GRANDPARENTS could slash their TV Licence to £0 in just 16 minutes.
A TV Licence costs up to £174.50 a year but some could be entitled to a 100% discount thanks to a government benefit.
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A TV Licence can cost up to £174.50 a year but an easy 16 minute check could see your bill reduced to nothing.Credit: Getty
Pension Credit is paid to state pensioners on low incomes and is designed to top up your weekly income to a minimum level.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) says the average claim is worth nearly £4,000 and it takes just 16 minutes to apply for the benefit online.
It tops up your weekly state pension income to £227.10 if you are single or to £346.60 if you have a partner.
But alongside the cash boost you can also get access to a number of freebies. That includes a discount on your TV Licence.
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You can get a free licence if you’re 75 or older, and you or your partner are receiving the benefit.
You can apply when you’re 74 if you already get Pension Credit. You’ll still need to pay for your licence until the end of the month before your 75th birthday.
After that you’ll be covered by your free licence.
If you already paid for a licence then qualified for Pension Credit, you may be able to get a refund on any remaining months on your current paid-for licence.
This is processed when you apply.
You can apply for your free licence online or by calling 0300 790 6071.
You could also be eligible for a discounted TV licence if you live in residential care or sheltered accommodation, or if you’re registered blind.
The licence must be in the name if the person registered blind, but if your existing licence is not in their name you can make an application to transfer it.
If you live in sheltered accommodation or residential care and are over 60 or disabled you can get a licence for just £7.50.
Your housing manager should be able to check if you’re eligible and will apply for you.
What is Pension Credit?
Pension credit gives you extra money to help with your living costs if you’re over state pension age and on a low income.
You might also get extra help if you’re a carer, severely disabled, or responsible for a child or young person.
Pension credit tops up your weekly state pension income to £227.10 if you are single or to £346.60 if you have a partner.
This is known as “guarantee credit”.
If your income is lower than this, you’re very likely to be eligible for the benefit.
TV LICENCE NEED-TO-KNOWS
IF you want to watch or record live TV, you need a TV licence.
Live TV includes all programmes on any channel, including soaps, series, documentaries and even movies.
The rules apply even if you don’t watch the shows on an actual TV – for example, if you watch programmes that are being broadcast live on a PC, laptop, tablet or phone.
A colour TV licence currently costs £174.50 a year. A licence for watching a black and white TV costs £58.50..
You can legally use on-demand TV services (apart from BBC iPlayer) as long as you aren’t using them to stream live TV without a TV licence.
This includes streaming catch-up 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 licence to watch video clips that aren’t live through services such as YouTube.
However, if your income is slightly higher, you might still be eligible for pension credit if you have a disability, you care for someone, you have savings or you have housing costs.
You could get an extra £82.90 a week if you have a disability or claim any of the following:
- Attendance allowance
- The middle or highest rate from the care component of disability living allowance (DLA)
- The daily living component of personal independence payment (PIP)
- Armed forces independence payment
- The daily living component of adult disability payment (ADP) at the standard or enhanced rate.
You could get the “savings credit” part of pension credit if both of the following apply:
- You reached State Pension age before April 6, 2016
- You saved some money for retirement, for example, a personal or workplace pension
This part of pension credit is worth £17.30 for single people or £19.36 for couples.
Alongside a free TV licence you can also get a number of other freebies, such as getting your council tax bill paid in full.
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You can apply for Pension Credit by visiting, www.gov.uk/pension-credit/how-to-claim.
