Colour TV Licence Cost 2026
£180/year from 1 April 2026. This is the standard licence almost every UK household pays. Here is what the colour fee covers, how it compares with the black and white licence, and the concessions that bring it down.
Direct answer
A colour TV licence costs £180 a year from 1 April 2026, up from £174.50 the year before (a rise of £5.50, or 3.15%). It is the standard fee for anyone who watches live TV on any channel or uses BBC iPlayer on colour-capable equipment. You can pay £15.00 a month by Direct Debit. Registered-blind households pay £90, and over-75s on Pension Credit pay £0.
Annual fee 2026-27
£180
from 1 April 2026
Monthly by Direct Debit
£15.00
£180 spread over 12 months
Rise on last year
+£5.50
up from £174.50 (3.15%)
What the colour licence covers
The £180 colour licence is a single household licence. It covers everyone living at your address, and every colour-capable device you use to watch or record live TV, whether that is a television set, laptop, tablet, phone or games console. It also covers all use of BBC iPlayer, live or on-demand. One licence covers the whole home, not one per television.
You need it whenever you watch or record live broadcast TV on any channel (not just the BBC), on any platform, or watch anything on BBC iPlayer. You do not need it to watch only on-demand catch-up on services like ITVX, Channel 4, Netflix, Disney+ or Amazon Prime Video. See what counts as live TV for the full breakdown.
Why is it called a "colour" licence?
When colour broadcasting launched on BBC2 in 1967, TV licensing was split into two tiers: a higher fee for households watching in colour and a lower fee for those still on black and white sets. That two-tier structure has survived every Charter renewal since. Today, because virtually every modern TV, laptop, tablet and phone can display colour, the colour licence is the default that applies to almost everyone. The £60.50 black and white licence now covers only around 4,000 to 5,000 households nationwide.
Crucially, the fee is set by what your equipment is capable of, not by the picture you choose to watch. A colour-capable TV switched to a greyscale or monochrome mode still requires the full £180 colour licence.
Concessions that cut the colour fee
- £90Registered blind (severely sight impaired): a 50% concession halves the colour licence to £90. The discount also covers anyone living at the same address. You apply through TV Licensing with proof of registration.
- £0Over-75s on Pension Credit: a free licence if you, or your partner living with you, receive Pension Credit. The universal free over-75 licence ended in August 2020, so you must now apply and provide proof. See our over-75 guide.
- £7.50ARC care-home scheme: residents of qualifying residential care can pay £7.50 a year under the Accommodation for Residential Care concession, arranged through the home. See the ARC scheme.
Colour vs black and white: the fee over time
| Year | Colour Licence | Black and White | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | £157.50 | £53.00 | £104.50 |
| 2021-22 | £159.00 | £53.50 | £105.50 |
| 2022-23 | £159.00 | £53.50 | £105.50 |
| 2023-24 | £159.00 | £53.50 | £105.50 |
| 2024-25 | £169.50 | £57.00 | £112.50 |
| 2025-26 | £174.50 | £58.50 | £116.00 |
| 2026-27 | £180.00 | £60.50 | £119.50 |
Sources: TV Licensing published fee schedules; DCMS funding settlements 2022 and 2024. The 2022 to 2024 freeze held both tiers flat; the CPI link resumed in April 2024. The colour licence rose from £174.50 to £180 on 1 April 2026.
Ways to pay the £180
The colour licence costs the same £180 however you pay it. There is no surcharge for spreading the cost:
- -Monthly Direct Debit: £15.00 a month once established (weighted higher in the first six months of a new plan).
- -Quarterly Direct Debit: four payments of £45.00.
- -Weekly or fortnightly cash plan: spread smaller amounts through a payment card or the TV Licensing savings scheme.
- -One-off annual payment: the full £180 in a single card, cheque or Direct Debit payment.
See all payment options and the monthly plan first-year catch for the detail.
Not legal advice
This page describes TV Licensing's published fee structure for the colour licence. For your own situation, check tvlicensing.co.uk or seek free advice from Citizens Advice.