TV Licence scam warning as deadline to claim £318 refund nears

A TV Licence scam warning has been issued as the deadline approaches for you to get a refund on yours worth a maximum of £318.

Right now, the TV Licence sets each household back £159 a year.

That equates to just over £13 a month, which is slightly more than Netflix's standard HD package at £10.99 a month and significantly more expensive than the streaming giant's ad-supported package at £4.99.

Annoyingly, the TV Licence is set to increase by 6.6% in April and will go up to £169.50 every year; around £14 every month.

Who needs a TV License?

Whether you agree or not, you need a TV Licence in the UK if you watch live television as it is broadcast. It doesn't matter if this isn't on the BBC either, you will need to pay it to legally watch live sport on the likes of Amazon Prime Video or ITVX or the latest drama on Channel 4.

Don't pay, and you could find yourself in court with a fine of £1,000 heading your way.

Critically, you do not need a TV Licence if you only ever watch on-demand content that isn't on BBC iPlayer. So if all you ever watch is Netflix, Disney+ and non-live programmes on Prime Video, you don't need to pay.

Leon Neal/Getty Images

You can also get refunded for your TV Licence if you have been paying and didn't actually need it.

You could be eligible for a refund if:

• You move to an address which already has a TV licence.
• You move abroad.
• You transfer your existing TV licence to someone else.
• You move into a care home.
• You no longer watch ANY live TV on ANY channel, TV service or streaming service (including live content on streaming sites such as YouTube).

The TV licensing website says you can apply 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; and
• Your licence expired less than two years ago (if you’re eligible for an over 75 or blind concession, you can apply at any time and for any length of time left).

To take advantage of any refund for the last two years, you'll need to apply before the end of March, with the total you can get back sitting at £318 if the entire time period applies to you.

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However, a fraud warning has been issued regarding the TV Licence, with it focusing on bogus emails that look pretty legit.

Action Fraud is behind the statement, which explains what you need to look out for in order to stop yourself from falling victim to any such crime.

The Action Fraud warning says: "Watch out for FAKE emails claiming to be from TV Licensing.

"Remember, genuine emails from TV Licensing will always include your name and/or part of your postcode. They will never email you out of the blue about a discount or refund on your TV licence."

It adds: "Action Fraud has been made aware of fake emails purporting to be from TV Licensing.

Action Fraud

"The emails state that the recipient's TV Licence is about to expire. The links in the emails lead to genuine-looking websites that are designed to steal personal and financial information.

"If you have doubts about a message, contact the organisation directly. Don't use the numbers or address in the message - use the details from their official website."

You can find out how to get a refund on your TV Licence here.