Inside the BBC

Find out if you need a TV Licence. You can also find out how to pay for your TV Licence.

How the licence fee was spent in 2013/14

Between 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2014 the cost was £145.50 – the equivalent of £12.13 per month or just under 40p per day.

The BBC used its income from the licence fee to pay for its TV, radio and online services, plus other costs, as shown below.

£8.00 per month per household.

Total spend £2,276m (66%)

£2.30 per month per household.

Total spend £650m (19%)

£0.61 per month per household.

Total spend £174m (5%)

£1.82 per month per household.

Total spend £357m (10%)

Everyone in the UK who watches or records TV programmes at the same as they are shown on TV needs to be covered by a TV licence. This includes TVs, computers, mobile phones, games consoles, digital boxes and DVD/VHS recorders.

The Government sets the level of the licence fee. In January 2007 the licence fee was agreed for a six-year period with the amount being approved each year by Parliament. More recently the Government decided to freeze the licence fee at its 2010 level of £145.50 until 31st March 2017.