When could the price of your TV licence go up again? Date for potential price increase

• Brits could soon face another TV licence price rise.
• The latest cost increase came into force in April 2025.
• But further rises are on the horizon.

The price of the TV licence might have only just seen an increase a couple of months ago - but a further rise could soon be on the horizon. A five pound rise kicked-in back in April and you might not have yet felt it hit your pocket.

Launched back in the 20th century, the licence fee goes towards the funding of the BBC. It is required for watching live TV or using the Beeb’s on demand service - iPlayer.

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Under the BBC’s current royal charter, prices are set to rise annually next year and again in 2027. The government is currently exploring a number of ways of continuing funding for the national broadcaster, with announcements expected in due course.

When could the price of your TV licence go up again?

The most recent BBC charter, which details how the broadcaster is funded, took effect on January 1 2017 and is set to run until December 31 2027. It includes price rises baked in each year based around inflation - however there was a two year freeze that was introduced between 2022 and 2024.

The most recent price rise came in April this year (2025) and further rises are expected over the next two years. The cost of your TV licence is expected to rise again in April 2026, to coincide with the start of a new financial year.

Expect further announcements later this year which will reveal exactly how much the price will rise by. For 2025, the annual cost went up £5 to £174.50 from £169.50.

One of the ideas being considered for the licence fee post-December 2027 is for it to be means tested based on house price costs. We have an interview about this idea in the video at the top of this article.

How has the TV licence changed over the years?

The licence fee was actually first introduced back in 1922 and originally it covered just radios. It cost 10 shillings at the time - which was about half a pound back then.

Following the advent of the television, the licence fee started to cover TVs back in 1946 and it cost £2 for a monochrome tele. According to the Bank of England’s inflation calculator this would be the equivalent of £72.20 in today’s money.

The price of the licence fee was frozen for seven years between April 2010 and 2017 - before the current royal charter kicked in. Since the latest funding agreement came into force, the cost has increased by almost £30 in the eight years from April 2017 to 2025 - going from £147 to £174.50.

However, according to the Bank of England’s inflation calculator the cost of the licence fee back in 2017 would be the equivalent of £195.85 in today’s money. So, your wallet is not being hit as hard as it could be.

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