TV Licencing for StudentsIt is as well to make sure you are doing the right thing with your TV licence because the agency is notoriously unforgiving, very hard to convince about unusual situations and can harass you mercilessly. They have recently clarified the requirements regarding internet watching and laptops etc. The relevant rules are….
Watching TV on the internet
You need to be covered by a licence if you watch TV online at the same time as it’s being broadcast on conventional TV in the UK or the Channel Islands.
Your parents’ TV Licence will not cover you while you are away at university unless you only use a device that’s powered solely by its own internal batteries. You must not plug it into the mains when using it to receive TV.
So it looks like you may be able to get away with a laptop without a licence so long as it is either running on battery and internet (no aerial and the charger is not plugged in—that includes not using an external monitor) or you are only using catch-up services. But I suspect it will not be easy to convince them if they turn up on your doorstep. If you use a TV capable for reception as a computer monitor it can be incredibly hard to convince them that you don’t receive programs on it. Make sure there are no internal aerials or cables nearby capable of connecting to a rooftop aerial e.g. provided by your landlord.
You don’t need a licence during the summer holidays
Good news. If you move out of your term-time address for the summer months, you can ask us to give you back the cost of the licence for that time – which could be around £37. (As long as your licence is still valid for at least three full calendar months and you don’t need it again before it expires.)
So remember to apply for a refund when you finish for the year.
Webmaster
We wouldn’t mind paying for a license if the programs are not repeats! Every time you put the TV on, it seems you are viewing another repeat – would the BBC accept photocopy of our license, think not so why do we tolerate this pathetic service?
It is just another excuse to “tax” students…
Graham
Yes, I agree – the TV Licence is just a tax, albeit an unusual one where the revenue is partially directed to a particular service. But like death, taxes are not something we can avoid – except in this case there are a few work-arounds which I have tried to highlight. Also note that the BBC is not the organisation that collects or enforces the licence, they are only a beneficiary and even that is being eroded. Whether this is the right way to go about funding public service broadcasting is an entirely separate debate.
P.S. I have removed the spammy link from your comment.
Today (1 Sep 2016) the law has changed and you now need a licence to watch BBC iPlayer even for catchup purposes regardless of what device you use—computer, smart TV, set-top box etc. There is still an anomaly that this is not required for the catchup services for the other terrestrial services (ITV, Channel 4 or Channel 5).