co.uk/over-75 or by phone on 0800 232 1382 (the dedicated over-75 free phone line, separate from the standard licence number). The application can be completed by a family member or carer on your behalf.
You will need:
- • Your existing licence number if you have one
- • Your date of birth and proof of identity
- • Proof of Pension Credit (a recent DWP award letter or benefits statement, normally within the last 12 months)
- • The National Insurance numbers of yourself and any partner
- • Your address and contact details
The application is normally processed within 2 to 3 weeks. Your free licence is issued for a full 12 months from the start of your next licence year, or immediately if you are out of compliance. If you have been paying for a standard licence and switch to the free over-75 licence mid-year, you can request a pro-rata refund for the unused portion of your existing licence.
If you do not qualify, what are your options?
If you are 75 or over but do not receive Pension Credit, you pay the standard £180/year fee like any other household. Several payment options can help spread the cost: monthly Direct Debit at £15.00/month, the weekly Savings Card at PayPoint outlets, or the Simple Payment Plan for those struggling with affordability.
Before resigning yourself to paying the full fee, check whether you might qualify for Pension Credit. The eligibility rules are more generous than many pensioners assume. Home ownership does not disqualify you. Modest savings (less than around £10,000) do not affect the award. A small private pension does not disqualify you, though it reduces the amount.
If you have applied for Pension Credit and been refused, you can appeal. Citizens Advice has free expert advisers who can help with Pension Credit appeals. Age UK also provides specialist support. A successful appeal typically gives you backdated Pension Credit and access to the free TV licence backdated to the same start date.
Not legal advice
For your specific situation, check tvlicensing.co.uk, the gov.uk Pension Credit guidance, or seek free advice from Citizens Advice or Age UK.