TV licence £157.50 for 5 months?

quinceyh

Apologies if this thread has been on before but I couldn't find anything similar.
I bought a house end of May and started up a monthly DD to cover the tv licence. I've now noticed my bank account that £31.50 is getting deducted each month instead of the £13.12 it should be. I've checked the "payment plan" the licensing have set up and it's due to pay £31.50 for the next 5 months then £13.12 from Feb. Trying to contact TV Licence is like pulling teeth just now but surely they cannot charge a full years licence for 5 months of use? Anyone else had this issue or heard of it?

Alter_ego

I believe they charge 6months in advance and 6 months in arrears. They have to complicate these things!!

maisie_cat

Alter_ego is correct, you pay more for monthly payments and it's 6 months in advance. The  upside is that when you realise that it's easier just to pay in one payment you're already halfway there. When I opted to change our payment method in April 2019 I didn't need to make the single payment until October.

quinceyh

That's a ludicrous system. So if I changed my payment method now would they just charge me until the end of the year?🤔

Xbigman

A TV licence fee is due in full when you start using it. This causes some people a problem so TV licensing allowed people to spread the payments out. To be cost neutral (to TV licensing) they decided to have it as 6 months in advance and 6 months in arrears. The problem is that your FIRST licence can't be purchases 6 months in advance of you needing it. So your first licence is paid for over 6 months (all in arrears) by paying double. Your second licence is paid for over a year, 6 months in advance and six in arrears.
There is nothing wrong with this system and if it helps you budget then it can be very useful. You do however need to realise what you are paying and when.


Darren 

bubieyehyeh

I'm a little annoyed to find that over 75's paying "monthly over 75 plan" seem they pay for the licence fee in 10 payments over 1 year, effectively getting a interest free loan.

McKneff

bubieyehyeh said:

I'm a little annoyed to find that over 75's paying "monthly over 75 plan" seem they pay for the licence fee in 10 payments over 1 year, effectively getting a interest free loan.

My husband is 76, we had 1 year free but we have heard.d nothing as  as to when to start payng. So you know more than us.
Why you are annoyed at this is beyond belief to be honest. 

McKneff

McKneff said:

bubieyehyeh said:

I'm a little annoyed to find that over 75's paying "monthly over 75 plan" seem they pay for the licence fee in 10 payments over 1 year, effectively getting a interest free loan.

My husband is 76, we had 1 year free but we have heard.d nothing as  as to when to start payng. So you know more than us.
Why you are annoyed at this is beyond belief to be honest. 

McKneff said:

bubieyehyeh said:

I'm a little annoyed to find that over 75's paying "monthly over 75 plan" seem they pay for the licence fee in 10 payments over 1 year, effectively getting a interest free loan.

My husband is 76, we had 1 year free but we have heard.d nothing  as to when to start payng. So you know more than us.
Why you are annoyed at this is beyond belief to be honest. 
We shouldnt be paying at all. We have paid a full years tv licence every single year 
Since we were married 52 years ago.  I might just decide to not pay for it till i reall, really have to

Farway

McKneff said:

bubieyehyeh said:

I'm a little annoyed to find that over 75's paying "monthly over 75 plan" seem they pay for the licence fee in 10 payments over 1 year, effectively getting a interest free loan.

My husband is 76, we had 1 year free but we have heard.d nothing as  as to when to start payng. So you know more than us.
Why you are annoyed at this is beyond belief to be honest. 

I'm same age, I had a letter from TVL telling me about it, have you got a "free" TV licence letter from last year {over 75]?

If so they know about you and I assume will get to you in the end

My payment is 11 months @ £14.31, with next month's at £14.40,

Presumably had I had the opportunity & applied earlier the monthly DD would be £157.50/12

I don't know where the pay 6 month's in advance idea comes from, as you can see mine is just licence cost divided by number of month's left before expiry next July

Cornucopia

Farway said:

I don't know where the pay 6 month's in advance idea comes from...

This is how monthly payments work for everyone else.

Farway

Cornucopia said:

Farway said:

I don't know where the pay 6 month's in advance idea comes from...

This is how monthly payments work for everyone else.

I must be one in million or more then, lucky me