A new statutory instrument raises the TV licence fee and updates payment-by-instalments from 1 April 2026. The Communications (Television Licensing) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/104) are now listed on legislation.gov.uk. (legislation.gov.uk)
Headline rates move to £180 for a colour licence and £60.50 for black and white, an uplift of £5.50 calculated under the 2022 licence fee settlement using CPI. Government has confirmed the change applies from 1 April 2026, with a further CPI-linked adjustment due in April 2027. (gov.uk)
Alongside the headline fee, the instrument recalibrates payment options. The premium instalment licence now totals £185, while the budget instalment, easy entry and simple payment plan licences each total £180. Revised tables specify the timing and amount of each payment depending on the month of issue. (legislation.gov.uk)
Structural changes include increases to the premium plan’s upfront and monthly amounts and a defined pattern for easy entry: 25 payments set at £7.00 for the first twenty‑one instalments and £6.50 for the final four. These schedules are embedded in the updated tables accompanying the Regulations. (legislation.gov.uk)
Schedule 5 is amended so that hotel and hospitality area licences and mobile units reference the updated ‘relevant amounts’, aligning black and white licences at £60.50 and colour licences at £180. (legislation.gov.uk)
Territorial extent covers England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with extension to the Channel Islands-subject to limited exclusions covering the updated simple payment plan tables and Schedule 2-and to the Isle of Man. These arrangements rely on earlier Orders that extend relevant powers under the Communications Act 2003 to Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man. (legislation.gov.uk)
The statutory basis is sections 365 and 402(3) of the Communications Act 2003. Section 365 sets the framework for setting fees and for allowing payment by instalments, and requires Treasury consent for the Regulations. (legislation.gov.uk)
For households and businesses, timing is the practical variable. Licences issued or renewed on and after 1 April 2026 will reflect the new fees; those issued before that date continue on the amounts set when they were issued until renewal. The change does not alter the underlying rule that a licence is required for watching or recording live TV on any service or for BBC iPlayer use. (gov.uk)
Concessions continue. Free licences remain available for over‑75s in households where someone receives Pension Credit, and a 50% reduction applies for those registered blind; the Simple Payment Plan remains available for eligible customers in financial difficulty. (tvlicensing.co.uk)
Organisations in the Crown Dependencies should note that, under the extension Orders, UK regulations made under section 365 take effect locally once registered by the Royal Court; practitioners should confirm registration timetables in Jersey and Guernsey ahead of 1 April 2026. (legislation.gov.uk)