A little-known TV license rule means nearly 1 million households could save £174 a year before bills rise.

A LITTLE-KNOWN TV license rule means nearly 1 million households could save £159 a year.

However, according to previous Policy in Practice research, hundreds of thousands are eligible for a free TV license but are not claiming it.

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Anyone who wants to watch live TV, including BBC, ITV and Sky, must pay for a TV license or they will be breaking the law.

The license fee, currently £169.50 per year, will rise by £5 to £174.50 from April 2025.

However, in some cases you may be able to get a free license, including if you have certain benefits.

For example, if you claim Pension Credit and are over 75, you will be exempt from paying tax, meaning you could save £174.50 a year from next spring.

More than 968,000 people over 75 are currently claiming Pension Credit, according to the latest DWP statistics.

But not everyone will qualify for a free-to-air TV license as it is not automatically granted.

The government estimates that a further 760,000 people over 66 are not receiving pension credit even though they are eligible.

This means hundreds of thousands of households will potentially lose their free-to-air TV license for over-75s.

You can also get a free license if your partner claims pension credit and you don’t.

To apply for a free TV license you can visit the following website: https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/cs/pay-for-your-tv-licence/index.app.

Alternatively, you can call the following number and make a claim on 0300 790 6071.

Three key benefits YOU could be missing out on – and one of them even gets you a free TV licence.

What is a pension loan?

Pension Credit gives you extra money if you are claiming a State Pension and are on a low income.

If you live alone and your weekly income is below £218, or if you live with a partner and are both of state pension age with a combined weekly income below approximately £350, you should qualify.

However, if your income is slightly higher, you may still be eligible for pension credit if you have a disability, are caring for someone, have savings or have housing expenses.

You may receive an extra £81.50 per week if you have a disability or qualify for one of the following:

Visit
The average or highest rate of the Disability LA (DLA) care component.
Daily Living Payment (PIP) Component
Payment for the independence of the armed forces
The daily portion of Adult Disability Payment (ADP) at the standard or enhanced rate.

You can receive the “savings portion” of a pension loan if both of the following conditions apply:

You reached retirement age before April 6, 2016.
You have saved some money for retirement, such as a personal or work pension.

This portion of the pension credit is £17.01 for single people or £19.04 for couples.

Pension Credit opens the door to other support including housing benefit, cost of living payments, council tax cuts and winter fuel payments.

APPLYING FOR A PENSION LOAN

YOU can apply for Pension Credit up to four months before you reach State Pension age.

You can apply at any time after reaching State Pension age, but your application can only go back three months.

This means you can receive up to three months of pension credit as your first payment if you were eligible during that time.

To apply, you will need the following information about you and your partner, if you have one:

National Insurance number
Information about any of your income, savings and investments
Information about your income, savings and investments as of the date you want to apply backdated to.

You will also need your bank account details. Depending on how you apply, you may also be asked to provide your bank or building society name, sort code and account number.

Claims can be made online by visiting gov.uk/pension-credit/how-to-claim.

If you prefer to make your claim over the phone, you can do so by calling the Pension Credit Claim Line on 0800 99 1234.

How can I watch TV for free without a license?

Pluto TV

Pluto TV is another free streaming service with over 100 channels.

Anyone can access Pluto TV for free online or on their iPhone and Android device.

Virgin Media have just made it available through some of their boxes, but be aware that you’ll have to pay a TV license and sign a contract with Virgin to take advantage of it.

Amazon Freevy

Amazon Prime Video may be the first thing you think of, but the retail giant also has a growing free alternative.

Freevee is home to exclusives like Judy Justice.

It’s also the new home of Neighbors, due to return later this year.

But there is also classic content on demand.

Available shows include The L Word, Nashville and Parks and Recreation.

All4

All4 is the main source of on-demand programs from Channel 4, E4, Film4 and More 4.

The service is free to use and funded by advertising.

All4 offers a free and extensive library of both classic shows and more recent programmes, including full sets of some of our most popular series such as Gogglebox.

UKTV Play

If you’re a fan of Dave, Drama, W and Yesterday then UKTV Play is the place for you.

Recent shows presented include Meet the Richardsons, Annika and The Great British Railway Journey.

You’ll have to register to start watching – and there are ads.

ITVX

ITVX launched in November, replacing the old ITV Hub.

ITV is now bringing a host of new and exclusive shows online before they are shown on ITV1.

There are also plenty of other shows, including more niche ones like anime.

Free trials

You should take advantage of free trials to save more of your hard-earned money.

Some challenges last only seven days, while others last a whole month.

For example, Amazon Prime Video offers 30 days of free streaming for newbies.

TV is now also offering free weekly routes on Sky Cinema and Entertainment packages.

But any seasoned economist should remember to cancel any subscription before the end of the trial period, or risk incurring additional costs.

Customers can also get a free trial of streaming services when purchasing new technology.

Some Apple technology purchases will include a free trial of Apple TV+.

TV LICENSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

IF you want to watch or record live TV, you need a TV licence.

Live TV includes all the programs on any channel, including soap operas, series, documentaries and even movies.

The rules apply even if you don’t watch programs on TV, for example if you watch programs broadcast live on a PC, laptop, tablet or phone.

A color TV license currently costs £169.50 per year. A black and white TV license costs £57.

You can legally use on-demand TV services (other than BBC iPlayer) as long as you don’t use them to stream live TV without a TV licence.

This includes streaming content on ITV Player, All 4, My5, BT Vision/BT TV, Virgin Media, Sky Go, Now TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku and Amazon Fire TV.

You also don’t need a TV license to watch video clips that aren’t streamed live through services like YouTube.