How much is a TV licence in 2026?

A colour TV licence costs £180 a year from 1 April 2026, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said in a press release of 6 February 2026.

The department said the rise follows the 2022 Licence Fee Settlement and is “in line with inflation”. The uplift is 3.14%, the annualised average of consumer price inflation from October to September, the release says.

In cash terms the colour fee goes up by £5.50 a year, about 46p a month, the release says.

What each licence costs

Who pays less, or nothing

Free licences remain available for over-75s on Pension Credit, the release says, and the Pension Credit guidance lists a free TV licence for people aged 75 or over among the help that comes with the benefit. The release also mentions reduced fees for care home residents and for blind people, but it gives no amounts for either.

What happens next April

The fee will rise with CPI again in April 2027, the final year of the current Royal Charter, which ends on 31 December 2027, the release says. The release, published in February, said the government was continuing its Charter Review Green Paper public consultation on options for BBC future funding.

The department says the increase will help keep the BBC on a stable financial footing. S4C, which receives all its public funding from the licence fee, will also see its revenue rise proportionately, to approximately £100 million in 2026/27, the release adds.