Over 75s TV Licences: An update

In August 2020 - and following the largest consultation in the BBC’s history - the process was started to transition over 75 households from free to paid-for TV licences, following the Government’s decision to withdraw the concession.

The BBC retained a free licence provision for the most vulnerable. Free TV licences remain available to anyone aged over 75 who is in receipt of Pension Credit, paid for by the BBC. 

This document provides an update on those arrangements, six months after the change of policy.

We have implemented these transitional arrangements with the greatest care and have worked to make the process as fair and straightforward as possible. We have also been very mindful to operate in a Covid-safe way.

We fully recognise this is a tough time for many people, which is why we are giving people plenty of time to get set up and there are payment plans available to help spread the cost.

Key numbers

• As of August 2020 there were 4.2m over-75 households with free licences that, under the new policy, needed to transition to new paid or free licences.
• To date, more than 84% of customers have made TV Licence arrangements.
• About 1 in 7 older customers are left to transition either by buying a licence or claiming a free licence paid for by the BBC.
• Over 2.7m over 75s licences have been purchased and we’ve had 750,000 free licence applications.
• The overwhelming majority of these customers have been set-up quickly and easily, without issue.
• More than 1.8m people - over 65% of those who have bought a licence - have chosen to pay in one go, with the remainder set-up on affordable payment plans.
• After six months, this is good progress for the implementation of a programme of this size. We always knew the transition process would take time and this has been central to our planning.

Pension Credit

• Anyone aged over 75 and receiving Pension Credit is eligible for a free TV Licence, paid for by the BBC.
• This can be done quickly and simply online or over the phone.
• The Government sets the criteria for Pension Credit and further detail from the Department for Work and Pensions can be found here.

Correspondence

• We wrote to people twice last year. In August we wrote to all over 75 customers who had previously held a free licence explaining the simple steps they needed to take to apply for a paid or free licence. A reminder letter was sent to a much smaller group in October and November to help remaining customers get set-up.
• No one in this group would have received any other letters unless we were in active dialogue with them as part of the transition process.
• As set out on the TV Licensing website, a further reminder has now been sent to those we are yet to hear from to ensure they are aware of the simple steps they need to take and explain there is plenty of time to get set-up.

Covid-safe process

• No one needs to leave their home to get set-up. Arrangements can be made via post, online or via a dedicated phone line on 0300 790 6117
• There is still plenty of time to get set up and payment plans are available to help spread the cost.

Visiting

• No visits have been authorised to anyone who had previously held a free over-75s licence. This policy has been in place since August last year.
• In addition, all visiting is currently suspended in line with coronavirus restrictions.

Enforcement

• No enforcement action has been taken against anyone who has previously held a free over-75s TV licence.
• More broadly, people cannot be imprisoned for TV licence evasion. They can be imprisoned for non-payment of court fines, which can include fines associated with non-payment of a TV licence - however this is always a matter for the courts.
• The latest published data shows that as at 30 June 2020, there were no people in prison for failing to pay a fine related to the non-payment of a TV licence in England and Wales.

Customer service

• We have had to adjust our plans because of Covid-19 - ensuring customers have plenty of time to respond and creating new processes to help them get set-up from home.
• We have also had to adjust our internal processes because of the pandemic, taking account of staff working from home, increased levels of sickness and postal delays.
• We recruited over 900 specially trained staff to help customers transition.
• We know there have been a small number of cases in which there has been a delay or the transition process has not been straightforward.
• We apologise to everyone who has encountered an issue, and we have been working hard to resolve issues as quickly as possible.
• Since the start of August 2020 we have handled more than one million phone calls to our dedicated helpline.
• Overall, customer satisfaction levels remain high - as measured by independent assessment and industry best practice.

What next

• From the outset, we have planned for this transition process to take time and we are making good progress.
• We continue to process new applications and get people set-up
• People still have plenty of time.