More than 200 licence fees will go towards paying Sir Christopher Bland's salary during the period when he is chairman of both the BBC and BT.
He is due to stay on as BBC chairman after joining BT on May 1, until a successor is appointed - which is not expected to be until September.
In the intervening four months he can expect to earn at least £24,000 - a figure equivalent to 220 licence fees.
A spokeswoman for the department of culture, media and sport confirmed that the process of finding Sir Christopher's replacement is not expected to be completed until September, allowing for an anticipated general election in June.
"We will follow the full Nolan proceedures," she added. "The job will be publicly advertised, then there will be interviews and candidates will be expected to declare any possible conflicts of interest."
Sir Christopher yesterday defended his decision to stay on as BBC chairman after he takes up the full-time post at BT.
"It would have been much simpler for me to walk out on Tuesday night, but I do not think it would have been right for the BBC," he told BBC Online.
"The government need time to recruit and put in place a successor. The BBC needs either a chairman or an acting chairman during that time.
"The election means that the recruitment of my successor will be drawn out a bit longer."
Meanwhile, this morning it was reported that Bland would be investing £1m of his own fortune into BT. It is expected that the investment will be made after the company reports its annual results next month.
