My ‘no-brainer’ TV licensing trick could save you £169 a year before the bill rises
A TV and broadband expert has shared his ‘no-brainer’ TV licensing trick that could save you £169 a year.
The cost of a TV license is set to rise in the coming weeks, so you may want to check now if you can save some money.
Struggling households could save on the cost of a TV license through a little-known rule.
We spoke to Nick Baker, broadband and TV expert at Uswitch, who revealed his useful tip that could bring you valuable savings in 2024.
To legally watch or record live TV in Britain, you need a TV license, which currently costs £159 per year.
However, from April 1, the price will rise to £169, so it’s worth finding out if you can be exempt from the payment.
Nick said: “There are a few exceptions when it comes to who has to pay for a TV licence.
“Under current rules, those over the age of 75 who receive a pension credit are eligible for a free license.”
Nick added that for people in this situation, applying for this is a “no-brainer” and could provide you with a useful savings boost.
You can request the discount on the TV license website or by calling 0300 790 6117.
In the meantime, we will explain to you in detail what Pension Credit is and how you can apply for it.
What is pension credit?
Pension credit is available to people over 75 years of age.
The benefit tops up state pension payments of up to £201 per week – and is paid to those who have reached state pension age (66) and are on a low income.
Surprisingly, an estimated 850,000 eligible households are not claiming the benefit.
Depending on your circumstances, you can receive different amounts of pension credit.
It consists of two parts and retirees can qualify for one or both parts:
- Guarantee credit – supplements your weekly income to a guaranteed minimum level. This is £201.05 per week if you are single and £306.85 per week for married couples.
- Savings credit – offers extra money if you have saved money for your pension. You can get an extra £15.94 per week for a single person or £17.84 per week for a married couple.
These figures will increase from £201.05 per week to £218.15 or for couples, from £306.85 to £332.95.
If you receive the savings credit part of the pension credit, this will increase from £15.94 per week to £17.01 or for couples, from £17.84 to £19.04.
You can also receive an additional pension discount if you are disabled, have caring responsibilities or have to pay certain housing costs, such as mortgage interest.
For example, you could get €72.31 per week or €61.88 per week for each child or young person you are responsible for.
If you have a serious disability, you can receive an extra €76.40 per week. If you care for another adult, you can get an extra €52.75 per week.
To be eligible, you must live in England, Scotland or Wales and be of state pension age.
But you must also have an income that is so low that it must be supplemented with Pension Credit.
Your income is calculated on the basis of your AOW benefit, other pensions, your income from work and self-employment and certain social security benefits, including the informal care allowance.
But not all benefits are counted as income, including:
- Adult Disability Payment
- Attendance allowance
- Christmas bonus
- Child benefits
- Housing benefit for the disabled
- Personal Independence Payment
- social fund payments such as winter fuel surcharge
- Housing benefit
- Municipal tax reduction
How do I register?
How to watch TV legally without paying for a license
You can legally use the following services without a TV license, as long as you don’t use them to watch or stream live TV:
- On demand television – such as catch-up TV and on-demand previews, available through services including ITV Player, All 4, My5, BT Vision/BT TV, Virgin Media, Sky Go, Now TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku and Amazon Fire TV. Without a TV license you cannot watch or download programs on BBC iPlayer.
- Movies on demand – from services such as Sky, Virgin Media, BT Vision, Netflix and Amazon Instant Video.
- Included movies and programs – via DVD or Blu-ray, or downloaded from the internet.
- YouTube – Video clips that are not live via services such as YouTube.
You can apply for a Pension Credit up to four months before reaching the state pension age.
Crucially, you can claim at any time after reaching state pension age, but your claim can only be made backdated by three months.
This means you can get up to three months of benefits with your first payment if you were eligible during that period.
But if you go further, you won’t get more than three months’ back payments.
With your application you will need a number of personal information, including your citizen service number and information about your income, savings and investments.
When it comes to actually applying, you can do this online on the government website.
You can also apply by telephone on 0800 991 234 or by post. The address to send your claim form to is:
The Pension Service 8
Mail processing location B
Wolverhampton
WV99 1AN
What other benefits can I get on Pension Credit?
In addition to a free TV license for the over-75s, claiming Pension Credit can result in a whole host of other discounts and freebies.
If you claim it, you may be able to get help with housing benefit, if you have a rental property, and a discount on council tax.
This also makes you eligible for living expenses payments and the Warm Home Discount scheme.
You will find more information about Pension Credit and how to apply for it in our guide.
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