Yes — in the UK you need a TV Licence to watch or record live television on any channel and any device, and to use BBC iPlayer for anything at all. The licence costs £180 a year from 1 April 2026, and watching without one when you should have one is a criminal offence that can bring a fine of up to £1,000.1TV Licensing. Detection and Penalties
What Requires a Licence
Two activities trigger the requirement:
- Watching or recording live TV as it is being broadcast or streamed, on any channel — not just the BBC.
- Using BBC iPlayer for anything, whether live, catch-up, or downloads.
The device makes no difference. A television set, laptop, phone, tablet, games console, streaming stick, or desktop computer all count the same. It also does not matter how the signal reaches you: cable, satellite, Freeview, or the internet.2TV Licensing. Do I Need a TV Licence?
Foreign channels count too. Watching a live sports match or television programme broadcast or streamed from outside the UK still needs a licence, whether the feed arrives by satellite or over the internet.3TV Licensing. Broadcasts Outside the UK or Channel Islands
One licence covers every device and every person at a single address. You do not buy a separate licence for each television or each viewer in the household.
What You Can Watch Without One
Plenty of viewing sits outside the rules. If you never watch live TV and never use BBC iPlayer, you can legally watch:
- On-demand and catch-up content on ITVX, Channel 4’s service, and My5.
- Streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+, provided you are watching on-demand rather than a live event.
- Clips on YouTube, including videos on the BBC’s own YouTube channel.4TV Licensing. What Can I Do Without a TV Licence?
The line is live versus on-demand. The moment you watch something as it is going out live, even through a streaming service, you need a licence. Purely on-demand viewing on any non-BBC service stays outside the requirement.5TV Licensing. Do I Need a TV Licence for On Demand Services?
What It Costs From April 2026
A standard colour TV Licence is £180 a year from 1 April 2026, up £5.50 on the previous year. The black-and-white licence is £60.50. These figures follow the consumer price index under the 2022 Licence Fee Settlement, and one further inflation-linked rise is scheduled for April 2027, the last year of the current BBC Royal Charter.6GOV.UK. Cost of TV Licence Fee Set for 2026/27
You can pay in a lump sum, by monthly or quarterly Direct Debit, or by topping up a TV Licensing payment card weekly or monthly at any PayPoint shop. Cheque, postal order, and BACS transfer are also accepted.7TV Licensing. Pay for Your TV Licence
Concessions
Age 75 or Over on Pension Credit
If you or your partner are 75 or older and receive Pension Credit, your licence is free and covers everyone living at the address. Turning 75 on its own does not qualify you; you must be receiving Pension Credit.8GOV.UK. Get a Free or Discounted TV Licence
Blind or Severely Sight Impaired
If you are registered blind or severely sight impaired, you qualify for a 50% discount, bringing the colour licence to £90 in 2026/27. The licence must be in your name for the household to benefit. You will need to send evidence: a Certificate of Visual Impairment, a BD8 certificate, a local authority registration document, a letter from your ophthalmologist, or an HMRC tax coding notice showing Blind Person’s Allowance.9TV Licensing. Blind Concessionary
Care Homes and Sheltered Accommodation
Residents of eligible residential care homes and sheltered housing can get an Accommodation for Residential Care licence for £7.50 if they are retired and over 60, or disabled. It only covers viewing in your own room or flat. Communal areas like a residents’ lounge are covered by the home’s own licence.8GOV.UK. Get a Free or Discounted TV Licence
Students, Second Homes, and Businesses
Students at University
A parent’s TV Licence normally does not cover a student living in halls or a rented room away from home. There is one narrow exception: the student can watch on a device powered only by its own internal battery, such as a phone, laptop, or tablet that is not plugged into the mains and not connected to an aerial, provided the parents’ home has a valid licence. Plug the device in, and the student needs their own licence.10TV Licensing. Does My Parents’ TV Licence Cover Me While I’m Away at University?
Second Homes
A second house, flat, or bungalow needs its own licence. Your main licence covers it only if viewing at the second property is limited to battery-powered devices not plugged in or aerial-connected. Caravans, boats, and mobile homes are treated differently: your main licence covers them as long as nobody at your main address is watching live TV or iPlayer at the same time. If simultaneous viewing is possible, you complete a non-simultaneous use declaration rather than buy a second licence.11TV Licensing. Second Home TV Licence
Businesses
One licence covers every television at a single business premises, including staff areas and customer-facing rooms. Each separate site needs its own licence.12TV Licensing. Shops and Offices
If You Genuinely Do Not Need One
If you never watch live TV and never use BBC iPlayer, you do not have to pay. TV Licensing recommends filing a No Licence Needed declaration through its website. The declaration reduces the letters and doorstep visits you would otherwise receive, though it does not stop them entirely: TV Licensing may still send an officer to verify your situation.13TV Licensing. Telling Us You Don’t Need a TV Licence
Enforcement and Your Rights at the Door
TV Licensing visiting officers call at addresses without a valid licence on record. They have no automatic right to enter your home. They can only come inside if you invite them, and you can ask them to leave at any point. Refuse entry and they leave.14TV Licensing. Visiting Officer Code of Conduct
The one exception is a search warrant obtained from a magistrate, or a sheriff in Scotland. Warrants are treated as a last resort and require substantial evidence that an offence has been committed. Most enforcement in practice happens through letters, doorstep visits, and interviews rather than forced entry.
Penalties for Watching Without a Licence
Watching or recording live TV, or using BBC iPlayer, without a licence is a criminal offence under section 363 of the Communications Act 2003.15TV Licensing. Legal Framework On conviction, the maximum fine is £1,000 (£2,000 in Guernsey), and the court can add legal costs or compensation on top.1TV Licensing. Detection and Penalties
A conviction produces a criminal record, but it does not appear on a basic criminal record check; it would only show up on an enhanced check of the kind required for certain professional roles. If a court-imposed fine goes unpaid, the court can ultimately impose a custodial sentence for the non-payment itself, not for the original licence offence.16House of Commons Library. TV Licence Fee Non-Payment – Should It Be Decriminalised?