State pensioners can cut TV Licence bill to £0 in 16 minutes

State pensioners across the UK can cut their TV Licence bill to £0 in just 16 minutes if they meet certain criteria.

Currently, a TV Licence costs £174.50 per year - or £58.50 if you have a black and white TV set - following a £5 fee increase by the government in April, adding an extra 42p per month to household bills. Households are legally required to have a TV Licence to watch or record programmes on a TV, computer or other device on any channel or service as they're broadcast, including on-demand BBC programmes on iPlayer. But for state pensioners aged 75 and over and on a low income, it's possible to cut the TV Licence fee down to £0 simply by claiming one government benefit.

Pension Credit provides extra money to those who are over State Pension age and have a low income and is worth around £4,300 per year on average. If you're eligible, it tops up your weekly income to £227.10 if you're single, or your joint weekly income to £346.60 if you have a partner. But it also unlocks access to a wealth of other help too - including a free TV Licence.

Pension Credit acts as a gateway benefit to a whole swathe of other financial support, giving eligible pensioners access to things like Housing Benefit, a Winter Fuel Payment, a Council Tax discount, help with NHS dental treatment, glasses and transport costs, and a free TV Licence to those aged 75 and over.

According to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), it only takes 16 minutes on average to apply and by doing so you can unlock thousands of pounds worth of extra financial support.

If you already get Pension Credit you can apply for a free TV Licence when you're 74, but you'll need to continue paying for your licence until the end of the month before your 75th birthday. After this, you will be covered by your free licence.

But for those who don't meet the eligibility criteria for Pension Credit, there are other ways to reduce your TV Licence bill, or avoid it altogether.

If you live in a residential care home, supported housing or sheltered accommodation, then you may be entitled to a reduced fee TV Licence, and if you're blind (severely sight impaired) and can provide the appropriate evidence, you can apply for a 50% discount on your TV Licence. But if neither of these apply then you'll have to pay for a TV Licence at the full rate.

If you don't meet the eligibility criteria for Pension Credit, or qualify for a reduced fee TV Licence, then there are still a few options to save on costs.

TV Licences are per household, not per person, so if you live in a house with several people you don't all need to have one and could all chip in to share the cost of one licence. Instead, you can share a TV Licence among the whole household if you watch TV in a single shared area, or have a joint tenancy agreement. But if you have separate tenancy agreements and watch TV in your own room then you will need to pay for your own.

You also don't need a TV Licence to watch streaming services, such as Netflix and Disney Plus, on-demand TV through services like All 4 and Amazon Prime Video, videos on websites such as YouTube, or DVDs and Blurays. So if you're happy to just stick to watching any of these, and not watch or record any live TV or BBC iPlayer, you can save yourself £174.50. But if you do watch or record live TV without a TV Licence then you can be issued a fine of up to £1,000.