{"id":328261,"date":"2025-12-21T14:42:12","date_gmt":"2025-12-21T14:42:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/328261\/"},"modified":"2025-12-21T14:42:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-21T14:42:12","slug":"full-list-of-everyone-who-can-cancel-tv-licence-and-save-174","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/328261\/","title":{"rendered":"Full list of everyone who can cancel TV Licence and save \u00a3174"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some people don’t fully understand what the TV licence covers, meaning some households may not need one and could claim a refundBen Hurst<\/a>, Sophie Buchan Money and Lifestyle Writer and Katie Elliott<\/p>\n

07:24, 21 Dec 2025<\/p>\n

\"LetterYou may get a warning letter if you are not registered(Image: Stephen Barnes via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

An unexpected four in 10 people don\u2019t know exactly what a TV licence covers, meaning some may be paying for something they don\u2019t actually need. The cost of a full-colour TV licence has risen to \u00a3174.50, while a black-and-white licence costs \u00a358.50, applicable to both households and businesses<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Increased in line with inflation<\/a>, this fee is another expense that many households simply cannot afford. With this in mind, it\u2019s more important than ever to check whether a licence is truly required, particularly as many families continue to feel financial pressure.<\/p>\n

A TV licence is legally required for anyone watching or streaming live television or using BBC<\/a> iPlayer<\/a>, and failing to pay can lead to serious penalties. Despite this, research carried out by FCA-regulated credit broker Viva Money found that 43% of UK adults don\u2019t fully understand what the TV licence actually includes, reported Teesside Live<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Waterlooville,You can declare that you do not need a TV licence if you get a warning letter(Image: MMassel via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Those who mainly watch services such as Netflix<\/a>, Disney+, or non-BBC catch-up platforms may discover they don\u2019t need a TV licence at all. In such cases, they could cancel their licence and may even be eligible for a refund. All UK households must have a TV licence if they watch or record programmes as they\u2019re being broadcast. This applies to all content on any channel, including soaps, documentaries and films.<\/p>\n

This requirement still applies even if live programmes are watched on a computer, laptop, tablet or phone rather than a television. In addition, a licence is needed to download or watch any content on BBC iPlayer, whether it\u2019s live, catch-up or on demand.<\/p>\n

The licence also encompasses online TV services such as:<\/p>\n

ITV HubAll 4Amazon Prime VideoNow TVSky Go<\/p>\n

However, unlike BBC iPlayer, a licence isn\u2019t needed if someone only watches catch-up programmes on these services. If a household exclusively watches catch-up TV (excluding BBC iPlayer) and doesn\u2019t view anything live, then a TV licence isn\u2019t required.<\/p>\n

Similarly, households don\u2019t need a licence to watch certain streaming platforms like Netflix, YouTube<\/a> or Disney+. Anyone considering cancelling their licence should make sure that everyone in the household follows these rules.<\/p>\n

How to cancel a TV licence\"AThe UK Government has set out plans to reform the TV licence fee in the BBC royal charter review.(Image: Joe Giddens\/PA Wire)<\/p>\n

If a household is certain they no longer need a TV licence, they can inform TV Licensing by completing the refund and cancellation request form. TV Licensing may arrange a visit to the property to confirm the situation. It says that one in five inspections reveal that a licence is actually required. In these cases, the household would need to pay the full licence fee and could face prosecution and a fine.<\/p>\n

Penalties vary by location, with fines of up to \u00a31,000 possible in mainland UK, while residents of Guernsey and Jersey could face fines of up to \u00a32,000 and \u00a3500 respectively.<\/p>\n

How to request a TV licence refund<\/p>\n

UK residents may apply for a refund if they won\u2019t need their licence again before it expires and there\u2019s at least one full month remaining. According to the TV Licensing website, refunds can be requested up to 14 days before the licence is no longer needed. Even if the licence has already expired, a refund may still be possible provided less than two years have passed since the expiry date.<\/p>\n

The primary situations in which refunds are generally considered include:<\/p>\n

TV receiving equipment is no longer in useThe address is covered by another licenceThe TV Licence was bought in errorA replacement TV Licence has been boughtBlind concession refundsRefunds in consequence of a free TV Licence applicationThe death of the licence holder<\/p>\n

To apply, individuals must complete a short form and may be asked to provide evidence showing they no longer require a licence. TV Licensing will assess the request, confirm eligibility, and calculate the refund, usually based on full unused months. Refunds are paid by cheque or direct deposit.<\/p>\n

To check a licence\u2019s expiry date, people can log in to their online account. Some may also qualify for a discount on their TV licence, ranging from 50% to 100%. More details can be found here.<\/p>\n

If you’re 75 or over\"LetterYou may get a warning letter if you are not registered(Image: Stephen Barnes via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

You’re entitled to a free TV licence if you’re 75 or older and you either:<\/p>\n

get Pension Creditlive with your partner who gets Pension Credit<\/p>\n

The licence applies to everyone living at your address. You can apply when you\u2019re 74 if you already receive Pension Credit, but you\u2019ll still need to pay for your licence until the end of the month before your 75th birthday. From then on, you\u2019ll be covered by a free licence.<\/p>\n

If you’re registered blind<\/p>\n

If you’re registered as blind or live with someone who is, you\u2019re eligible for a 50% discount. The licence must be in the name of the blind person. If it isn\u2019t, a new application can be submitted to transfer it into their name. You\u2019ll need to provide your current TV licence number when applying.<\/p>\n

Apply for a licence if you\u2019re registered blind<\/a> on the TV Licensing website.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Some people don’t fully understand what the TV licence covers, meaning some households may not need one and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":328262,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[243,96,4178,391,37092,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-328261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-bbc","tag-entertainment","tag-pensions","tag-tv","tag-tv-licensing","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/328261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=328261"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/328261\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/328262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=328261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=328261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=328261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}