Are you 75 or over – you may be eligible for a free TV licence
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THIS month, the BBC discontinued a scheme allowing households aged 75 or over to benefit from a free TV licence.
Now, in order to be eligible for a free TV licence, these households must be in receipt of Pension Credit.
If you are aged 75 or over and have a free TV licence which expired on July 31, TV Licensing will be contacting you by letter to ask you to confirm if you are receiving Pension Credit, and to ask for payment of the TV Licence if you are not.
Currently the annual fee for a TV licence is £157.50. The licence fee can be paid in one go or spread over a number of monthly, fortnightly or weekly instalments.
Pension Credit is a means-tested benefit, made up of two parts – Guarantee Credit and Savings Credit.
Guarantee Credit tops up your weekly income if it’s below £173.75 (for single people) or £265.20 (for couples). Savings Credit is an extra payment for people who saved some money towards their retirement, for example a pension.
If you reached state pension age on or after 6th April, 6, 2016, you may only be eligible for Guarantee Credit.
Government figures show that almost 40 per cent of those eligible to Pension Credit are missing out.
Across the UK this is an estimated 590,000 households, with many households in Sutherland falling in to this category.
Now with the changes to TV licensing households aged 75 and over need to find an additional £157.50 to cover the annual fee if they don’t claim Pension Credit.
As well as allowing households to continue receiving a free TV licence, Pension Credit is a gateway entitlement.
This means if you are eligible for Pension Credit you will be eligible to other benefits such as housing benefit, help with council tax, help with fuel bills by way of the Warm Home Discount scheme and help with meeting the costs of a partner’s funeral.
Here at the bureau we can help you to find out if you are eligible to claim Pension Credit by completing a quick assessment of your situation.
This can be done over the phone in around 15 minutes. An adviser will take some details and calculate if you have an entitlement to Pension Credit as well as many other benefits you not have known are available to you.
If you believe you, or a family member may be eligible for Pension Credit they can contact the bureau to check, and if eligible get help and support in completing an application. Call 01408 633000.
