BBC TV licence fee slashed to £0 for people born in specific years
You need a TV licence if you watch or record live TV, or if you watch anything on BBC iPlayer - but state pensioners who are over the age of 75 and get Pension Credit don't have to pay for a TV licence
Anyone living in the UK who is over the age of 75 and claims Pension Credit can get a TV licence for free. This means anyone born in 1950 could become eligible for a free TV licence this year.
The price of a TV licence is now £174.50. You need a TV licence if you watch or record live TV, or if you watch anything - whether it is live, or catch-up - on BBC iPlayer.
You don't need a TV licence if you only watch shows on catch-up using streaming services that aren't BBC iPlayer. This includes Netflix, Amazon Prime, ITVX, Disney Plus, YouTube, All 4 or My5 - then you don't need a TV licence.
However, you would need a TV licence if you're tuning into live shows through these services. The penalty for watching TV without a licence is up to £1,000, or £2,000 in Guernsey.
Pension Credit - what you need to know
Pension Credit boosts your weekly income and, as well as a free TV licence for over-75s, also unlocks other financial help, such as free dental treatment and vouchers for glasses or contact lenses.
The average Pension Credit award is worth over £3,900 each year - but an estimated 800,000 people are missing out on this benefit.
The main part of Pension Credit is known as "Guarantee Credit" and this tops up your weekly income to £227.10 if you're single, or to £346.60 if you're in a couple.
Your income normally needs to be below these amounts to be eligible, but you might still be able to claim if you have a higher income and you have a severe disability, you're a carer, or you have to housing costs.
You can be entitled to extra amounts if you're a carer, severely disabled, or responsible for a child or young person. If you reached state pension age before April 6, 2016, or you have savings or a second pension, you may be eligible for the savings credit element of Pension Credit.
This is worth £17.30 a week if you're single, or £19.36 a week if you're in a couple. You can apply for Pension Credit on GOV.UK, by calling 0800 99 1234, or by printing out and filling in a paper application form.
You can apply up to 4 months before you reach state pension age. You will need the following information:
Your National Insurance number
Information about any income, savings and investments you have
Information about your income, savings and investments on the date you want to backdate your application to (usually three months ago or the date you reached state pension age)
Your bank, building society or credit union account details
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Hundreds of thousands of pensioners face 'new' tax this year
The Chancellor is under fire as hundreds of thousands more pensioners are dragged into the income tax net, thanks to the triple lock and the personal allowance freeze Soaring numbers of pensioners are set to get caught in the income tax net this year – without feeling any richer – as HMRC stats indicate 420,000 more pensioners will pay the tax in 2025-26. Nearly 8.7 million over-65s will be paying income tax, marking a 5% hike from the previous year. The issue stems from the ex-Tory government's move to anchor personal tax allowances at £12,570 from 2021 all the way through to possibly 2028 – a decision that Chancellor Rachel Reeves upheld in her inaugural Budget. This worrying threshold freeze pairs with state pension values climbing almost 30% thanks to the 'triple lock', and that means a substantial number of retirees will now hand over basic-rate tax cash at 20%, despite relying solely on state support. Policy expert David Brooks from Broadstone cautioned in The Times: "While the country's demographic shift naturally increases the number of pensioners liable for income tax, fiscal drag is unequivocally pulling hundreds of thousands more into the income tax bracket each year." In 2021, the full new state pension was at £9,332.20. By April, it had increased to £11,973 - just £597 short of the frozen personal allowance. The Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts that within two years, it will rise again to £12,885.50, surpassing the tax-free threshold by £315.50. Wealth manager Quilter has warned that pensioners receiving the full entitlement - after 35 years of National Insurance contributions - would be taxed £63 a year on their pension alone, without considering any other income such as savings, dividends or rental returns. Critics have long contended that this so-called 'fiscal drag' is a method for the Treasury to gather billions, without outright raising tax rates. Meanwhile, millions of workers are also being pulled into higher tax brackets. The number of Brits paying 40% higher-rate tax is predicted to reach 7.1 million this year, up from 5.1 million in 2022-23 - a 39% increase. Even more remarkable perhaps is the surge in those paying the 45% top rate: 1.23 million people will surrender nearly half their earnings above £125,140 this year, more than double the 570,000 from just three years ago. The number of basic-rate taxpayers has also risen - from 28.8 million in 2022 to 30.8 million today. Neela Chauhan, partner at accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young, said: 'Though it might seem equitable for higher earners to be paying more tax, there are real concerns over the impacts of placing an ever higher tax burden on high earners. 'Increasing the tax burden too high could push these people to leave the country or deter talented people from moving to this country. There are already concerns of a 'brain drain' in the UK.' Rachel Reeves has said the freeze on tax thresholds will end in 2028, however she is now under pressure to continue it through to 2030 in order to head off a black hole in government finances and stick to her fiscal rules.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Amazon announces major prime membership change
Amazon is planning to expand its same-day and next-day delivery to over 4,000 small cities, towns, and rural communities in the US. Thousands of its 200+ million Prime members will have the pleasure of having this benefit by the end of the year. 'The money saving is important, but for many rural customers, the more critical dynamic is the time saved by using Amazon. The expanded choice that Amazon offers is also very appealing to shoppers who are miles away from big malls and stores,' GlobalData retail expert Neil Saunders told 'For Amazon, rural gains are an important part of driving Prime penetration. And the business is confident it can service this profitably by adapting existing rural delivery stations into hybrid hubs which store inventory Amazon's algorithms know will be popular in the area.' Shoppers interested in trying out the platform can do so for $14.99 a month or $139 a year. The project announcement comes after Amazon made the decision to expand its Prime Day sales event to four days from two. The company had already been the topic of conversation during the rise of inflation and fears of recession after CEO Andy Jassy warned shoppers tariffs potentially rising prices. While Amazon's net sales skyrocketed to $155.7 billion this quarter, the company has been slammed by its employees and Prime members. Shoppers claimed they would cancel their memberships last year after finding out the company was axing its Amazon Today service. Prior to its removal, it was a popular perk that provided same-day delivery from select stores in the customers' neighborhoods. Members also canceled accounts after finding out its streaming service started rolling out more advertisements across its TV shows and films. The company didn't stop there with its prime perk change-ups and infuriated customers even more by raising the price of its Amazon Music Unlimited ad-free subscription program. Besides its member benefit terminations, fans have begun turning their backs on Amazon after Jassy issued a warning of brutal workforce cuts. It is unclear when the layoffs will begin and how many jobs will be axed, but Jassy revealed the cuts were the result of the company's increase in artificial intelligence. The company is keeping itself busy by preparing for Prime Day, recently warning its members about increases in cyber scams It's also exploring the idea of creating its own currency, an idea that could save the company and retailers like Walmart and Target billions of dollars. Amazon is expecting to make between $159 billion and $164 billion during its second quarter, along with a $13 billion to $17.5 billion operating income. The company will release its second quarter results on July 31 after the market closes.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Amazon making major change to Prime that will affect the whole of the US
Amazon is planning to expand its same-day and next-day delivery to over 4,000 small cities, towns, and rural communities in the US. Thousands of its 200+ million Prime members will have the pleasure of having this benefit by the end of the year. The plan comes after the company invested over $4 billion to triple the size of its delivery network by 2026. Amazon is expanding the network to help customers who 'live farther from brick-and-mortar retailers, have fewer product and brand choices, and face limited delivery options when shopping online.' 'The money saving is important, but for many rural customers, the more critical dynamic is the time saved by using Amazon. The expanded choice that Amazon offers is also very appealing to shoppers who are miles away from big malls and stores,' GlobalData retail expert Neil Saunders told 'For Amazon, rural gains are an important part of driving Prime penetration. And the business is confident it can service this profitably by adapting existing rural delivery stations into hybrid hubs which store inventory Amazon's algorithms know will be popular in the area.' Shoppers interested in trying out the platform can do so for $14.99 a month or $139 a year. The project announcement comes after Amazon made the decision to expand its Prime Day sales event to four days from two. Prime Membership Prime provides a range of benefits on top of next and same day delivery and is available on a 30 day free trial. After the trial, membership costs $14.99 a month or $139 a year. $139/year Shop The company had already been the topic of conversation during the rise of inflation and fears of recession after CEO Andy Jassy warned shoppers tariffs potentially rising prices. While Amazon's net sales skyrocketed to $155.7 billion this quarter, the company has been slammed by its employees and Prime members. Shoppers claimed they would cancel their memberships last year after finding out the company was axing its Amazon Today service. Prior to its removal, it was a popular perk that provided same-day delivery from select stores in the customers' neighborhoods. Members also canceled accounts after finding out its streaming service started rolling out more advertisements across its TV shows and films. The company didn't stop there with its prime perk change-ups and infuriated customers even more by raising the price of its Amazon Music Unlimited ad-free subscription program. Besides its member benefit terminations, fans have begun turning their backs on Amazon after Jassy issued a warning of brutal workforce cuts. It is unclear when the layoffs will begin and how many jobs will be axed, but Jassy revealed the cuts were the result of the company's increase in artificial intelligence. There are over 200 million active Amazon Prime members worldwide The company is keeping itself busy by preparing for Prime Day, recently warning its members about increases in cyber scams. It's also exploring the idea of creating its own currency, an idea that could save the company and retailers like Walmart and Target billions of dollars. Amazon is expecting to make between $159 billion and $164 billion during its second quarter, along with a $13 billion to $17.5 billion operating income. The company will release its second quarter results on July 31 after the market closes.
