It’s one of the household bills that has become increasingly controversial in the wake of the streaming era.
While millions of people have no issue with paying the TV licence in exchange for hit programmes like Match Of The Day, Strictly Come Dancing and Eastenders, with so much entertainment available at the press of a button these days, not everyone is as keen to part with £169.50 a year for the BBC.
And with the costs going up another £5 to £174.50 in April, many households already grappling with ever increasing bills are no doubt looking at how to get rid of their TV licence or reduce the payments.
There is one condition that will instantly cut your TV licence bill in half – being legally blind.
If anyone in your household is legally blind – which could mean they are sight impaired but legally blind – the entire household could qualify for a 50% reduction.
That means the TV licence would cost £84.75 a year (£87.25 from April 2025) instead of £169.50 (£174.50 from April), a huge difference in price.
TV Licensing explains: “A blind concession TV licence costs £84.75 for colour and £28.50 for a black and white TV licence.
“If you or someone you live with is blind (severely sight impaired), regardless of their age, you can apply for a blind concession.
If you already have a TV licence, but it isn’t in the name of the person who is blind, you’ll need to transfer the licence into their name. You can do this by making a first time blind application. You’ll just need to enter the existing TV licence number for your address when you apply. If the blind (severely sight impaired) person is under 18, a different process will apply.”
In order to prove your eligibility for the reduction, you need to produce a CVI (Certificate of Visual Impairment), or a BD8 certificate.
Other documents that will qualify you for the discount include a certificate from an opticians, a local authority document or a tax code from HMRC for Blind Person’s Allowance.
Other scenarios in which you could qualify for a discount include if you’re aged 75 or over and receive Pension Credit. If anyone in your household receives Pension Credit over 75, the TV licence will become free for the entire household.
And if you live in a care home or sheltered accommodation, you can cancel the TV licence at your home address – provided nobody lives there any more – as the care home or sheltered accommodation will have a TV licence.
