The broadcasting fee (Rundfunkbeitrag)

The fee is 18.36 euros per month per dwelling (status October 2026). It is normally charged every three months, in the middle of the quarter (55.08 euros). You can also choose to pay quarterly in advance (55.08 euros), half-yearly in advance (110.16 euros) or yearly in advance (220.32 euros). Payment by SEPA direct debit is recommended so that you do not miss a due date; if you pay by transfer, always quote your nine-digit contribution number.

Possible change in 2027: the independent commission that assesses the broadcasters' needs (KEF) originally recommended raising the fee to 18.94 euros from 2025, but the federal states kept it at 18.36 euros. ARD and ZDF challenged this before the Federal Constitutional Court, which held a hearing on 23 June 2026. In its February 2026 report the KEF recommended an increase to 18.64 euros from 1 January 2027. As of October 2026 no change has taken effect; check rundfunkbeitrag.de for the current amount.

When you register your address (Anmeldung), the registration office passes your name, date of birth and current and previous addresses to the contribution service. If it cannot match you to an existing account, it writes to you and asks you to clarify whether you have to pay.

• You are the only adult, or nobody in the flat pays yet: register the dwelling online at rundfunkbeitrag.de. You then receive a contribution number and payment details.
• Someone in your dwelling already pays (a partner or flatmate): you do not pay a second fee. Reply to the letter, or use the online form, and give the existing contribution number of the person who pays.
• You are moving and already have an account: report your change of address with your contribution number instead of registering again.

Do not ignore the letter. If you do not respond, the contribution service generally registers you automatically and retroactively.

In a shared flat (WG) only one adult registers and pays; flatmates can split the cost among themselves. In student halls, a room whose door opens onto a shared corridor usually counts as a separate dwelling, so each such room pays the full fee. If several rooms are behind one shared front door and function like a flat, only one person pays.

Exemption (Befreiung) or reduction (Ermäßigung) is not automatic. You must apply using the form on rundfunkbeitrag.de and include proof, such as a copy of the benefit notice.

You can usually be exempted if you receive certain social benefits, for example basic income support, social assistance, BAföG or vocational training support while not living with your parents, or blind assistance; some groups of people with severe disabilities (for example deafblind people) are also exempt. A hardship exemption (Härtefall) is possible in individual cases, for example for students without BAföG whose income is below the relevant limits.

People who have the "RF" mark on their severe disability card can apply for a reduction to one third, 6.12 euros per month.

Erasmus students and other scholarship holders are generally liable to pay unless they qualify for one of the exemptions.

If you give up your dwelling, move in with someone who already pays, or leave Germany, deregister your account (Abmeldung) online with your contribution number and attach proof of the reason (for example a deregistration certificate from the registration office when you leave Germany). Otherwise payments continue to be charged. If you have a second home in Germany, you only pay for one dwelling, but the exemption for the second home must be applied for separately.