seventeenth Feb 2026
Studying Time: 3 minutes
TV licence rising to £180: what’s occurring — and what occurs if you happen to don’t pay
Hundreds of thousands of households throughout the UK will quickly see their TV licence invoice go up once more, with the annual price rising to £180 from April 2026.
The rise of £5.50 could seem modest, however with family payments nonetheless beneath strain, many are asking whether or not they really must pay — and what occurs in the event that they don’t.
Right here’s all the pieces you must know, together with the actual dangers of not having a licence.
How a lot the TV licence is rising
From 1 April 2026, the price of a regular color TV licence will rise from £174.50 to £180 per 12 months.
That’s an additional 46p a month for households paying the complete price. The worth rise is a part of a authorities settlement permitting the price to extend in keeping with inflation till no less than 2027.
The brand new worth will apply when your licence subsequent renews after April.
Who really must pay the TV licence?
You legally want a TV licence if you happen to:
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Watch or file stay TV on any channel
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Stream stay TV through providers like ITVX, Sky Go or YouTube Dwell
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Watch something on BBC iPlayer, stay or on demand
You don’t want a licence if you happen to solely watch on-demand streaming akin to Netflix, Disney+ or Amazon Prime — and by no means watch stay TV or BBC iPlayer.
Nevertheless, watching even a single stay broadcast and not using a licence can rely as an offence.
What occurs if you happen to don’t pay the TV licence?
Not paying once you want one is a legal offence, and enforcement is dealt with by TV Licensing.
Right here’s the way it usually works:
Letters and warnings
When you don’t have a licence registered at your handle, you’ll normally obtain letters warning that one could also be required. These can escalate in tone over time.
Visits from enforcement officers
TV Licensing officers can go to your house to examine whether or not you’re watching stay TV and not using a licence.
They can not drive entry and not using a warrant, however they’ll ask questions and should collect proof in the event that they consider an offence is being dedicated.
Investigation and prosecution
When you’re discovered watching stay TV or BBC iPlayer and not using a licence, you could be prosecuted and fined.
The utmost penalty is as much as £1,000 (or £2,000 in Guernsey), plus court docket prices and a sufferer surcharge.
It is a legal conviction, although it doesn’t normally lead to a jail sentence by itself.
Are you able to go to jail?
You can’t be jailed merely for not having a TV licence.
Nevertheless, you might face jail in uncommon circumstances if you’re prosecuted, fined by the court docket after which refuse to pay that effective. It’s because non-payment of court docket fines can in the end result in imprisonment.
How many individuals are prosecuted?
TV licence prosecutions nonetheless make up a big proportion of magistrates’ court docket circumstances in England and Wales annually, although numbers have fluctuated as viewing habits change and enforcement practices evolve.
The difficulty has lengthy been controversial, with campaigners arguing that legal penalties for non-payment are too harsh, whereas supporters say enforcement is important to fund public broadcasting pretty.
Reductions and methods to scale back the associated fee
Earlier than risking fines, it’s value checking if you happen to qualify for assist:
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Free licence if over 75 and receiving Pension Credit score
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50% low cost if registered blind or severely sight-impaired
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Attainable reductions for some care house residents
You may as well unfold the associated fee with month-to-month or weekly fee plans.
Learn our full information right here.
The way forward for the TV licence
The newest rise comes as the federal government critiques how the BBC needs to be funded sooner or later. The present licence price system is assured till the top of 2027, when the BBC’s Royal Constitution expires.
Attainable future choices being mentioned embody:
However for now, households who watch stay TV or BBC iPlayer will nonetheless must pay — or threat enforcement motion.
