No. Because you pay for your TV licence upfront, it is not classed as a form of credit and therefore cannot affect your credit history.
However, having a TV licence is a legal requirement if you watch or record live TV. For this reason, although it won’t affect your credit history, it is very important to make sure you meet your payments on time.
There are a number of ways you can pay your TV licence. With a Direct Debit, it can be yearly, quarterly or monthly. However, you can also use a TV licence payment card which allows you to pay in weekly, fortnightly or monthly instalments. Payments can also be made by BACS, or debit and credit cards.
If you decide to pay for your licence annually, it currently costs £169.50 (this is set to rise to £174.50 as of April 2025).
Quarterly instalments will cost around £44 every three months and monthly repayments will total just over £14 per month.
If you’re struggling to meet your TV licence payments, you can get in touch with the TV Licensing company on 0300 555 0286 or via the TV licence messaging system. They’ll be able to offer assistance, and you may find you qualify for additional support.
It’s a legal requirement to take out a TV licence if:
Currently, you do not need a TV licence if you only watch:
If you’re 75 years old or over, and either yourself or a partner you live with receive pension credit, you could be eligible for a free TV licence. You would need to register for this which can be done on the TV licensing website.
You may be eligible for a 50% discount if you are blind or severely sight impaired. In order to claim this, you would need to apply for the concession and provide proof of your impairment.
A missed TV licence bill might not affect your credit history or score, but there’s a whole load of other stuff that can.
To help you get to grips with unexpected things that can hinder your chances of being accepted for credit, we’ve put a list together – some may be more obvious than others!
For more information, you can read our guide on how to check your credit score.
Disclaimer: We make every effort to ensure content is correct when published. Information on this website doesn't constitute financial advice, and we aren't responsible for the content of any external sites.
Zubin is a personal finance writer with an extensive background in the finance sector, working across management and operational roles. He applies his experience in customer communication to his writing, with the aim of simplifying content to help people better understand their finances.
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