Thousands could save up to £170 by getting a free or discounted TV licence

Tens of thousands of pensioners and people living with disabilities could be missing out on a free or heavily-discounted TV licence.

There are four main groups of people who can have the £169.50 licence fee waived entirely or get between £84.75 and £162.50 off.

Firstly, people who are 75 or older and either get pension credit, or live with a partner who does, gets a free TV licence.

Nobody else living at the same address needs to pay even if they don’t fall into the same categories.

Secondly, people who are retired and over 60, or disabled, can get a TV licence for just £7.50 if they live in certain types of accommodation.

These include eligible care homes, supported housing or sheltered accommodation.

Anyone who thinks their address might qualify should check with their housing manager, according to Gov.uk.

Thirdly, people who are registered blind, or live with someone who is, can get a 50% discount (worth £84.75).

Finally, students can also be exempt from paying for a TV licence as long as the following three conditions are met:

1. Their ‘out-of-term address’ (for example, their parents’ or guardians’ address) is covered by a TV licence.
2. They only use TV-receiving equipment (like a smartphone, tablet or laptop) that is powered solely by its own internal batteries.
3. They’re not watching TV on that device while it’s connected it to an aerial or plugged into the mains.

This means students whose parents or guardians have a TV licence are fine to use BBC iPlayer and/or watch live television on a smartphone, tablet or laptop that’s not charging at the time, without having to pay for their own licence – as long as your parents’ address is where you live outside of term time.

The licence – which increased in price in April – must be registered in the name of the person who is registered blind.

The TV licence is legally required if you watch live television – on any channel – or use the BBC iPlayer.

You’ll also need it if you record live television at the time it’s broadcast, for example using Sky Q, Virgin TV 360, or an old-fashioned video recorder.

Watching live sports or paying extra for live add-ons to services, such as Amazon Prime’s Video Content, will also require a licence.

You don’t need a licence to use any of the other catch-up services, such as ITVX, Channel 4 or My5, or to use streaming sites.

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