Exact age you can get a free TV Licence – but there’s a catch
HUNDREDS of thousands of households can get a free TV Licence – but only from a certain age and if you are on a Government benefit.
Around 850,000 households could save £159 a year by claiming the freebie but aren’t, according to Policy in Practice.
The total combined cost of people not claiming the help is worth around £135million.
Anyone who wants to watch live TV, including the BBC, ITV and Sky needs to pay for one otherwise you will be breaking the law.
The charge for the licence has been frozen at £159 until 2024, but you can get one for free if you are on Pension Credit.
However, you also have to be 75 or over and claiming the licence for yourself.
You can check if you are eligible for Pension Credit by using a benefits calculator on the following organisations’ websites:
- Policy in Practice
- EntitledTo
- Turn2Us
You can apply for the discount on the TV licensing website or by calling 0300 790 6117.
Pension Credit is worth up to £201 a week and paid to those who have reached state pension age, currently 66, and on a low income.
It’s known as a “gateway” benefit as it also opens up a number of other freebies, including a free TV Licence.
You can get extra amounts depending on your circumstances too.
To qualify, you need to have a weekly income of less than £182.60 if you are a single person or £278.70 for couples.
What is Pension Credit and who is eligible?
There are two parts to Pension Credit and you can be eligible for both, depending on your circumstances:
- Guarantee credit – tops up your weekly income to a guaranteed minimum level. This is £201.05 a week if you’re single and £306.85 a week for married couples.
- Savings credit – provides extra money if you’ve saved money towards retirement. You can get an extra £15.94 a week for a single person or £17.84 a week for a married couple.
You can also get additional Pension Credit if you have a disability, caring responsibilities or have to pay certain housing costs such as mortgage interest payments.
As an example, you can get either £61.88 a week or £72.31 a week for each child you’re responsible for.
If you are disabled or care for someone who has a disability, you may be able to get more.
You can also get a host of other freebies on the benefit too, including free NHS prescriptions and dental treatment, council tax reductions and even free wigs.
The benefit is available to people over the state pension age, currently 66, who live in England, Scotland or Wales.
To qualify, you need to have a weekly income of less than £201.05 if you are single and £306.85 if you are in a couple.
Your income is worked out taking into account various elements including:
- Your state pension
- Any other pensions you have saved, for instance, workplace or private pension savings
- Most social security benefits, for example, carer’s allowance
- Any savings or investments worth over £10,000
- Earnings from a job
It’s worth noting that the calculation does not include:
- Attendance allowance
- Christmas bonus
- Disability living allowance
- Personal independence payment
- Housing benefit
- Council tax reduction
How do I apply?
You can apply for Pension Credit up to four months before reaching state pension age.
You can make an application on the Government website or by ringing the Pension Credit claim line on 0800 99 1234.
You can get a friend or family member to ring for you, but you’ll need to be with them when they do.
Make sure you’ve got the following information to hand before calling up:
- 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 3 months ago or the date you reached state pension age)
You can also get help with the application process through charities and non-profit organisations such as Independent Age.
The benefit is usually paid into your bank account every four weeks.
When you make your claim you’ll be asked for your bank, building society or credit union account details.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk