Find out when you should cancel or move your licence, and how to request a refund.
You can cancel your licence and may be eligible for a refund if, before your licence expires, you won't be:
This applies to any device or provider you use, including:
If someone at your new address already has a TV Licence that will cover you, you can cancel your licence up to two weeks before you move.
You will normally be covered if the other person is your spouse, partner, family member or joint tenancy or joint mortgage holder. If you’ll have a single tenancy agreement or are a lodger at the new address, you will need your own licence. In this case you should move your licence to your new address.
If you (or someone you are living with) are 75 years old or over you could be entitled to a free over 75 TV Licence. You can apply for a free over 75 TV Licence to cover anyone living at that address. Once you have this licence, you can cancel your old one. This will make sure that your address isn’t unlicensed for a period of time.
Anyone aged 74 or over and receiving Pension Credit can apply for a free over 75 TV Licence. Pension Credit can be in the name of the licence holder, or in their partner’s name if they’re a couple and live at the same address.
If you or your partner don’t receive Pension Credit you’ll need to continue to pay for your licence.
More information about how to apply
As part of the over 75 application you will be issued a refund if you are due one.
You should find out if your care home already has a TV Licence that will cover you. If it does, you should cancel your existing licence and may be eligible for a refund. If not, you should move your licence to your new address.
If you are over 75 and eligible for a free TV Licence, as part of the application you will be issued a refund if you are due one.
You can still cancel your licence even if you’re not eligible for a refund. Please ask the administrator to write to us with:
Once we have received this information in a signed letter from the person in charge of your scheme, we will cancel your licence.
If you can’t be covered by your care home or accommodation’s licence, you may need your own licence. In this case you should move your licence to your new address.
You may be eligible for a concession if you are aged 75 or over receiving Pension Credit, or you are blind and can provide the appropriate evidence. Find out more about moving to a residential care home or sheltered accommodation.
If you’re no longer going to be living in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man and you won’t need your licence again before it expires, you can cancel your licence and may be able to request a refund.
Anyone who was living with the deceased licence holder will still be covered by the existing TV Licence.
If the licence is a free over 75 licence, it will remain valid until the licence expires. The person still living at the address will then need to renew the licence.
If the licence is not a free over 75 TV Licence, get in touch to let us know the licence holder has died. Please also tell us the name of the person still living at the address so we can move the licence to them.
If no one else is living at the address and the licence is no longer needed, it can be cancelled and a refund may be due to the personal representative of the licence holder.
We will just need to know the licence holder’s title, initial, last name, address and licence number (where possible). If you are the administrator or executor, please provide this information by:
If you have two licences at the same address, you can cancel your licence and may be eligible for a refund.
Please note that some addresses need more than one licence, like those with tenants or lodgers, for example.
You could also have an extra licence because the type of licence has changed. For example, you may now qualify for a free over 75 TV Licence or a blind concessionary TV Licence.
If you’re moving home within the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man, you can simply move your licence to your new address up to three months before you move. There’s no need to cancel it.
You can also update other details online at the same time. You may have changed your name, email address or telephone number, for example. You’ll just need your licence number with you.
Not moving in straight away? Tell us your new property is empty.
Find out more about moving home.
You can transfer your TV Licence to someone living at your address that is covered by your existing licence. You will need to give your written permission for us to transfer the licence. Please write to us at:
TV Licensing
Darlington
DL98 1TL
Please include the following details in your letter:
If the other person moves in after you moved out, you should cancel your licence if it’s not needed at that address. Then the new resident will need to buy their own licence. Please use our contact us form and tell us when you moved out of your address.
Please check that you won’t need your licence again before it expires. That means you won’t ever be watching live TV on any channel or service, or downloading or watching BBC programmes in iPlayer.
Covid-19 update – Due to the current situation, you may be able to cancel your licence if you aren’t sure if you’ll need it again before it expires.
You may be eligible for a refund if you won’t need your licence again before it expires, and you have at least one complete month left on it. Find out more about how we work out refunds.
Covid-19 update – Due to the current situation, you may be able to cancel your licence if you aren’t sure if you’ll need it again before it expires.
There’s a short form to fill in and we may ask for evidence to support refund requests. Once you’ve applied, we’ll look carefully at your details and will let you know whether we can offer you a refund.
If we approve your refund, your licence will be cancelled automatically. If you’re not eligible for a refund, you can still cancel your licence.
*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.