Quick answer: a TV licence over 75 is free only if you or a partner at the same address receive Pension Credit. Age on its own is not enough. You can apply from age 74 if Pension Credit is already in payment, and the free licence covers everyone living at your address once it is granted.
Turning 75 does not automatically make a TV licence free, and that single misunderstanding costs pensioners real money every year. A free TV licence for over 75 households exists, but it depends on one specific condition most people have never checked. This guide sets out exactly who qualifies, how the application actually works, what evidence is checked, and what to do if you have been paying full price without realising you did not need to.
The Rule Changed in 2020, and Many People Still Do Not Know
UK TV licence over 75 changes introduced in 2020 are still the source of most confusion on this topic today.
Before 1 August 2020, every household with someone aged 75 or over received a free TV licence automatically, funded by the government. That blanket arrangement ended. Since then, the free licence has been tied to Pension Credit rather than age alone. If you are 75 or over and neither you nor a partner at your address receives Pension Credit, you pay the standard fee like everyone else. The change is now several years old, but it still catches people out, particularly those who assumed the old rule still applied or who saw a relative qualify years ago under the previous system.
An over 75 TV licence is not a separate product from the standard one. It is the same licence, simply provided free of charge once the Pension Credit condition is met.
Who Actually Qualifies
You qualify if
You do not qualify if
The household element surprises people most. It does not matter whose name the licence is registered under, and it does not matter whose Pension Credit it is. If either partner at the address receives it, the whole household qualifies for the free licence, covering every device and everyone living there.
What Pension Credit Actually Is
Pension Credit is a separate benefit administered by the Department for Work and Pensions, not by TV Licensing, and it is worth understanding on its own terms since it is the benefit that decides the free licence. It has two elements. Guarantee Credit tops up your weekly income to a minimum level, £238.00 for a single person or £363.25 for a couple from April 2026. Savings Credit is a smaller additional payment for people with modest savings or a second pension, worth up to £17.96 a week for a single person or £20.10 for a couple. Either element on its own is enough to qualify for the free TV licence, and you do not need both.
A genuinely large number of pensioners who could claim Pension Credit never do. Government figures put the number at somewhere between 800,000 and a million people, and the reasons are consistent: not realising they qualify, assuming owning a home or having modest savings rules them out, since neither does, or finding the application form offputting. If you are over 75 on a limited income and have never checked, it is worth doing so regardless of the TV licence, since Pension Credit can also open the door to other help, including Council Tax reduction and Cold Weather Payments.
How to Apply for a Free TV Licence Over 75
Knowing how to apply for a free TV licence over 75 correctly avoids most of the delay people run into, since the process depends on TV Licensing being able to verify your Pension Credit status cleanly on the first attempt.
Check or claim Pension Credit first
The free licence sits behind Pension Credit, so this has to be in payment before TV Licensing can approve anything. Use the government’s Pension Credit calculator if you have not checked already.
Apply through TV Licensing
Apply online through the official website, or by phone on the dedicated over-75 line. Have your existing licence number ready if you already hold one.
Let TV Licensing verify your Pension Credit status
As part of the application, TV Licensing checks directly with the Department for Work and Pensions. The name on your TV licence needs to match the name DWP holds for you, so it is worth checking this in advance if you have recently changed your name or details.
Wait for confirmation
Once approved, the free licence covers everyone at your address. If you had time left on a paid licence, you may also be entitled to a refund for the unused portion, processed as part of the same application.
Applying Before You Turn 75
You do not have to wait until your actual 75th birthday if Pension Credit is already in payment. TV Licensing allows applications from age 74, and issues a short-term licence that bridges the gap until you turn 75, at which point the free licence takes over automatically. This is worth doing as soon as you are eligible rather than waiting, since there is no advantage to delaying and it removes the need to think about it again right at your birthday.
If You Are Already Paying and Just Realised You Qualify
This happens more than you might expect. If you have been paying full price for a TV licence while eligible for the free one, you are not simply out of luck. Once your free licence is approved, you can claim back the unused portion of what you already paid, and unlike the standard refund rules that apply to everyone else, this group faces no minimum time limit. Most refunds require at least a month left unused to qualify. The over-75 Pension Credit rule is more generous: you can claim for whatever time is left on your current licence, however long ago you actually became eligible. The full detail on how this works sits in our guide to TV licence refunds.
A Few Situations Worth Knowing About
Living in a care home
If your care home or sheltered housing already holds its own licence covering residents, you may not need a personal one at all, free or otherwise, since the building’s ARC licence can cover your room directly.
Isle of Man, Jersey, or Guernsey
These islands run separate arrangements for over-75s outside the standard UK scheme, so if you or a relative live there, check locally rather than assuming the mainland rule applies.
A relative applying on your behalf
Family members can help with the application, but the Pension Credit check is still made against the actual claimant’s details held by DWP, so names and details need to match exactly.
Moving in with an over-75 relative
If you move into a household that already holds a free licence through a relative’s Pension Credit, that licence covers you too, and nothing extra needs to be done.
Common Myths, Cleared Up
Not true
Actually true
Frequently Asked Questions
Is TV licence free for over 75?
Only if you or a partner at the same address receive Pension Credit. Age alone no longer qualifies you. This rule has applied since 1 August 2020, when the previous universal free licence for everyone over 75 was replaced with this Pension Credit link.
Are TV licences free for over 75 year olds?
Not automatically. A TV licence is free for over 75s only where Pension Credit, either Guarantee Credit or Savings Credit, is in payment to the licence holder or their partner. Without Pension Credit, the standard fee applies regardless of age.
How do I apply for a free TV licence over 75?
Apply online through the TV Licensing website, or by phone on the dedicated over-75 line. You will need your licence number if you already have one, and TV Licensing checks your Pension Credit status directly with the Department for Work and Pensions.
Can I apply for a free TV licence before I turn 75?
Yes. If you already receive Pension Credit, you can apply from age 74. TV Licensing issues a short-term licence to bridge the gap until your 75th birthday, when the free licence takes over automatically.
What if I already have a TV licence and turn 75?
Your existing licence keeps working until it expires. If you receive Pension Credit, apply for the free over-75 licence before or as soon as it does, and you may be entitled to a refund for any unused time on your current licence.
Does my partner’s Pension Credit count if I am the licence holder?
Yes. If either you or your partner at the same address receives Pension Credit, the household qualifies for the free licence, regardless of which of you the licence is registered to.