Free TV Licence for Over-75s: Who Qualifies & How to Apply

The Two Conditions That Must Both Be Met

Many people over 75 assume they qualify for a free licence simply because of their age. Since August 2020 that is no longer the case. The rules changed and now there are two conditions, and both must apply at the same time.

Meet both conditions and your licence is free. Miss either one and you pay the standard rate, which is £180 per year from April 2026. There are no exceptions to this, and no partial reduction for being close to qualifying. It is all or nothing.

Who Pays What? Over-75s in 2026

What Does NOT Qualify for a Free TV License

This is where the most confusion sits. These are the situations people commonly assume qualify them, but do not.

What Is Pension Credit and Could You Be Missing Out?

Pension Credit is a means-tested government benefit for people over State Pension age on lower incomes. It tops up weekly income to a minimum level set each year. In 2026/27, the Guarantee Credit element tops up a single person’s income to £218.15 per week and a couple’s to £332.95 per week.

Crucially, Pension Credit is not just for people with no savings or no private pension. Someone with modest savings, a small workplace pension or even their own home can still qualify depending on their total income. Around 800,000 UK households who are entitled to Pension Credit are not claiming it. That means hundreds of thousands of over-75s who could be getting both Pension Credit and a free UK TV licence are instead paying the full £180 a year unnecessarily.

Over ten years, that saving adds up to £1,800 at current rates, and the saving grows slightly each April as the licence fee rises with inflation. For a household on a fixed income, that is a meaningful sum.

To find out if you or someone you know might qualify for Pension Credit, call the Pension Credit claim line on 0800 99 1234 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm) or use the Pension Credit calculator at gov.uk/pension-credit/eligibility. The free TV licence follows automatically once Pension Credit is in payment and you apply to TV Licensing.

What Pension Credit Covers Beyond the TV License

Pension Credit opens the door to more than just a free licence. Successful claimants may also become eligible for help with housing costs, Council Tax reductions, NHS dental treatment, glasses vouchers and the Warm Home Discount. The TV license is just one of several benefits that Pension Credit unlocks, which makes claiming it worth investigating regardless of the licence saving alone.

How to Apply for a Free TV Licence Over 75

The free licence is not issued automatically. Once Pension Credit is in payment and the licence holder is aged 75 or over, an application to TV Licensing is required. The process is straightforward and takes around ten minutes.

Situations That Catch People Out

Applying Before Your 75th Birthday

If you are 74 and already receive Pension Credit, there is no need to wait until you turn 75 to start the process. TV Licensing allows applications from age 74. They update payments to cover the period up to the 75th birthday, after which the free licence takes effect. This avoids any gap in coverage and means one less thing to remember once the birthday arrives.

What Happens Mid-Year

If a person turns 75 part way through a paid licence period, TV Licensing will refund the unused portion from the birthday onwards. Similarly, if Pension Credit is awarded after a period of paying in full, the free licence can be backdated to the date Pension Credit came into payment, with a refund for any overpayment in the meantime.

What Happens If Pension Credit Stops

TV Licensing carries out periodic checks with the DWP to confirm ongoing eligibility. If Pension Credit stops — for example, because income or savings change — the free licence will be removed and the standard fee will apply from the date Pension Credit ended. TV Licensing will write to the household to explain what has changed. Anyone in this situation should contact TV Licensing as soon as they know their Pension Credit has stopped, rather than waiting for a letter.

Residential Care Homes — A Different Route

Over-75s living in qualifying residential care homes may be covered by an Accommodation for Residential Care (ARC) licence, which costs £7.50 per room per year and is arranged through the care home itself. Importantly, this concession does not require Pension Credit — it applies to qualifying residential care settings regardless of the resident’s benefits status. Anyone whose relative is in a care home should check with the home manager whether an ARC licence is in place before arranging an individual licence.

UK TV Licence Over-75 Changes: What Happened in 2020

Before 1 August 2020, every household with at least one person aged 75 or over received a free TV licence automatically, paid for by the government. This was a universal benefit — no means test, no application, no Pension Credit requirement. Around 4.5 million households benefited.

In 2015, the government negotiated a deal as part of the BBC Charter settlement that transferred responsibility for the over-75 concession from the government to the BBC. The BBC would fund it from licence fee revenue from 2020 onwards. The BBC consulted and concluded that funding free licences for all over-75s regardless of income would cost around £745 million per year — money it said it could not afford without making significant cuts to services.

In June 2019 the BBC announced it would restrict the free licence to over-75s who receive Pension Credit, meaning the concession became means-tested for the first time. Implementation was delayed by the pandemic and the new rules came into force on 1 August 2020. Since then, over-75s without Pension Credit have had to pay the full fee alongside every other licence holder.

Over-75s and the TV Licence: Quick Comparison