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  • Breadcrumb

    1. Home
    2. Benefits and money
    3. Benefits and financial support
    4. In retirement

    Free TV licences

    Free TV Licences, funded by the Government, for everyone aged 75 or over ended on 31 July 2020. From 1 August 2020, anyone aged 75 or over receiving Pension Credit, is eligible for a free TV Licence, paid for by the BBC.

    If you’re blind or in residential care, you can get a discounted TV licence.

    If you are 75 or over

    You can get a free TV licence if you’re 75 or older and you either:

    • get Pension Credit
    • live with your partner who gets Pension Credit

    The licence covers everyone living at your address.

    You can apply when you’re 74 if you already get Pension Credit. You’ll still need to pay for your licence until the end of the month before your 75th birthday. After that you’ll be covered by your free licence.

    For more information about Pension Credit contact: Northern Ireland Pension Centre

    How to apply for a free TV licence

    You can apply for a free licence online.

    You can also apply by phone.

    TV Licensing
    Telephone: 0300 790 6071
    Minicom: 0300 709 6050

    Find out about call charges

    If you’re in residential care or sheltered accommodation

    You can get a concessionary TV Licence if you live in an eligible residential care home, supported housing or sheltered accommodation.

    You must be either:

    • retired and over 60
    • disabled

    Your housing manager can check if you can get it and will apply for you.

    If you’re registered blind

    You can get a 50 per cent discount if you’re registered blind or live with someone who is.

    The licence must be in the blind person’s name - if it’s not, you can make a new application to transfer it into their name. You’ll need to provide your existing TV licence number when you apply.

    Apply for a licence if you’re registered blind on the TV Licensing website.

    More useful links

    • BBC iPlayer and the TV Licence - TV Licensing
    • Buy or renew your TV licence online
    • Qualifying for a free passport
    • Benefits Calculator
    • Apply for Pension Credit
    • War Widow(er) Pension – gov.uk
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    In retirement

    • 60+ SmartPass and Senior (65+) SmartPass
    • About Pension Credit
    • Attendance Allowance
    • Carer's Allowance
    • Cold Weather Payment
    • Energy saving grants
    • Free TV licences
    • Help with health costs
    • Lone Pensioner Allowance
    • Over 80 Pension
    • Paying your residential care or nursing home fees
    • Pension Credit
    • Pensions and retirement planning
    • Residential care and nursing homes and benefits
    • Tax and allowances in retirement
    • Your home, assets and residential care or nursing home fees

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    What to do next

    Comments or queries about angling can be emailed to anglingcorrespondence@daera-ni.gov.uk 

    If you have a comment or query about benefits, you will need to contact the government department or agency which handles that benefit.  Contacts for common benefits are listed below.

    Carer's Allowance

    Call 0800 587 0912
    Email 
    dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

    Discretionary support / Short-term benefit advance

    Call 0800 587 2750 
    Email 
    customerservice.unit@communities-ni.gov.uk

    Disability Living Allowance

    Call 0800 587 0912 
    Email dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

    Employment and Support Allowance

    Call 0800 587 1377

    Jobseeker’s Allowance

    Contact your local Jobs & Benefits office

    Personal Independence Payment

    Call 0800 587 0932

    If your query is about another benefit, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

    Comments or queries about the Blue Badge scheme can be emailed to bluebadges@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk or you can also call 0300 200 7818.

    For queries or advice about careers, contact the Careers Service.

    For queries or advice about Child Maintenance, contact the Child Maintenance Service.

    For queries or advice about claiming compensation due to a road problem, contact DFI Roads claim unit.

    If you can’t find the information you’re looking for in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) section, then for queries about:

    • Restrictions or regulations — contact the Department of Health
    • Travel advice (including self-isolation) — contact the Department of Health
    • Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations — contact the Department of Health or Public Health Agency

    If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

    For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk and for queries about your certificate, email covidcertni@hscni.net.

    For queries or advice about criminal record checks, email ani@accessni.gov.uk

    Application and payment queries can be emailed to ema_ni@slc.co.uk

    For queries or advice about employment rights, contact the Labour Relations Agency.

    For queries or advice about birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates and research, contact the General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI) by email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk

    For queries about your GRONI account, email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk.

    For queries about the High Street Spend Local Scheme,  email HSSS.mail@economy-ni.gov.uk.

    For queries about:

    • Car tax, vehicle registration and SORN
      contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Swansea
       
    • Driver licensing and tests, MOT and vehicle testing
      contact the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA), Northern Ireland

    If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

    For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk.

     

    For queries or advice about passports, contact HM Passport Office.

    For queries or advice about Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), including parking tickets and bus lane PCNs, email dcu@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

    For queries or advice about pensions, contact the Northern Ireland Pension Centre.

    If you wish to report a problem with a road or street you can do so online in this section.

    If you wish to check on a problem or fault you have already reported, contact DfI Roads.

    For queries or advice about historical, social or cultural records relating to Northern Ireland, use the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) enquiry service.

    For queries or advice about rates, email LPSCustomerTeam@lpsni.gov.uk

    For queries or advice about  60+ and Senior Citizen SmartPasses (which can be used to get concessionary travel on public transport), contact Smartpass - Translink.

    If you have a question about a government service or policy, you should contact the relevant government organisation directly.  We don't have access to information about you.

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