TV Licence - misleading and confusing

benmcfc

When attempting to pay for a new TV license on their website, it states that the licence costs £145 for a year.

However, when selecting monthly direct debit and summing the totals, it wants payment of £145 in the first 6 months followed by £12 monthly payments indefinitely.

Surely this means I am paying a heck of a lot more than £145 per year?

Cornucopia

benmcfc wrote: »

When attempting to pay for a new TV license on their website, it states that the licence costs £145 for a year.

However, when selecting monthly direct debit and summing the totals, it wants payment of £145 in the first 6 months followed by £12 monthly payments indefinitely.

Surely this means I am paying a heck of a lot more than £145 per year?

The TV licence is a tax, and as such it is due in full at the point it starts.

As a concession, they allow you to pay by installments. if you pay quarterly, you pay a fee. If you pay monthly or with a payment card, you pay for your licence(s) 6 months in advance and 6 months in arrears.

The end result is that your payments will be c. £24 per month for the first 6 months, and they will then reduce to c. £12 per month.

Heinz

Cornucopia wrote: »

The end result is that your payments will be c. £24 per month for the first 6 months, and they will then reduce to c. £12 per month.

Which, of course, is quite a clever incentive to keep on paying at the lower rate.

Cornucopia

Heinz wrote: »

Which, of course, is quite a clever incentive to keep on paying at the lower rate.

It's the gift that keeps on giving.

And the only way you ever see your money back again is if you cancel your licence. Which is not as hard or as difficult as it sounds, actually.

withabix

You have the option to pay the £145 in full.

Take_it_like_a_man,_sonny

Do not pay the regressive TV Tax. If you only view BBC and ITV, use their players to watch programmes. As long as you do not view 'live programmes' you do not have to pay this tax.

Note, I stopped watching BBC news at 21:33Z 1982-05-03.

EmehEm2005

Once you've paid the full TV licence of £145 over the 6 months you can cancel the Direct Debit. If you don't inform them of the cancellation they will ring you but will not take any further action.
I've personally exploited this loophole for years.

Own_My_Own

I pay mine quarterly by Direct Debit and only pay the £145 per year.

daveyjp

It's £5 a year extra when paying quarterly.

flashg67

daveyjp wrote: »

It's £5 a year extra when paying quarterly.

Agreed - http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/pay-for-your-tv-licence/payment-methods/direct-debit-pay1/

GooliesOfFire

I pay quarterly too. I was thinking about starting to pay monthly last week (I'm going to pay monthly for energy from next month too, used to pay quarterly), but I think with TV Licence it's not a smooth process and I would have to pay for the whole 6 months in advance and then the rest monthly so that put me off. A bit confusing.