Free TV Licence for Over-75s in 2026: Only If You Get Pension Credit

What Changed in 2020

For many years, every household with someone aged 75 or over received a free TV licence automatically, funded by the government as part of a long-standing concession. This changed from August 2020: the BBC took over funding responsibility for the concession and narrowed it significantly, restricting the free licence to over-75 households where someone receives Pension Credit.

This is a common source of confusion — many people still assume anyone reaching 75 automatically gets a free TV licence, but this hasn't been the case for several years.

Who Qualifies in 2026

To get a free TV licence as an over-75:

• You (or someone in your household responsible for the licence) must be aged 75 or over
• You (or your partner, if it's a joint claim) must be receiving Pension Credit

If you're 75+ but don't receive Pension Credit, you pay the standard TV licence fee like any other household, regardless of your age or income level, unless you separately qualify for a different concession (such as the reduced licence fee available for some residents of certain care homes or sheltered accommodation, which operates under different rules).

How to Apply

1. Confirm you're already receiving Pension Credit (if not, see below — this is often the real first step).
2. Apply directly through TV Licensing (not the DWP or Pension Service) — search "TV Licence over 75 Pension Credit application" on the TV Licensing website for the current process.
3. Provide evidence of your Pension Credit award as requested.
4. Once approved, the free licence typically needs to be renewed periodically (check current TV Licensing guidance on renewal frequency), rather than being a one-off, permanent award.

The Real Opportunity: Check If You're Missing Out on Pension Credit

Because the free TV licence is tied entirely to Pension Credit receipt, and Pension Credit is one of the most significantly underclaimed benefits in the UK — with hundreds of thousands of eligible pensioners not claiming it — checking your Pension Credit eligibility can be the real unlock here, not just for the TV licence but for the benefit itself and everything else it can trigger (such as help with NHS costs, Cold Weather Payments, and sometimes Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction top-ups).

Even a small Pension Credit award (sometimes just a few pounds a week) can be enough to establish eligibility for these linked benefits, so it's worth checking even if you assume your income is "too high" — the Pension Credit calculation includes various premiums and disregards that can produce a qualifying award even for pensioners who don't initially think they'll be eligible.

Check eligibility via the gov.uk Pension Credit calculator or by calling the Pension Credit claim line directly.

What If You Watch Only Catch-Up or Streaming?

TV licence requirements aren't limited to traditional live broadcast television. You need a licence if you:

• Watch or record live TV on any channel or streaming service
• Watch any BBC iPlayer content, including catch-up — this specific requirement catches many people out, since it applies even if you never watch live TV

If you genuinely only watch on-demand content from non-BBC services and never touch iPlayer or live TV, you may not need a licence — but the rules are specific, and TV Licensing's website has a clear breakdown of exactly what does and doesn't require a licence. Don't assume streaming-only viewing is automatically exempt without checking.

Enforcement

Watching or recording live television, or accessing BBC iPlayer, without a valid TV licence (and without a genuine exemption you actually qualify for) is a criminal offence in the UK, and TV Licensing carries out enforcement checks. Simply being over 75 does not provide an automatic exemption unless you're actually receiving Pension Credit — assuming otherwise and being found without a valid licence can result in prosecution and a fine.