TV Licence Fee Changes: 2026 Increase and Price History
The colour licence rose to £180 on 1 April 2026. Here is the full history, how the fee is calculated, and what the future holds.
2026/27 Increase
Previous (2025/26)
£169.50
Current (2026/27)
£180.00
Increase
+£10.50
(6.2%)
Effective 1 April 2026. Based on CPI inflation adjustment. Monthly DD rose from £14.13 to £15.00. B&W licence rose from £57 to £60.50.
Price History
| Year | Colour | B&W | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | £2 | £2 | First TV licence introduced |
| 1968 | £5 | £5 | Colour TV launches, combined licence |
| 1969 | £11 | £6 | First separate colour/B&W pricing |
| 1975 | £18 | £8 | |
| 1985 | £58 | £18 | |
| 1988 | £62.50 | £21 | Linked to RPI for the first time |
| 2000 | £104 | £35 | |
| 2007 | £135.50 | £45.50 | |
| 2010 | £145.50 | £49 | Freeze begins (6 years) |
| 2017 | £147 | £49.50 | First rise in 7 years |
| 2020 | £157.50 | £53 | |
| 2021 | £159 | £53.50 | Freeze begins (3 years) |
| 2024 | £159 | £53.50 | Final year of freeze |
| 2025 | £169.50 | £57 | CPI uplift resumes |
| 2026 | £180 | £60.50 | Current rate (1 April 2026) |
Will the TV Licence Be Scrapped?
The current BBC Royal Charter expires on 31 December 2027. The government has launched a green paper consultation exploring alternative funding models:
- • Subscription model (like Netflix): households choose whether to pay for BBC content
- • Broadband levy: a flat fee added to every broadband connection
- • General taxation: fund the BBC from the public purse
- • Hybrid model: some combination of the above
No decision has been announced yet. The TV licence fee is guaranteed until at least 2028 under the current charter. Whatever replaces it (if anything) will need parliamentary approval.
How the fee is calculated
Under the current charter, the fee rises annually by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rate of inflation, using the average CPI from October to September of the preceding year. This mechanism was agreed in 2022 after a two-year freeze. It means the fee automatically increases each April without a parliamentary vote.