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Another TV licence price rise is set to hit households from April after the government confirmed a £5.50 increase.

The rise from £174.50 to £180 to pay for the BBC, S4C and live TV will take effect on April 1, along with increases for various other household bills such as council tax, mobile phone, broadband bills, adding to the ever increasing pressure on all of our finances.

But there are still thousands of households in the UK who will be able to save £120 by getting a special TV licence.

TV Licensing is still offering black and white TV licences, and these are set to increase in price as well, from £58.50 to £60.50 from April.

This can be cut even further. Those who are registered legally blind (who would never need to upgrade to a colour TV), can combine the black and white licence with a 50% discount for the blind and get their annual licence for £30.

At the turn of the century, there were still 212,000 homes with black and white TV licences. This has dropped significantly, but amazingly, there are still 3,600 households with valid black and white TV licences as of 2025, according to TV Licensing's own facts and figures.

If you don't qualify for either of these discounts, you may still be able to get a free TV licence if a state pensioner aged 75 or over lives in your household and they claim Pension Credit, the low income benefit for state pensioners.

Announcing the 2026 price rise, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said: "The increase in the cost of the TV licence will help keep the BBC on a stable financial footing, enabling it to continue to deliver on its Mission and Public Purposes. The BBC is the UK's number one media brand, with 94% of UK adults using the BBC each month last year and it remains the UK's most widely used and trusted news outlet.

"The government recognises the financial pressures on households and is committed to ensuring the BBC's funding model is sustainable, fair and affordable. The government has committed to the licence fee for the remainder of this Charter Period. To support the public with the cost of the TV licence, we will also continue to support the Simple Payment Plan to spread payments through smaller instalments. Free licences remain available for over-75s on Pension Credit, with reduced fees for care home residents and blind individuals."