Hundreds of thousands of people could be hit with a £1,000 fine this Sunday due to TV licence rule change

The BBC will start charging everyone for a TV licence from Sunday – and people could be hit with a four figure fine if they don’t have one.
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On 1 August 2020 the BBC announced TV licences would no longer be free for those over 75.

This means that hundreds of thousands of people aged over 75 could face a £1,000 fine from Sunday, if they do not buy a TV licence.

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Today, the TV licence costs £157.50 a year, or £53 for black and white TV sets.

Over 75 will have to pay for their TV licence from Sunday, August 1 2021.Over 75 will have to pay for their TV licence from Sunday, August 1 2021.
Over 75 will have to pay for their TV licence from Sunday, August 1 2021.

The licence fees existence is guaranteed until at least 31 December 2027 by the BBC's Royal Charter.

In a statement, the BBC said: “As we have now reached a situation where over-75s households are in line with the general population, the extended transition period we put in place due to Covid-19 will end on 31 July 2021.

"In line with general policy, anyone who watches or records live TV programmes on any channel, or downloads or watches BBC programmes on BBC iPlayer, must be covered by a valid TV licence.”

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However, if people claim Pension Credit they will still be entitled to a free TV licence.

If you are eligible, you need to apply for a free TV licence as it’s not given out automatically. For an application form you can call TV licensing on 0300 790 6117.

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