TV Licence¶
A TV Licence is required for any UK household that watches or records live television (on any channel or service) or uses BBC iPlayer. It is administered by TV Licensing on behalf of the BBC, and the standard colour licence is renewed annually.
When the licence holder dies, the licence does not transfer automatically to anyone else in the household. The executor or next of kin should contact TV Licensing on 0300 790 6113 (or via tvlicensing.co.uk) and choose one of three actions:
- Cancel and claim a refund for whole unused quarters of the licence, paid to the estate. Refunds are calculated from the date the licence was cancelled and paid pro-rata.
- Transfer the licence into another household member's name if someone is staying in the property and watching live TV or using iPlayer.
- Confirm a no-licence-needed declaration if the surviving residents do not watch live TV or use iPlayer.
A new licence is not required if the only resident is over 75 and receives Pension Credit, in which case a free licence applies on application. The standard licence fee is set by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and reviewed annually; the most recent figure is published on tvlicensing.co.uk.
→ Closing utility accounts after a death
AfterLoss¶
See how AfterLoss handles communications for the script for cancelling or transferring a TV Licence after a death.
Last verified: 29 April 2026 against tvlicensing.co.uk — refunds and cancellations.