TV Licence for Laptop, Phone, and Tablet
One UK TV licence covers every device at your home address. Watch on laptop, phone, tablet, smart TV, gaming console: same licence, same cost (£180/year). The battery exception for portable viewing elsewhere.
The headline rule
The TV licence is per address, not per device. A single licence covers every TV-capable device at your home address: the smart TV in the lounge, the laptop on your desk, the tablet by the bed, the phone in your pocket. You do not need separate licences and you do not pay more for owning more. The same £180/year covers a household with one device or twenty.
Why per-address, not per-device
The TV licence regulation is set out in the Communications (Television Licensing) Regulations 2004 as amended. The regulations refer to a "television receiver" being installed or used at a "set of premises". The licence is issued to the premises (your address) and covers the use of any TV receiver there. The number or type of receivers is irrelevant.
This is one of the more sensible features of the UK licence model. Other countries have experimented with per-device or per-person licensing (Germany at various points before the current Rundfunkbeitrag model, for example) and found it administratively cumbersome and unpopular. Per-address is simple and aligns with how households actually consume TV.
The practical implication: when you set up a TV licence, you do not list devices and you do not have to update TV Licensing when you buy a new TV or get a new phone. The licence travels with the address. If you move house, you can transfer the licence to your new address; the licence year continues uninterrupted.
Devices covered at your home address
All covered by your home licence
- • Main smart TV in lounge
- • Bedroom TV
- • Kitchen TV
- • Laptop (personal and work)
- • Desktop computer
- • Tablet (iPad, Galaxy Tab)
- • Smartphone
- • Smart speaker with display
- • Gaming console with media apps
- • Streaming sticks (Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku)
Not separately licensable
- • Number of devices does not change the fee
- • Number of household members does not change the fee
- • Type of device does not change the fee
- • Brand of device does not change the fee
- • Whether a device is personal or work-issued does not matter
- • Whether a device is owned, leased, or rented does not matter
The battery-powered device exception (key to portable viewing)
What about watching on a laptop or phone outside your home address? The general rule is that the address you are at needs to be licensed. There is one important exception: the battery-powered device exception. If you watch on a device powered entirely by its own internal battery (not plugged in) and your main home is licensed, you are covered for short-term viewing at any other location.
The exception has two strict conditions. First, the device must be on its own battery while you are watching. The moment you plug in (whether by cable or wirelessly), the exception ends and the location's licence position becomes relevant. Second, your main home (the address registered on the licence) must be valid and current. If your home licence has lapsed, the exception does not apply.
The exception covers all kinds of portable viewing scenarios: watching on a phone on the train, on a tablet at a friend's house, on a laptop in a hotel room, on a portable device in a caravan or holiday home. See our caravans and holiday homes guide for the most detailed exposition of the battery exception in second-property contexts.
When the device matters for licence position
Per-address licensing means the type of device rarely matters for licence position. There are however a few scenarios where the device type interacts with the legal test in important ways:
- • Battery exception: The device must be capable of running on its own internal battery (so the exception applies to laptops, tablets, phones, but not normally to desktop computers or mains-only smart TVs).
- • Smart TV without tuner: Some newer smart TVs ship without a Freeview tuner, making them streaming-only devices. This does not change the licence rules (the rule is about what you watch, not what the device can do) but it eliminates the ambiguity around "the TV is capable of receiving live broadcasts". See our smart TV without aerial guide for more.
- • Smart speaker with display: These devices (Echo Show, Nest Hub) are not normally on battery and so do not get the battery exception. Used at home they are covered by the home licence; used elsewhere they require the location's licence.
- • Gaming console: A games console plugged into the lounge TV is covered by the home licence for any live TV or iPlayer use. The console alone does not require a licence; watching live TV via the console's media app does. See our games console TV licence guide.
Multiple households at one address
The per-address rule has one significant nuance: it applies to one "legal occupation". A standard single-occupation house, flat, or tenancy is one legal occupation and needs one licence. But certain shared-housing arrangements involve multiple legal occupations at the same physical address, and may need multiple licences.
The most common case is the HMO (House in Multiple Occupation), where tenants have individual tenancy agreements for their own rooms with shared use of common areas. In strict legal interpretation each room with its own tenancy is a separate legal occupation, so each room could require its own licence. In practice, TV Licensing usually treats a single shared house with one TV in the communal area as one licence (provided no tenant has a private TV in their room). See our HMO TV licence guide for the full breakdown.
Not legal advice
For your specific situation, check tvlicensing.co.uk or seek free advice from Citizens Advice.