Do I need a TV licence? 20 things you need to know about the TV licence fee

01Watch shows as they're broadcast? You need a licence

If you watch or record shows as they're being broadcast on telly in the UK ("live TV"), you need to be covered by a TV licence. This includes TV on computers, mobile phones, DVD/video recorders and other devices.

You can buy or renew your TV licence online on the TV Licensing website.

Where does my money go?

The cash funds public broadcasting by the BBC, allowing it to run without the annoying interruption of adverts. The fee makes up about 75% of the BBC's income.

The BBC contracts the collection and administration of the TV licence out to TV Licensing. According to the BBC, the money you pay is split between the following resources (based on 2010/2011 figures):

02 It's all about if you watch 'live TV'

Everyone in the UK who watches or records "live TV" (content as it is broadcast) needs to be covered by a TV licence, regardless of what or how you're watching.

You do not need a TV licence if you only watch content after it's been shown on television. This includes TV programmes downloaded or streamed after broadcast using a catch-up service.

So, if you have a TV but only use it to watch DVDs, for gaming or for watching catch-up TV (eg, BBC iPlayer, 4oD), then you don't need a licence.

What's 'live TV'?

When we talk about "live TV", confusingly it isn't necessarily a live episode of a programme, it could be pre-recorded.

"Live TV" is content at the time it's being broadcast on a TV channel.

To clarify, a TV channel doesn’t just mean the big five on terrestrial TV, nor any channel that's just on Freeview. It means any channel (including, say, +1 channels) on any main TV platform, including Freeview, Virgin or Sky.

Internet-only services such as YouTube or Netflix don’t count, though.

Here are a few examples to show what this means:

• When watching an episode of Hollyoaks on your TV, on Channel 4, you DO need a TV licence.
• When watching an episode of Hollyoaks via the Channel 4 online streaming service (4oD) at the same time as it's being shown on Channel 4, you DO need a TV licence.

• When watching an epsiode of Hollyoaks online at a time that it isn't being broadcast "live" on Channel 4, you DON'T need a TV licence.

Your TV licence covers your household, no matter how many TVs you have, but the rules differ for shared student accomodation (see below).

If you move house it's possible to simply update your contact details or get a refund for a complete unused quarter. See How to get a refund.

03 You need a licence to record live TV too

You'll still need a TV licence if you record "live TV" content at the time of broadcast, using a digital recorder like Sky+ or TiVo (or even a good old-fashioned VHS recorder).

This is because you're recording them as they are being shown on a TV channel. It doesn't matter when you watch them, or how they were recorded, you still need a licence.

04 It isn't about whether you watch the BBC

It isn't about what you're watching, or not watching.

If you watch TV programmes at the same time as they are broadcast you must be covered by a valid TV licence, regardless of:

• Which channel you're watching
• Which device you are using to watch
• How you receive the content (terrestrial, satellite, cable, via the internet, etc).

You don't need a TV licence if you are watching only catch-up services, such as the BBC iPlayer or 4oD. See Can I cancel my licence if I only watch catch-up TV?

05 Only watch catch-up? Cancel your licence

If you watch all your favourite programmes using catch-up services such as BBC iPlayer or 4oD, then it may be possible to legally ditch your TV licence completely, thus saving £145.50 per year. This is because:

You only need a TV licence if you watch or record TV as it's being broadcast - only watch catch-up and you won't need a licence.

You can watch almost anything on catch-up: soaps, documentaries, dramas, comedies, cartoons and films. And because services such as the BBC iPlayer only take a few hours to update, you could watch the latest installment of EastEnders not long after it's been on BBC1.

It's important to remember that if you do cancel your TV licence, you're making the choice to never watch "live TV", as it's broadcast. Here's some inspiration from Twitter:

Thanks for the heads up about the TV licence. Just cancelled and got £172 refund too!

@alexandrat41 - April 2013

Is this legal?

Figures from TV Licensing show that less than 1% of people actually only watch catch-up TV. But if you are sure you will not watch or record television programmes as they’re being shown on TV, using any device, it asks that you let them know.

Once you do cancel your licence, TV Licensing may visit your home to check that no licence is required. TV Licencing said that on these inspections, it has found that almost one in eight households do still need a TV licence.

If during the visit TV Licensing find that you do in fact need a licence, you'll need to pay the full licence fee, and you could risk prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000.

06 Don't PAY, AND GET FINED UP TO £1,000

Watching "live TV" without a licence is against the law. TV Licensing has enforcement officers that carry out checks. Fee dodgers can face prosecution plus a fine of up to £1,000 if they're found to be watching "live TV" without a licence.

You cannot be imprisoned for TV licence evasion in itself, although you can be imprisoned for non-payment of a fine imposed by the court.

07IF YOU HAVE THE EQUIPMENT TO WATCH, BUT DON'T WATCH, you DON'T NEED A LICENCE

Many wrongly believe that you'll need to be covered by a TV licence if you have the ability to watch "live TV", this is even if you don't watch it.

This is an urban myth: just because you have the ability to watch "live TV" doesn't neccessarily mean you need a licence. You'll only need a licence if you actually watch "live TV".

So, if you've got an aerial on your roof/satellite dish/TV with built-in Freeview etc, but you don't actually watch "live TV", you don't need a licence.

08 colour costs - black & White saves big

The government sets the price of the licence. Currently, a colour TV licence will set you back £145.50 for the year. You could save £96.50/year by only watching telly in black and white.

Save £96.50/year by only watching telly in black & white.

The fees are frozen until the end of the BBC's current charter, in 2016. After this, they could increase.

09 Check if you can grab a discount or even free

Depending on your circumstances, it may be possible to get a discount on your TV licence.

Take a look at the info below to see if any of these apply to you. If they do, get in touch with TV Licensing to see if you're eligible for a refund.

10 Don't pay by quarterly direct debit

You can pay by credit card, debit card, bank transfer, online and by TV Licensing's own savings scheme. However be careful you don't get caught out with some payment methods. Here are some handy tips:

• DON'T pay by quarterly direct debit. Pay by quarterly direct debit and you'll pay a premium of £1.25 per quarter (£5/year) more than paying by monthly direct debit, using its saving card or just paying in one lump sum.
• Pay on a cashback credit card. You don't get charged extra for paying by credit card, so if you've got a cashback credit card, use it (providing you pay off in full at the end of the month) to pay over the phone or online, and you can get a slice of cash back.
  
  Currently you can't pay for your licence with Amex, usually the top cashback card. But for the best non-Amex alternatives, read the Best Cashback Cards guide.
• Pay by cash payment scheme. You can make small weekly, fortnightly or monthly payments at Paypoint outlets (usually local newsagents and shops). You can also pay over the phone.
  
  The advantage of this is you don’t have to pay in one lump sum or by direct debit. But you will end up paying for the first year's licence in six months. Once that’s done (meaning you’re six months ahead), you will then have 12 months to pay for your next licence

11 You don't need a licence for Netflix, Lovefilm & Youtube

If catch-up TV isn't enough, and you want movies too, sign up for a subscription to an online film service like Netflix or Lovefilm, or watch for free on YouTube.

You don't need a licence for these as they don't simultaneously appear on a TV channel at the same time as you're watching.

There are lots of packages and options available, with 1,000s of titles to stream. See our Watch Movies Online guide for full info.

12 TV licensing can check if you haven't paid, so don't get caught out

In February 2013, TV Licensing revealed more than 400,000 people had been caught watching TV without a licence over the previous year.

It has a comprehensive database of over 30 million addresses. That database is its primary tool for catching licence fee evaders, as it allows it to see which addresses are unlicensed at the touch of a button.

If TV Licensing believes you're watching "live TV" without a licence, enquiry officers may pay you a visit. They don't have the power to enter your home without permission, but they can apply for a search warrant to enter if there are reasonable grounds to believe a household is watching TV illegally.

Enquiry officers may also use detection equipment such as vans and hi-tech handheld detectors. However, TV Licensing won't go into exactly how its detection methods work. "We would not want to reveal information useful to potential evaders", it says.

13 The licence covers watching on A laptop/mobile outside your home

Nowadays, you can watch TV on a whole plethora of devices, whenever it suits you. So your TV licence doesn’t just cover you watching TV at home, but also to watch or record shows as they're being broadcast on TV, through all of these devices:

• Computers, including laptops and tablets
• Mobile phones
• Games consoles
• Digital boxes, including Freeview, Sky, Virgin and BT Vision
• DVD / VHS / Blu-ray recorders

As long as the address where you live is licensed, you’re also covered to watch TV outside your home using any device powered solely by its own internal batteries. This includes your mobile phone, laptop and tablet.

14 Even if you pay Sky or Virgin, you still need to cough up

It's the law. Under the Communications Act 2003, and the Communications (Television Licensing) Regulations 2004, you need a TV licence, no matter how you receive the programmes.

So even though you're paying to receive TV with Sky, Virgin Media, TalkTalk or BT, you'll still need to cough up for a TV licence as well.

15 You need a licence for pay-per-view content too

If you're paying to watch a programme and are watching it at the same time as everyone else who's paying to watch it, then yes you will need a licence, regardless of the fact that you've already paid to watch it.

For example, if you buy the movie The Hobbit on Sky Movies Store which is being shown at 8pm, you will need a licence.

16 You don't need a licence to watch programmes online before they're on TV

Although the online broadcast is technically the first showing of the programme, you don't need a licence because it's not being shown online at the same time as it's being shown "live" on telly.

17 Check to see if you're due a refund

It may be possible to get a refund on your TV licence, if one of the following applies:

• You're moving house. If you're moving in with someone who already has a TV licence, moving abroad, or are moving into a new house where you won't watch "live TV".
• The TV licence holder has died. If the TV licence is no longer needed because the licence holder has died, a refund may be due to the estate.
• You don't watch "live TV". If you currently have a TV licence, but will not watch or record television programmes as they’re being shown on TV again before your licence expires, you may be eligible for a partial refund.
• You’d like to cancel only your current payment scheme. If you still need your TV licence but want to cancel your current payment method (direct debits and payment cards), you may be due some money.
  
  This would only apply if you were ahead on your payments and intended to buy a new licence by paying the full fee upfront. Advance payments would be returned.
• You’ve an extra licence at the same address. If you've paid the licence fee twice for the same address or changed the type of licence – for example from black and white to colour, or full fee to the free over-75 licence – you may be due a refund.

You can apply online up to two years after the expiry date of your licence. You may have to print the refund form and supply evidence. There's full information on the TV Licensing website, with details on how to cancel and the online refund form.

18 Students: Do You need a separate licence? Can you get a refund?

Whether you need a licence or not depends if you're living at home while you study, or if you've moved away.

If you've moved, in most cases, you will need to buy a licence, because your parents' TV licence won't cover you unless your permanent registered address is with them.

• Halls of residence. If you're in halls of residence you'll probably be covered for communal areas but not your own room. Check with your university.
• Private accomodation. 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.

Get a refund, NOW! If you're a student who, at the end of the academic year, has a full three months left on your licence and won't be using it before it expires, then you can get a refund on the remainder.

It’s not an automatic process and you will need to apply for the refund. The refund on an unused quarter amounts to over £36. Details on how to get it, and other info for students are available on the TV Licensing website.

19 Buying a new TV? Retailers will ask for your Postcode

If you buy or rent TV receiving equipment, under The Wireless Telegraphy Act 1967, the retailer is required by law to ask for your home address. The retailer must then tell TV Licensing of this purchase, within 28 days.

This includes the sale or rental of any new or second-hand:

• TV
• VCR
• DVD recorder
• Set-top box
• PC with broadcast (TV) card
• TV cards

20using the bbc website doesn't require a licence

You need a TV licence if you watch or record "live TV". If you don't do either of these, you don't need a licence.

Therefore you don't need a licence to read anything on the BBC website.

If you watch content on the BBC iPlayer though, and you don't have a licence, make sure it's not "live TV". If you do stream "live TV" (content shown online at the same time it's broadcast on a TV channel), you will need a licence.

21 Renters need a licence, lodgers don't

If you rent a property, whether that's a whole property or a room in a shared property, you must be covered by a valid TV licence to watch or record television programmes as they're being shown on TV.

Usually you'll have to organise this yourself (or between yourselves if in a shared house). But speak to the landlord first, as they may already have a licence for the property.

If you live in self-contained accommodation such as a separate flat or annexe, then you need your own TV licence.

If you’re a lodger and/or have a relationship with the homeowner (a family member, partner, a nanny, an au pair, housekeeper, etc), you'll be covered by the homeowner’s TV licence, provided you live in the same building.

For more info if you're renting, see the TV Licensing website.

22 You may need a separate licence if you've got a second home

You need to be covered by a separate TV licence if you watch or record television programmes as they're being shown on TV in your second home.

The only exception is if your second home is a static caravan, but only if the TV won't be used at the same time as ones in your main residence. In this case you won't need a second TV Licence (though you'll need to sign a declaration stating this).

If your second home is a touring caravan or vehicle, you won't need a separate licence. There's full info on the TV Licensing website.

23listening to the radio doesn't require a licence

If you had a radio but not a television you were required to pay for a radio licence until February 1971.

However, nowadays you do not need a licence to listen to the radio (including BBC radio channels). This applies however you listen, even if you listen using television equipment.

Remember, you will need a licence if you use your television equipment to watch "live TV", though.

24Watching foreign tv IN THE uk DOES REQUIRE A LICENCE

If you watch "live TV" from a channel that is not broadcast in the UK (eg, a channel picked up via a satellite or online), you need to be covered by a valid TV licence.

This is regardless of the country of origin or the language of the broadcast.