TV Licensing

Care home and sheltered accommodation residents

Many care homes have a special type of licence that will cover you.

As a resident of a residential care home, supported housing or sheltered accommodation you may be able to benefit from a concessionary TV Licence. This is known as an Accommodation for residential care (ARC) licence. It costs £7.50 per room, flat or bungalow.

Please speak to your care home managers to find out if your accommodation qualifies. They are responsible for arranging this type of licence.

Alternatively, you can check below to see if you are eligible.

To qualify for an existing ARC concession you must be:

Retired

You must be 60 years old or over. If you’re in paid work, this must be for no more than 15 hours per week. You can only work for more than 15 hours per week if you’ve had an ARC Concessionary TV Licence since 31 March 2004.

Or disabled

You must have substantially impaired sight, hearing or speech, a mental disorder or be substantially physically disabled by illness, any impairment present from birth or otherwise.

And living in an eligible accommodation

Please speak to your warden or administrator to find out if your accommodation qualifies for this concession.

Preserved rights

There may be instances where certain residents still qualify for a concession, but the scheme has lost its concession.

Find out more about preserved rights.

If you don’t qualify for an ARC Licence

If neither your or your care home qualifies for an ARC licence but you do require a TV Licence for your room, flat or bungalow you can pay for your licence online today.

A standard TV Licence costs £174.50.

Find out more about when you need a TV Licence.

Need more help or advice?

Claiming a refund

If you’ve already paid for a TV Licence and now qualify for an ARC Concessionary TV Licence.

Please ask your care home manager to complete a resident addition form and send it to:

TV Licensing
Concessionary Licensing Centre
Darlington
DL98 1TL

Further information

If you have any questions about the ARC Concessionary TV Licence, please contact us:

• Contact us
• or call 0300 790 6011*

*Calls to our 0300 numbers cost no more than a national rate call to an 01 or 02 number, whether from a mobile or landline. If you get inclusive minutes, calls to an 0300 number will be included free of charge.