{ "dataset": "prices.tv-licence", "generated": "2026-09-20T13:56:19.621Z", "licence": { "compilation": "CC BY 4.0", "compilation_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "attribution": "Tariff Tracker, tarifftracker.io, published by PEF Consulting Partners Limited", "underlying": "The figures themselves belong to the bodies named in each dataset's sources. Most are Crown copyright under the Open Government Licence v3. Supplier tariff rates belong to the suppliers who publish them. Check the source terms before you rely on any of it commercially.", "corrections": "If a figure here is wrong, say so and we will correct it and record that we did." }, "docs": "https://tarifftracker.io/api/", "fields": "https://tarifftracker.io/api/v1/dictionary", "as_of": "2026-04-01", "sources": [ { "name": "gov.uk, TV licence fee 2026/27", "url": "https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cost-of-tv-licence-fee-set-for-202627" }, { "name": "TV Licensing, concessions", "url": "https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/faqs/FAQ23" }, { "name": "TV Licensing, residential care", "url": "https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/faqs/FAQ78" }, { "name": "gov.uk, when you need a TV licence", "url": "https://www.gov.uk/tv-licence" }, { "name": "BBC Charter Review green paper", "url": "https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/britains-story-the-next-chapter-the-bbc-royal-charter-review-green-paper-and-public-consultation/britains-story-the-next-chapter-bbc-royal-charter-review-green-paper-and-public-consultation" } ], "caveats": [ "We could not verify the previous black and white fee from a primary source, so no 'was £X' figure is shown for it.", "gov.uk and TV Licensing disagree on whether the 2026 uplift was 3.14% or 3.15%. Both are shown above rather than blended." ], "data": { "vertical": "tv-licence", "name": "TV licence", "tagline": "One price for everybody, set by a government minister, and three concessions that go unclaimed.", "headline": { "value": "£180", "unit": "/yr", "label": "Standard colour TV licence, 2026/27", "sub": "In force from 1 April 2026. Up £5.50 from £174.50, an increase of 3.14%.", "direction": "up", "change": "+£5.50 (+3.14%)", "band": "elevated", "source": "gov.uk", "as_of": "2026-04-01" }, "benchmark": { "value": 180, "period": "a year", "placeholder": "180", "what": "what you pay for your TV licence", "note": "Everyone pays the same. If you are paying more than £180 a year you are on a payment plan with charges, or paying for something that is not a TV licence." }, "stats": [ { "k": "Black and white", "v": "£60.50", "n": "Still a legal option" }, { "k": "Blind or severely sight impaired", "v": "£90", "n": "Half price" }, { "k": "Residential care, under 75", "v": "£7.50", "n": "The ARC scheme" }, { "k": "Over 75 on Pension Credit", "v": "£0", "n": "Free" } ], "tables": [ { "title": "Every rate, and who pays it", "note": "The licence covers everyone living at the address, whatever their age. Concessions must be in the name of the person who qualifies, which is the most common reason people miss out.", "cols": [ "Who", "Price", "Conditions" ], "rows": [ [ "Standard household", "£180 a year", "Colour television. The default." ], [ "Black and white only", "£60.50 a year", "A genuine option and still legal." ], [ "Blind or severely sight impaired", "£90 a year", "Half price. The licence must be in the blind person's name, so transfer it if it is not. Partially sighted does not qualify." ], [ "Residential or sheltered care, under 75", "£7.50 a year", "Apply through your warden or care home administrator, not directly. Do not cancel your existing licence until enrolment is confirmed." ], [ "Aged 75 or over on Pension Credit", "Free", "Age alone is not enough. You or a partner at the same address must receive Pension Credit. You can apply at 74." ] ] }, { "title": "When you actually need one", "note": "The rule catches more people than they expect, and lets others off who are paying without needing to.", "cols": [ "Activity", "Licence needed" ], "rows": [ [ "Watching or recording live TV on any channel", "Yes" ], [ "Watching live streams on any streaming service", "Yes" ], [ "Using BBC iPlayer at all, live, catch up or download", "Yes" ], [ "Netflix, Prime Video, ITVX, Channel 4 on demand only, never iPlayer", "No" ], [ "S4C programmes on demand", "No" ] ] } ], "facts": [ "The fee is set by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, not by the BBC.", "Under the 2022 licence fee settlement it rises with CPI each April until the end of the current Charter period.", "The next scheduled rise is 1 April 2027. No figure has been announced.", "The BBC's current Royal Charter expires on 31 December 2027 and the Charter Review consultation closed in March 2026. The Green Paper says the review will consider how the BBC is funded but proposes no replacement. Anybody telling you the licence fee is being abolished on a set date is going beyond the published evidence.", "gov.uk states the 2026 uplift was 3.14%. TV Licensing's own page says 3.15%. We use the government figure and note the discrepancy rather than quietly picking one." ], "support": [ { "name": "Free licence at 75", "what": "The whole fee, £180 a year", "who": "You are 75 or over and you or a partner at the same address receives Pension Credit. Apply from 74 and payments are adjusted to cover you until your birthday. Call 0300 790 6117." }, { "name": "Blind concession", "what": "Half price, saving £90 a year", "who": "Certified blind or severely sight impaired. Evidence can be a CVI, a BD8, a local authority certificate, an ophthalmologist's letter or an HMRC coding notice showing Blind Person's Allowance." }, { "name": "Simple Payment Plan", "what": "Spreads the fee fortnightly or monthly, and missed payments are spread across the remainder rather than doubled", "who": "Anyone in financial difficulty. Routes in include referral by a not for profit money advice organisation, or having had a licence cancelled for missed payments in the last six months." } ], "page": "https://tarifftracker.io/tv-licence/" } }