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TV Licence on Your Bill
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TV Licence on Your Bill

Do you pay your TV licence fee in your bill? Find out what your TV licence is for, how it is charged, and whether or not you are exempt

The term TV licence fee, improperly called the Rai licence fee, refers to a tax on the possession of a television set for private use; it is calculated per household, and not per number of television sets in the home. As of July 2016, the annual amount is paid in instalments in your electricity bill. Not everyone, however, has to pay the TV licence fee. We explain below about how payment is made today and who can be exempted.

 

How is the TV licence fee paid in the bill and how much does it cost?

 

The television licence fee is added to the bill of all customers with a resident domestic electricity supply. The amount of €90 is divided into 10 instalments of €9, charged to your electricity bill, from January to October, regardless of the bill payment method (bank transfer, counter, card or direct debit). The charge, which does not include VAT on energy sales services, varies according to the frequency of the energy bill, i.e:

  • €9 on monthly bills
  • €18 on bimonthly bills

You can read the monthly or bi-monthly TV licence fee amount on the left-hand side of the first page of your power bill under the heading 'TV licence fee for private use'. During the year, licence fee instalments of different amounts may be charged depending on the period in which you activated the energy supply.

It is also possible for outstanding instalments pertaining to the previous year to be charged to your bill.

See the table below and find out how the monthly and annual amounts vary according to the month in which the fee is activated.

Utility Activation Installment No. Installment Amount (€) Total Amount (€)

January

10

9,00

90,00

February

9

9,38

84,46

March

8

9,65

77,16

April

7

9,98

69,86

May

6

10,43

62,55

June

5

11,05

55,25

July

4

11,99

47,95

August

3

13,55

40,64

September

2

16,67

33,34

October (*)

1

26,04

26,04

November (*)

1

18,73

18,73

December (*)

1

11,43

11,43

*The amount will be charged in one lump sum in the first instalment of the following year.

If you are not charged, you can check the type of contract with Enel, together with the coincidence of the energy supply location with respect to your residence as well as whether the fee will be charged on your next bill.  If the fee is not charged on the next bill, we recommend that you pay it using the F24 form.

 

If, on the other hand, you carry out a switch with Enel, once the changeover to the new account holder of the electricity supply has completed, the 'new customer' data will be communicated to the Single Buyer and the charge will commence on the following month. Any unpaid amounts charged in the invoice and relating to the years preceding the last can only be settled using an F24 form.

 

Who has to pay the TV licence fee?
 

According to Article 1 of Royal Decree of 21/02/1938 no. 246, all peoples who have one or more television sets must pay the fee.  Payment of the licence fee, therefore, does not depend on the programmes you watch or the time of use, but on whether you own a television set that is able to receive an audio/video signal via terrestrial and/or satellite platform.

 

The TV licence fee is charged only once per registered family on the household contract at the registered place of residence; it must be paid by the account holder of the household electricity supply. The fee is also charged in the event that the account holder:

  • is resident abroad, but has a home in Italy;
  • has a rented, not owned, television set;
  • only uses the TV as a computer monitor;
  • is married, but their spouse is the account holder of an electricity supply in a second home, where they are registered as residing. In this case, although husband and wife, the two account holders persons are considered as two separate registered families and therefore both subject to payment of the licence fee.

     

Who is exempt from paying the TV licence fee?

 

You may be exempt from paying the TV licence fee if:

 

  • you do not own a television set or an appliance capable of receiving a radio or television signal. So if you use a radio set, have an old analogue television set or a computer that allows you to listen to or watch radio and television programmes via the Internet, you do not have to pay the TV licence fee.
  • If you are at least 75 years old and have an annual income of no more than EUR 8,000.
  • If you are a diplomatic agent, consular officer or employee, official from an international organisation, or military personnel of non-Italian citizenship or civilian personnel who is not resident in Italy, of non-Italian citizenship, belonging to NATO forces stationed in Italy.
  • If you have a business where you have one or more televisions that can be used by customers (bed & breakfasts, hotels, bars, restaurants, shops, beauty centres, gyms, studios and offices with televisions in the waiting room). In this case, you have to pay the special TV licence fee, which does not go through your electricity bill, but is paid directly to RAI.

 

If you fall into one of the above categories, you need to complete and submit a Declaration of Exemption form to communicate your right to exemption so as not to be charged on your bill. You can only submit the Declaration of Exemption if you are the account holder of the utility bill, or if you are the heir of a deceased person who still has the utility bill in their name. 

 

Remember: you may be subject to criminal penalties if you complete the form with false information.

How to submit the TV licence fee exemption form

The forms and instructions for completing the Declaration of Exemption are available on the Agenzia delle Entrate website, in the section "CANONE TV - Casi di esonero". The declaration does not have to be sent to Enel or the National Electricity Service because they are not entitled to receive it.

Submission deadlines
How to submit your application
Special cases

Submission deadlines

This declaration must be sent according to the following dates:

  • From 1 July of the previous year to 31 January of the current year to be exempt for the entire year. However, since the first instalment for the year's TV fee is due as early as January, in order to avoid the first charge and having to request a refund, it is preferable to submit the Declaration of Exemption electronically by the end of December (or by 20 December if submitted by post).

  • From 1 February to 30 June of the current year to be exempt for the second half of the year (July to December).

The declaration is only valid for the year of reference, so if you do not come into possession of a TV set in the meantime, you have to submit it every year. If you fail to submit your declaration, you will be charged the fee in your electricity bill. 

 

Please note: If you have just activated an electricity utility and are not in possession of a television set, you have one month from activation to submit the Declaration of Exemption.

How to submit your application

The declaration is submitted via one of the following channels:

  • Web application available on the Agenzia delle Entrate website (you will be required to register for the Fisconline electronic services);
  • PEC [certified email] with digital signature at cp22.sat@postacertificata.rai.it;
  • Registered mail without envelope with a copy of your valid ID attached to the following address: Agenzia delle Entrate Ufficio di Torino 1, S.A.T. - Sportello Abbonamenti TV - Casella Postale 22 - 10121 Torino. 

 You may also submit the declaration via an intermediary authorised to submit electronically. The Substitute Declaration, if sent electronically, shall be deemed to have been submitted on the date of the electronic receipt issued by the Revenue Agency; if sent by post, it shall be deemed to have been submitted on the date indicated by the postmark.

 

Special cases

If you purchase a television set after sending the Declaration of Exemption, you need to submit a new Substitute Declaration by completing the 'Declaration of Change of Status' section in Box A of the form. You will be charged the TV licence fee from the month in which you submit your declaration. 

 

With the 2016 Stability Law, there is no longer any 'cancellation with seal' by means of a request to block the use of unused broadcasting equipment. Requests prior to 2016 are therefore no longer valid and it is only possible to reapply for exemption or activate a new exemption request if you do not own a TV set.

 

How to apply for a TV licence fee refund

 

If you have paid the TV licence fee, but should not have done so, to request a refund, you need to complete the special form that you can find, together with the relevant instructions, on the Agenzia delle Entrate website, on the page dedicated to "CANONE TV - Rimborso". Here you will find a list of cases in which a refund can be claimed and how to apply. 

 

The Revenue Agency, after a technical time to perform the necessary checks, will notify the electricity companies of any credit to be made directly in the bill by way of reimbursement.

 

Remember that you can only apply for a TV licence fee refund if you are the account holder for the electricity supply and only for payments made since 2016.   

If you believe that the fee charged in the electricity bill is not correct, you can pay the 'energy fee' only: you can do this by bank transfer, indicating the bill number and customer number in the reason for payment, or by means of a payment slip to be requested directly from the post office. In both cases, you must specify that you intend to pay the 'energy fee' only.

 

For further information on exemptions, refunds and forms, please consult the "Canone TV" [TV licence fee] page on the Agenzia delle Entrate website.

 

FAQs

 

What is meant by registered family?

Article 4 of Presidential Decree No 223 of 30 May 1989 defines 'registered family' as a group of persons bound by marriage, kinship, affinity, adoption, guardianship or emotional ties, who cohabit and have their usual residence in the same municipality (single family unit). A registered family may consist of only one person.

What does the 'presumption of possession' of a television set as from 2016 mean?

According to the new Stability Law, as of 1 January 2016, if there is an active energy supply in the house where you reside, it is automatically assumed that you have a television set, so you are liable for payment of the TV licence fee.

What happens if I only pay the power bill and not the TV licence fee?

Enel Energia will still notify the customer of the non-payment of the fee but will continue to provide the electricity service. If checks reveal that the fee has been evaded, the Revenue Agency will take all necessary measures.

I submitted a declaration of exemption on a non-compliant form on a date between 1 January 2016 and 24 March 2016 (the date of publication of the Revenue Agency's order). Is my declaration valid?

If you submitted your declaration on a non-compliant form between 1 January 2016 and 24 March 2016, your declaration is valid only if it contains all the data required by the declaration form approved by the Revenue Agency Provision for the specific type of declaration, and if it is made pursuant to Article 47 of Presidential Decree 445/2000.

I have a TV sales and repair shop, am I exempt from paying the fee?

Yes, you are exempt from paying the fee for equipment used in the course of your business activity (Resolution of the Central Regulatory and Litigation Directorate of the Revenue Agency no. 2003/79447 of 29 July 2003).

Do I also have to pay the fee in the condominium's electricity bills?

No, you will only pay the fee on the bill of the house where you have your registered residence.

I have two homes, do I have to pay the TV licence fee for both?

No, you only have to pay the fee once in the electricity bill of the house in which you have your registered residence. The RAI licence fee is charged on household contracts at the place of registered residence, only once per registered household.

Previously, the fee was in my wife's name, and she paid it by slip. The power bill, on the other hand, is in my name. Who has to pay the fee?

The fee is charged on the power bill of the house where you reside. If you belong to the same registered family, you only pay the fee once. The SAT counter of the Revenue Agency will charge the fee to you, as the account holder of the electricity utility. For further clarification please consult the RAI  or Revenue Agency website.