SCREEN TIME
Little-known TV licence rule means thousands of households can save £174.50 a year before bill hike in WEEKS
Plus, find out how you can watch TV legally without a licence
THOUSANDS of households could be paying needlessly for the TV licence fee when they're eligible to get it for free.
And with the yearly bill set to rise again in a matter of weeks, now is a good time to check if you can save yourself the money.
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The licence fee, which must be paid so households can watch live TV, is set to rise by £5 from £169.50 to £174.50 in April.
The cost of the licence is due to increase in line with inflation each year until 2027.
But a little-known loophole means those who are over 75 and on Pension Credit may not need to pay.
Pension Credit is paid to people who have reached state pension age and are on a low income.
More on pensions
You are eligible for Pension Credit if you're single and have a weekly income of less than £218.15, or if you have a joint income with a partner of less than £332.95 a week.
Those who are carers, severely disabled, or responsible for a child or young person may be able to get extra help.
People claiming Pension Credit can get other benefits such as free NHS dental care and check ups, free sight tests, cold weather payments and winter fuel payments.
However, it's thought around 880,000 low-income pensioner households in the UK aren't claiming Pension Credit.
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That's despite it being worth an average of £3,900 per year.
More pensioners applied for Pension Credit in recent months after the Labour government said it would only be continuing to provide winter fuel payments for those receiving certain benefits.
How to protect your pension and Inheritance from the new Budget
Of course, not everyone receiving Pension Credit will be eligible for the free TV licence as you also need to be over 75.
However these households will also be able to bag the perk once they hit the milestone.
If you think you're eligible for a free TV licence, you can apply for the discount on the TV licensing website or by calling 0300 790 6117.
How to watch TV legally without paying for a licence
YOU can legally use the following services without a TV Licence as long as you aren’t using them to watch or stream live TV:
- On demand TV – such as catch-up TV and on demand previews, which are available through services including ITV Player, All 4, My5, BT Vision/BT TV, Virgin Media, Sky Go, Now TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku and Amazon Fire TV. You can't watch or download programmes on BBC iPlayer without a TV licence.
- On demand movies - from services such as Sky, Virgin Media, BT Vision, Netflix and Amazon Instant Video.
- Recorded films and programmes - either via DVD or Blu-ray, or downloaded from the internet.
- YouTube - Video clips that aren't live through services such as YouTube.
What is Pension Credit and who is eligible?
You can get different amounts of Pension Credit depending on your circumstances.
There are two parts to it, and pensioners can be eligible for one or both parts:
- Guarantee credit - tops up your weekly income to a guaranteed minimum level. This is £218.15 a week if you're single and £332.95 a week for married couples.
- Savings credit - provides extra money if you've saved money towards retirement. You can get an extra £17.01 a week for a single person or £19.04 a week for a married couple.
You can also get additional pension credit if you are disabled, have caring responsibilities or have to pay for certain housing costs such as mortgage interest payments.
If you have a severe disability you could get an extra £81.50 a week or for a couple who are both severely disabled, they can get £163.
To be eligible, you must live in England, Scotland or Wales and have reached state pension age, but you must also have a low enough income that it needs topping up with Pension Credit.
Your income is calculated based on your state pension allowance, other pensions, your employment and self-employment earnings and some social security benefits, including Carer's Allowance.
But not all benefits are counted as income, including:
- Adult Disability Payment
- Attendance Allowance
- Christmas Bonus
- Child Benefit
- Disability Living Allowance
- Personal Independence Payment
- social fund payments like Winter Fuel Allowance
- Housing Benefit
- Council Tax Reduction
How do I apply?
You can apply for Pension Credit up to four months before reaching state pension age - but don't worry if you forget, as you can apply at any time once you've reached state pension age too.
You'll need some personal information to hand when you apply, including your National Insurance number, as well as details about your income, savings and investments.
You can apply online on the government's website, by phone by calling 0800 991 234 or by post. The address to send your claim form to is:
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