A report has found almost half a million households aren’t claiming their entitled benefits with thousands urged to check if they’re exempt from the TV Licence hike
Almost half a million Brits have been warned over a hefty TV Licence bill ahead of a major shakeup. From April 1, the annual cost of a standard colour TV Licence will increase by £5, from £169.50 to £174.50, in a huge blow to cash-strapped Brits.
Households are legally obliged to pay the BBC fee if they watch or record live TV on any channel or service, or if they watch any content on BBC iPlayer. Avoiding the levy risks an eye-watering fine of £1,000 (or £2,000 if you live in Guernsey).
However, hundreds of thousands of Brits are actually exempt from paying the TV Licence, or can apply for a heavy discount. Those aged over 75 and in receipt of Pension Credit are eligible for a totally subsidised TV Licence, but they will have to contact the BBC to get this approved.
According to The i Paper, campaign group Policy In Practice recently discovered there are currently 425,000 people over the age of 75 whose income levels mean they qualify for Pension Credit – who haven’t applied for the benefit. There are also 50,000 people already claiming Pension Credit who aren’t also claiming the subsidised TV Licence.
Now, the BBC is under increasing pressure to auto-enrol Brits eligible for the 100 per cent discount, rather than individuals having to apply for the exemption. Dennis Reed, director of campaigning group Silver Voices, told the i: “We want everyone to claim their free licence if they are entitled to it. But why can’t a free licence be automatically given to those on pension credit?”
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Dennis went on to argue the BBC has a ‘public duty’ to make sure everyone who is entitled to a discount TV Licence gets one. However, this would result in the BBC’s revenue dropping by a staggering £83 million.
Speaking to the Mirror, the BBC did not explicitly answer when asked if it was considering auto-enrolling Brits eligible for a subsidised TV Licence. A spokesperson for TV Licensing said: “Anyone aged 75 and over who receives Pension Credit can apply for a free TV Licence and we would urge anyone who has not yet applied to do so. In 2023/24 around 775,000 free licences for over 75s were funded by the BBC and more information about the application process can be found on the TV Licensing website or via our customer service team.”
You can find the full list of people exempt from paying for the TV Licence here. If you don’t need to legally pay for the TV Licence, you can cancel or apply for a refund here.
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