Pensioners Switched-Off - Simon Collyer Appears on the Sadie Nine Show on BBC Essex, Discussing TV Licences

TV LICENCES - Simon Collyer, ABC founder, appeared on the Sadie Nine show on BBC Essex radio  this morning. Our topic of discussion - the government ending free TV licences for pensioners over the age of 75, other than those receiving Pension Credit and a few other exempt categories. 

From 1 August 2020, there will be a new scheme. Under the new scheme, anyone aged 75 or over receiving Pension Credit will be eligible to apply for a free TV Licence, paid for by the BBC.

Pension Credit can be in the name of the licence holder, or their partner's name if they are a couple living at the same address. Over-75s will continue to get free TV licences for a further two months as a result of the coronavirus. They were originally going to be scrapped on 1 June, but this was pushed back until 1 August.

As you can appreciate many pensioners are very annoyed at having to find £157.00 per annum, to watch the 'goggle box'. 

Who is exempt from TV Licence?

People who are aged 75 or over and receive Pension Credit. People who are blind (severely sight impaired). People who live in qualifying residential care and are disabled or over 60 and retired. For businesses that provide units of overnight accommodation, for example, hotels and mobile units.

If you are currently paying for a licence, please continue to make your payments, as usual, to stay covered says the BBC. You can also renew your licence now if you need to.

If you previously had a free over 75 TV Licence, please sign in to review your options and get set up with a new licence.

If you’re not covered and need a TV Licence, please buy a licence now.

If you are eligible for a free over 75 TV Licence

Free over 75 TV Licences are only available to households that receive Pension Credit.

Image: Irate pensioners face being switched-off by the government. 

Need to apply for Pension Credit?

If you don’t have Pension Credit but think you may be eligible, you can find out more at www.gov.uk/pension-credit. You can make a claim for Pension Credit online or by calling 0800 99 1234 (opening hours 9.30 am-6.00 pm).

If you live in Northern Ireland please visit www.nidirect.gov.uk/pension-credit or call the Northern Ireland Pension Centre on 0808 100 6165.

Previously covered by a free over 75 TV Licence?

If you had a free licence up to 31 July 2020 and you or your partner at the same address are receiving Pension Credit, please sign in to apply for your next free licence.

Never been covered by a free over 75 TV Licence?

If you think you’re eligible for a free licence but have not held a free licence before, call 0300 790 6117 and speak to one of our advisors to request an application form. (Our lines are open between 8.30 am and 6.30pm, from Monday to Friday.)

Once you receive your application form, you’ll need to complete and return it. Please include a copy of your Pension Credit and proof of age documents. This could be a letter from the Department for Work and Pensions or The Pension Service. In Northern Ireland, this could be a letter from the Department for Communities or the Northern Ireland Pension Centre.

Once we’ve received your application it may take a few weeks to process. If there are any problems we’ll write to let you know. We may also call you if you have given us your phone number.

Refunds

If you’ve been paying for a licence when you were eligible for a free over 75 TV Licence, you may be due a refund. We will process this as part of your application.

If you live in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man

The BBC is consulting in the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey before deciding the future arrangements for TV Licences for older people there. We’ll be in touch when a decision has been made. Until then, existing free licences will be in place until 31 December 2020. New licences will also run until that date.

Applying for a free over 75 TV Licence before you reach 75

If you already receive Pension Credit, you can apply for your free over 75 TV Licence when you are 74 years old. We will issue you a short-term paid-for licence to cover you until your 75th birthday.

To request an application form, please call 0300 790 6117 and speak to an advisor.

Have your circumstances changed?

If the licence holder has died

If a licence holder has passed away, please contact us to let us know who we should transfer the licence to. If you lived at the same address, you’ll be covered until the current licence expires.

If you’re eligible, you can then apply for a new free licence. If not, you’ll need to buy a new licence when the current one expires.

If you’ve moved home or into a residential care home

You can move your licence to your new address by updating your details online.

If you’re 75 or over and live in a residential care home, you may be covered by an ARC (Accommodation for Residential Care) TV Licence and won’t have to pay for a licence even if you don’t receive Pension Credit. You may also get a free licence if you live somewhere that used to have an ARC licence (“preserved rights”). Please speak to your care home administrator.

Thanks to TV Licencing for this information.

During the radio interview Simon Collyer, ABC founder, suggested you check your state pension. PLEASE click here to check yours: https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension

Image: BBC Essex and the Saide Nine show:

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