£169 per year….or you could face up to a £1000 fine

Do you need a TV licence?

You need to be covered by a TV Licence to

• watch or record live TV programmes on any channel
• download or watch any BBC programmes on iPlayer – live, catch up or on demand.

This applies to any provider you use and any device, including a TV, desktop computer, laptop, mobile phone, tablet, games console, digital box or DVD/VHS recorder.

What counts as live TV?

If you’re watching live TV, you need to be covered by a TV Licence:

• if you’re watching on TV or on an online TV service
• for all channels, not just the BBC
• if you record a programme and watch it later
• if you watch a programme on a delay
• to watch or record repeats
• to watch or record programmes on +1, +2 and +24 channels
• to watch live programmes on Red Button services
• even if you already pay for cable, satellite or other TV services

Students and TV licences

• Halls of residence. If you're in halls of residence, you'll probably be covered for communal areas but not your own room.
• Private accommodation. If you're living out of halls in a shared house and have signed a joint tenancy agreement, you'll need only one licence for the household. However, if you have separate agreements, you'll need one for your room.

If you do pay for a licence you may be able to get a refund for the summer vacation period.

Will my parents licence cover me?

You won’t be covered by your parents’ licence, unless you only ever use devices that are powered solely by their own internal batteries and aren’t plugged into an aerial or the mains.

For more information visit http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk or http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/tv-licence

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Last Updated: April 2024