TV Licence: When You Need One, and What It Costs

£180 a year for a standard colour licence since 1 April 2026 — confirm the current figure before paying, since it is index-linked and rises most Aprils. It can be paid annually, quarterly or monthly by Direct Debit; the quarterly option adds a small premium, while annual and monthly come to the same total.

No. TV Licence Scotland works exactly as it does in England, Wales and Northern Ireland — same fee, same rule, same concessions. The only regional differences in UK television are which channels you receive, not whether a licence is needed.

Usually yes, for their own room in halls or a house let on separate tenancy agreements. A parental licence at the family home does not extend to it. A narrow exemption can apply to a device running on its own internal battery where the home address is licensed — worth checking your exact circumstances.

It depends on the tenancy. One joint agreement covering the whole property usually means a single household and a single licence. Individual agreements per room usually mean separate households, each needing their own. Look at what you actually signed rather than at how many people live there.

Yes, if live television is watched there. A holiday home or second property needs its own licence. Caravans, motorhomes and boats are covered by the home licence only if nobody is watching live at the home address at the same time.

You need one if you watch or record live television as it is broadcast — on any channel, service or device — or if you use BBC iPlayer at all. If you only watch on-demand content on services like Netflix, ITVX, Channel 4 or My5, and never use iPlayer, you do not need one.

£180 a year for a standard colour licence since 1 April 2026, normally increased each April. Because the figure changes annually, confirm the current amount with TV Licensing before paying. One licence covers a whole household at one address, on every device.

Yes. The licence attaches to the address rather than to a person, so one covers everyone living there. It also works the other way: one person watching live television creates the obligation for the whole household, whoever actually pays for it.

If nobody at the address watches live television or uses BBC iPlayer, nothing — you owe nothing and have committed no offence, though letters will still arrive. If anyone does, it is a criminal offence carrying a fine of up to £1,000 plus costs.

Yes, if you watch live channels on them — which is the main reason to use either. The platforms themselves are free of subscription, but the licence applies to live television regardless of how it reaches you, including over broadband.

Yes. Any complete months still to run can be claimed back once you no longer need it. You will normally have to declare that you will not be watching live television or using BBC iPlayer.

Watching or recording live television, or using BBC iPlayer, without a licence is a criminal offence carrying a fine of up to £1,000 plus costs. TV Licensing writes to unlicensed addresses and can send officers, though they have no automatic right of entry without your permission or a warrant.

Yes. One licence covers everyone living at that address, on every device — televisions, laptops, phones, tablets and consoles. It is not charged per television or per person. Separate households at the same address, such as some shared houses, may each need their own.