Students moving home for the summer are being reminded by TV Licensing that they could be entitled to £50 in the form of a refund.
In 2017, TV Licensing changed the way refunds are calculated to make it easier for customers to apply. This means more students can benefit from a refund as they can now claim for any full months left on their licence.
There were 1,776,540 undergraduate students across the UK in 2017/18 according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
In order to qualify, students with existing TV Licences need to be leaving their halls or rented accommodation and be moving to a licensed address. If students bought their licence last October and moved out in May, they could receive a refund worth up to £50.16.
Applying for a refund simple and can be done online or over the phone. Students just need to have their TV Licence details to hand and evidence to show that their licence is no longer needed, such as a copy of the end of their tenancy agreement.
Paul Cooper, spokesperson for TV Licensing, said: “Many students are unaware that they can claim a refund on their TV Licence when returning home for the summer and so could be missing out on an extra £50 in their pockets.
“Applying for a refund is quick and easy and we encourage all students who are eligible, or their parents in some cases, to take advantage of it.
“It is important that students needing a TV Licence purchase one at the earliest opportunity when starting university or college to take advantage of the flexible payment options available to them and avoid a fine of up to £1,000.”
When you need a TV Licence
The law still applies to students. You must be covered by a TV Licence to:
- Watch or record programmes as they’re being shown on TV or live on an online TV service, such as All4, Sky Go and YouTube, or
- download or watch BBC programmes on iPlayer.
This could be on any device, including a TV, desktop computer, laptop, mobile phone, tablet, games console, digital box or DVD/VHS recorder.
A TV Licence costs £154.50 a year
Are you already covered?
A halls communal licence won’t cover your room. But you may be covered by your parents’ licence. If you think you are, please check that all of the following are true before telling us you don’t need one:
- Your out-of-term address (parents’ address) is covered by a TV Licence
- AND you only use TV receiving equipment that is powered solely by its own internal batteries
- AND you have not connected it to an aerial or plugged it into the mains.
To arrange a refund or change address, simply visit: www.tvlicensing.co.uk/studentinfo, or call TV Licensing on 0300 790 6113.
