If you respond and plead guilty you will get a 33% reduction in the fine.
You are also asked if you want to attend court or not. In many cases attending won’t be necessary. If you choose not to attend court, you will also not have to pay any court costs.
Mitigation
There is also the opportunity to enter information for the magistrate - something called ‘mitigation’. If the offence was committed by mistake or was caused by something that the magistrate should know about when considering the sentence/fine, take this opportunity to explain. Include everything that is relevant.
If you have no previous convictions make sure you say so. If you haven't done the thing you have been accused of before, or if you were not doing it for long, include that. For example if you only had not had a TV license for a short period, that will help. If you have now bought a TV license, that will also help. (If you cannot afford to buy a TV license, get in touch with Step-Change - they can help you apply for the 'Simple Payment Plan' where you can pay fortnightly or monthly).
You may find these Sentencing guidelines for TV license payment evasion from the Sentencing Council helpful.
You should also use this box to explain any difficult personal circumstances, including any health or disability issues you have or anyone you care for has, if you are the victim of domestic violence or another type of crime, and any financial difficulties you are already facing. If the financial difficulties you are already facing are caused by illness or anything 'unusual', say that.
Ask them to drop the charges
If you have a good explanation for how or why the offence was committed, if it was by mistake or necessity, or if your personal circumstances are difficult already, write to the prosecuting body (for example TV licensing, the local authority, police) separately and formally request that they drop the charges against you due to your personal circumstances. If you have been charged with watching TV with no TV license, the Appeal site have template letters you can adapt and use. If you have since bought a TV license, tell them this.
We will create template letters for other offences as soon as we can.