AS you well know, every home with a television needs a TV licence. But you may not know that there is extensive help available in paying for one. In this section we examine the different concessions available to people over 50 and the regulations surrounding TV licences…

What Concessions Are Available?

A TELEVISION licence is a legal requirement if you want to use a TV, video or DVD recorder, digital set-top box or TV-enabled computer in your home.

A licence currently costs £142.50 a year and cover s you and anybody else living at the address stated on the licence. However, a licence is not needed for equipment that is only used to watch pre-recorded tapes and DVDs.

Concessions are available to the registered blind, retired or disabled people living in particular types of accommodation, and homes with a person aged 75 or over.

Further information about eligibility for concessions is available from TV Licensing. Call 0844 800 6790, or visit www.tvlicensing.co.uk

Residential Care: Concessionary Licences

IF YOU are retired or disabled and living in certain types of accommodation, you might be eligible for an Accommodation for Residential Care (ARC) concessionary licence.

Only the retired or disabled aged 60 or more qualify for this concession. In this case, retired means if the person works no more than 15 hours a week

For those described above to be eligible, they have got to live in a care home which provides accommodation for the retired aged 60 or over or the disabled. At least 50% of the care home’s residents must meet the eligibility criteria.

Sheltered Housing

IF you live in sheltered housing, you may also be entitled to the ARC concessionary TV licence. You must live in sheltered accommodation that has at least four homes within a common boundary and is occupied only by disabled people or retired people who are 60 or over. It must also be publicly provided, or under the management of a body such as a local council or housing association.

There must also be warden, whose role is to look after the residents’ needs, who either lives on site, or works there at least 30 hours per week. All the residents in the sheltered housing block must meet the eligibility criteria for it to qualify for a concessionary licence.

There are some exceptions to the regulations for sheltered housing blocks. The qualifying criteria changed in May 1988, but people who were eligible and already living in accommodation that qualified for the concessionary licence before that date but not after it, were given a “preserved right” to the discount – as long as they continued to live in the accommodation.

New Preserved Rights apply to existing sheltered housing blocks where the scheme no longer fulfils the full ARC criteria because of the inclusion of ineligible residents or alterations to the warden provision. These Preserved Rights relate to eligible residents who are under 75 and living in a scheme that lost the full concession for the above reason after June 1998.

Sheltered housing schemes, which would have failed to qualify just because up to 25% of its residents had exercised their “right to buy”, continue to be eligible for a concessionary licence. The discount only applies to the remaining residents who continue to rent their property from the housing association or local council.

How Does ARC Work?

The ARC concessionary licence covers the installation and use of television-receiving equipment in the residents’ own accommodation. For TV sets in communal or staff areas, separate licences are required.

The licence costs £7.50 for each unit of accommodation, normally a flat or room, occupied by a resident. Residents who are 75 or more qualify for a free ARC licence. The application is made by the authority managing the housing scheme.

Over 75s

YOU are eligible for a free over 75 licence from the beginning of the month in which you become 75. But you must apply for it, as it will not be sent to you automatically.

You have to provide your National Insurance number. If this is not available, proof of age will be required via a photocopy of your passport, driving licence or birth certificate.

If you have paid for your previous licence by direct debit, the renewal document will have an over 75 application form attached. This should be completed and returned to TV Licensing.

If you buy a licence by mistake and pay the full fee, write to or call TV Licensing to inform them. Call 0844 800 6790, or visit www.tvlicensing.co.uk. You should subsequently receive a refund and your free licence. You are still entitled to a free licence if there are younger people living in your home. The free licence will have to be in the name of the person over 75 and will be renewed automatically each year. Free licences are not available on second homes.

Registered Blind

THE registered blind are entitled to a 50% discount on the cost of a TV licence. To prove eligibility, you have to send a photocopy of the original certificate from your local council or eye specialist confirming you are registered blind, together with your TV licence application form and fee, to TV Licensing, Blind Concession Group, Bristol BS98 1TL. Subsequent renewals will be at the concessionary rate once a person is registered as blind with TV Licensing.

Local Authority Assistance

SEVERAL local councils run schemes for the full or partial payment of TV licences for older or disabled people in their area. Contact your local authority for details.

Mobile Homes and Caravans

FOR static and touring caravans and mobile homes, a separate TV licence is not needed – as long as there is a licence for the main residence.

Paying For It

YOU can use one of the following options to pay for your TV licence.

Direct Debit: You can create a monthly, quarterly or annual payment on the TV Licensing website www.tvlicensing.co.uk/index.jsp or by ringing 0844 800 6767.

Debit or Credit Card: You can pay for your licence by card online or by ringing 0844 800 6790.

PayPoint: You can pay by taking your renewal notice, payment slip or savings card to any PayPoint outlet. You can pay by cash or by debit card. Visit www.paypoint.co.uk/locator to find where your nearest PayPoint outlets are, or call 0844 800 5812 for more information.

Post: You can send a cheque to TV Licensing.

Payment Plan: This will spread the cost of the TV licence by paying weekly or fortnightly amounts at PayPoint outlets or over the phone. For further details call 0845 601 5526.

Savings Card: You can save towards the cost of your next TV licence by using a savings card. Call 0845 155 0327 to apply.

Contacts List

TV Licensing: 0844 800 6790, www.tvlicensing.co.uk

Or write to: TV Licensing, Bristol BS98 1TL

PayPoint: www.paypoint.com

Age Concern: Age Concern: 0800 00 99 66, www.ageconcern.org.uk

*Please note the details published on this page are targeted at people aged 50 or more and refers to the situation in England.

**Also, please note that the information included here may change from time to time, so please take legal advice if you are in any doubt.