700,000 could claim free TV licence and save £174 – are you eligible? (Image: Getty)
Hundreds of thousands more Britons could qualify for a free but may not be aware of it, new figures show.
Latest data from the Department for Work and Pensions () estimates as many as 700,000 more state pensioners qualify for the Government’s – which would unlock a free TV licence – but aren’t claiming the benefit.
Pension Credit is worth an average of £4,200 a year, and aims to top up low-income pensioners’ to give them a more reasonable standard of living.
The benefit can be claimed even if a person owns their own house or has a certain amount of savings.
It provides access to a host of additional financial support measures, such as free NHS dental treatment, the and council tax reductions. If the Pension Credit claimant is aged 75 and over, they’ll be able to claim a free TV licence.
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Hundreds of thousands more state pensioners qualify for Pension Credit but aren’t claiming (Image: Getty)
The TV licence fee, which currently stands at £169.50 a year, is set to rise to £174.50 from April 2025. Every household in the UK that watches live TV of iPlayer must have a licence.
The annual licence payment, which rises with inflation and has been widely criticised, can add a sizeable sum to household’s expenditure, making it key for people to check if they can qualify for the saving.
What’s more, if claim Pension Credit by , they’ll have this year’s Winter Fuel Allowance reinstated, which is a payment worth up to £300 to put towards heating bills.
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Who is eligible to claim Pension Credit?
To claim Pension Credit, a person must live in England, Scotland or Wales and have reached the age (currently 66 and over). They or their partner must also be receiving housing benefits.
If this applies, the person must then work out their total weekly income. This should include the , other pensions, earnings from employment and self-employment, and most social security benefits, such as Carer’s Allowance.
Not all benefits are counted as income. For example, the following are not counted and shouldn’t be included in the calculation:
- Adult Disability Payment
- Christmas Bonus
- Child Benefit
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Social fund payments, such as the Winter Fuel Allowance
- Housing Benefit
- Council Tax Reduction.
Individuals are most likely to be eligible if their total weekly income is roughly under £220. Joint households may find themselves more likely to be eligible if their total weekly income is roughly under £332.
However, if their income is higher, they might still be eligible so it’s worth checking the Government just in case.
Individuals with £10,000 or less in savings and investments will not see any impact on their Pension Credit.
For those with savings exceeding £10,000, every £500 over this threshold is treated as £1 of weekly income. For instance, £11,000 in savings would count as £2 of income per week.
To apply for the benefit, people can reach the helpline by telephone on 0800 99 1234 or by textphone on 0800 169 0133. They can also apply online .
How to claim a free TV licence
You can get a free TV licence if you’re 75 or older and you either:
- get
- live with your partner who gets Pension Credit.
The licence covers everyone living at the address. People can apply when they’re 74 if they already get Pension Credit.
They’ll still need to pay for the licence until the end of the month before their 75th birthday. After that, the claimant will be covered by the free licence.
People can then online or by phone on 0300 790 6071.