When you thought just had it all under control, the German administration has a way to remind you who is the boss. This reminder might take the form of an innocent ARD ZDF letter letting you know about the TV & radio broadcasting fees in Germany, otherwise known at the Rundfunkbeitrag.
This is no less than a German TV tax that each household ought to pay in order to finance the production and the broadcasting of content by public channels.
Put your anti-bore suit on and learn here why it’s important to take care of this and fast.
Contents
Why and how did you receive this Rundfunkbeitrag letter at home?
This German TV tax has been issued by the government in 2013 to replace an older rule that stated that only owners of radio and TV sets should pay any kind of fees. This older rule was hard to apply since it was practically very difficult to check whether or not it was the case for any given individual. Many people lied and got away with it since agents were not legally allowed to come into your home.
Arguably, consumption of public content can now happen with tablets, computers and phones, which everybody has nowdays. As a result, this flat fee was decided and each household in Germany has to pay 17,50€ monthly (since 2015). The institution in charge of collecting TV & radio broadcasting fees in Germany is called “Beitragsservice von ARD, ZDF und Deutschlandradio”, or simply “Beitragsservice”. It replaces the older institution called GEZ (Gebühreneinzugszentrale), which is why you might see this name in forums sometimes.
The reason why you received this Rundfunkbeitrag letter is simple:
The Beitragsservice is a public institution with access to public resources. When registering yourself at the Bürgeramt with the Anmeldung, it was able to access your data and send you a letter.
Which courses of action can you take?
Pay up
The most obvious decision is submit to what is after all an institutionalized TV tax in Germany. A law has been passed and it applies to all citizens. You can register or submit your account details online on the official website.
Apply for exemptions or reductions
Of course, if your vision or your hearing is impaired, you can let the Beitraggservice know about it to reduce or avoid altogether the fee. Recipient of social welfare benefits (Arbeitslosengeld II, Sozialgeld or Grundsicherung im Alter) or grants (BAföG, Berufsausbildungsbeihilfe or Ausbildungsgeld) are also exempted. It makes sense: no need to pass public money around. If you are not German-speaking, i’m afraid this doesn’t count. You still have to pay.
If you are not German-speaking, i’m afraid this doesn’t count. You still have to pay.
Prove someone already pays it for you
This case is particularly relevant for people living in shared flats or other communities. The flat fee of 17,50€ apply to one household and not to each person living within it. This means that if your flat mate already pays for it, simply let them know about it and they will leave you alone.
Ignore the letters
Now there are very well documented cases of people simply staying put and hoping the Beitragsservice letters will go away after a while. After initial reminders, their response will gradually increase in severity. Although this can earn you some time to think about it, the Beitragsservice can use legal actions to obtain their money. Eventually, you will receive a letter from your Finanzamt asking you to pay this on their behalf. Even if this happens only after a year or two, you will have to pay hundreds of euros for all the time you didn’t reply. (17,50€ per month remember?). Additional fees will also occur for sending reminders and being late. More info about this in German here.
Take part to a boycott
There are a certain number of people who think it’s quite unfair to pay a TV tax in Germany when they are never watching any of the programs on public channels. This might seem even more absurd when they can’t speak the language. If you agree, you can take part to boycott movements at your own risks. It is by nature illegal. This website is a good place to start.
Beware, it is by nature illegal.
How to notify you are leaving the country and stop paying the German TV tax?
This is an issue that is all too often forgotten by foreigners moving back to their country. It won’t be enough to notify the Bürgeramt you are leaving the country. An additional notification to the Beitragsservice will be necessary so they remove you from their databases. It is recommended to do it a bit in advance via their website via this form. If you don’t do that and come back to Germany; they will look for you, they will find you, they will make you pay.
How do i let them know that somebody else in already paying it in my flat/house?
In the case you are moving in somewhere, it’s quite likely somebody else is already paying it. In this case, you can let them know about that via this form, and you won’t need to pay anything further. You will need to provide name, first name and “Beitragsnummer” of that person.
Although it is quite frustrating to be obligated to pay this Rundfunkbeitrag, you might as well give public programs a shot. It’s good for your German skills after all. ARTE is my personal favorite.
455 Comments
Hello! Thanks for the information.
I did my city registration in December 2019 but I never received any letter from them. So, I do not know my beitragsnummer. Also, I live in a shared flat and I share the amount with my roommate who is paying for it. What do you think I should do?
H
Hey Shurthi. If your roomate transfers the money and you share the costs, then you are all set.
Very interesting article. 🙂
I have a question about this issue. Since 2018 I live in Germany but I have never received this letter in my first and actual wohung where I did my Anmeldung. One year later, a friend of mine was registered in my wohung but she did receive this letter that now she must pay. I am still registered in the same wohung (she moved out with abmeldung four moths algo but I still do not receive a broadcast letter. Why does this happens?
I must call them? My germans friends say that I do not have to be worry because If i have a debt, Germany will go after me But i Am not sure about this.
Thank you very much for your help.
Hey Manuel. Not sure i understand your comment, but as a German resident, you need to pay for this in theory. If you haven’t been notified until now, then it might mean your SCHUFA score hasn’t been affected but you would still owe the amount. Does that answer your question?
Hi Bastien,
Thank you for such an informative article.
I have been the registered payer at an apartment for 2 years. All tenants moved out of that apartment recently. I have just received my Anmeldung for the new apartment.
Sorry if this wasn’t already obvious, but is there anything more I need to do make sure I don’t keep receiving payment letters for the old flat, and that I can start paying for the new flat?
Many thanks
Hey Leo. Did you notify them about your move with your Beitragsnummer?
Hey Bastien!
Thank you so much for the article. I just registered my apartment online, and selected a monthly bank transfer as a payment method. They didn’t ask for any bank account details. How will they recognize me as the person paying for this apartment?
Hey Grace. This is Germany: you will probably get a letter for that.
Thanks! 🙂
Hello,
I will have to rent 2 houses at same time for 2 months and the TV and radio fees are being automatically substituted from my bank account each 3 months.
Do I have to pay double tv or it’s ok because I am being charged on my bank account no matter what the address is
Hey Zeineb. If you have two addresses in Germany at the same time, you only need to pay for one, but you need to notify them about that.
HI,
Previously, me and my friend were living in a shared apartment and my roommate was registered to pay the rundfunkbeitag with the direct debit from his bank account. Now he is going back to his country and closing his bank account, how do i sort this issue? do i need to register for the apartment once again or how can i let them know, that i will be paying the rundfunk from now on?
Many Thanks!
Honestly, they don’t mention this clearly on their website how to do it. Letting your roommate unregister and registering yourself is probably a way to go, albeit not the most efficient.
Thank you very much ! 🙂
Hello
Thank you for the information!
So I am currently holding an account for the ARD radio thing in my WG, but I am moving out and I want to transfer my account to one of the roommates. Is this possible? and How can I do that?
Or should I just de-register my WG from them, and tell my roommates to reregister?
Thank you very much,
Taim
Hey Taim. Honestly, they don’t mention this clearly on their website how to do it. Unregistering yourself and letting your roommate register is probably a way to go, albeit not the most efficient.
Hi! Thank you very much for your post. I would like to ask if it is necessary to deregister from this license fee after leaving Germany, even though it is your rommate paying the fee and you have already notified them about this?
Hey there. I don’t think so because as you said, your roommate took this over.
Hallo!
I have a question please. I am currently living in Stuttgart and I am paying the Radio/tv fees on my own but after 2 weeks I will move to Berlin. In this case do I have to make abmeldung in my radio/tv account or I just anmelden myself in Berlin and everything shifts automatically to the new houese ?
NB: There are 2 more people who are registered under my account
Thank you.
Best regards
Hey Roua. Yes, you can go on their website and notify them of the change of address.
I have slightly strange question, I was staying in a WG for one year and my room mate was paying the bill and after that moved to another room for a period of 6 months and still another person was paying the bill. For the past one year and 8 months I didnt get any bill and suddenly I got a combined bill informing about the charges. I wrote them through the kontakt form to let them know that my room mates were paying the money along with their beitragsnummer. Since I am no longer in touch with my previous room mates I dont have their signature or proof that we payed for both of us. Will it be a problem and also it has been two weeks and I still havent received any confrmation about the kontakt form that I filled up. Kindly let me if everything should be okay or I need to do something else too.
Hey Mohan. I can only tell you that you took all the right steps so far in this situation. I can’t tell you how they will react in your particular case.
Hi,
I moved to Munich in September 2017 and did my city registration. My landlord paid the radio fee for the apartment. However, I never registered myself with the ZDF and never received any letter from them since the past two years. Is it necessary for me to be registered with the ZDF, even though my landlord pays the fee? If not, what should I do now?
Hey Saad. It’s not necessary if someone pays for your address. Nothing else to do.
How do I pay this if I don’t have a bank account in Europe? I don’t have an IBAN to provide them.
Hey DAve. You can also just transfer to their account manually too.
Hi! Could you please advise on the following matter? I moved into WG almost 2 years ago and registered myself with the radio number my housemate was using. Everything was fine. Then, in Septemper 2019, he moved abroad and most probably deregistered our house from the radio service, no money was taking from his account as far as I know. Before deregistering he sent them a web form asking whether me and other people staying in the house should register house once again or not, they never replied. Last month new person moved in and I shared with him Beitragnummer we used to have. After some time radio replied him and gave the house a new number, saying that the previuos one was deactivated. Is any action required from my side? Should I register myself with this new number? Have not received any letters from them. I am afraid that they will ask me to pay me back money from September until now, if register myself again with this new number.
Hey Viki. What you describe is probably the most likely scenario. No one paid during that time. It doesn’t matter whether or not they sent letters.
Hi All,
I have registered to a apartment and I was expecting the Radio tax letter. But I did not get any letter for almost a year now. When I called them, They asked to me provide some number which i dont have. Can some please let me know what should I do next ?
Previously I used to stay in WG, so my Radio tax was paid by my owner. I got a letter once from Radio tax department. Should I use the same reference number even for the new address ? please help me 🙂 thanks a lot in advance!!
Hello,
Is there anyway I can find my GEZ/Rundfunkbeitrag number online? I have moved out of Germany and currently, in the de-registration process but I seem to have misplaced the GEZ letters.
Please advise. Thanks in advance.
Hey Gaurav. Not that i am aware of. You’d need to send an email or call them directly.
Thanks for the reply. If my roommate was paying for it before I moved in, do I need to deregister from GEZ separately?
Hi,
Around six months ago, I moved into a new apartment and of course, I did amelden my new address in the Bürgeramt. My current problem is since then I haven’t received any letter asking me to pay for the broadcast fee. I learned that we can notify them via the website so I also did that 2 weeks ago but still the same, no letters. What can I do in this case? I really don’t want to get a letter in 1-year later, charging me an extra fee for procrastinative payments.
Hey Yu. You did everything right. It will probably just take some time for them to get back. Just keep a copy of your message to them for proof, just in case.
Hello!
I am living in a furnished apartment from an agency and I have no TV signal whatsoever – the only things I watch are Netflix, amazon video and YouTube through my Apple TV box.
If I can prove I am legitimately unable to watch any public broadcasts or services, do I still have to pay? My tv literally doesn’t connect to any tv channels… just curious!
Thanks
Hey Sophie. Nope, because they consider you can access and consume public programs on ze internet or via the radio.
Hey!
I have received my first letter from the ARD after my Anmedlung. I filled the online form with the Beitragsnummer of my flatmate and later i received a second letter from the ARD asking me to pay with my new Beitragsnummer. I am living in a WG and my flatmate is already paying the TV tax. So i got back to my first letter and used my Aktenzeichen it in the Answer the request to contribute with the Beitragsnummer of my flatmate.
Does it mean i am in the clear ?
Hey Aymen. Yes, you did everything right. Looks good. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with them if you don’t see a confirmation coming, just to be sure.
Hey, thanks for your article very useful.
Actually i dont pay this tax, and i want to make the schufa. BUT the schufa needs to have passeport, bank card and ameldung. So i guess my schufa will be under debt right ?
Hey Pascal. I don’t understand what you mean here. Can you rephrase?
Hi, I would like to ask what can I do if I did not get my letter with my own Entry number. I have been living in Berlin since July 2019 and my boyfriend is paying the tax for me, now I wanted to fill out the form to let them know he is paying for me, but for that, I need to have my own number. Thank you for your response in advance.
Hey Zofie. You need his Beitragsnummer, don’t you?
Hey there! I also had to pay 122€ for it, but due to a problem with my card, the payment did not go through. What should I do? Do I have to contact them? Are they going to try again in a few days to charge me for the same amount? Contacting them could be problematic as I do not speak german.
Thanks for your help.
Hey Lodovico. Updates the payment details asap and get in touch with them to let them know about it.
Hi there,
I did leave Germany in 02.21.2020, I had to pay one amount of 121 EUROS because of the delay of the payment. But I paid a week late the following month. So with one week delay. Do you think that they accepted? Do I need to pay more because I did pay with delay? Do you think that I pay 121 euros for nothing and I need to pay more now?
Hey Vitor. I have no idea of their internal rules. In my own opinion, it’s probably fine.
Hey man, thanks for your answer, my concern was that was writte:
“Nur wenn sie diesen offenen Gesamtbetrag unverzüglich zahlen, vermeiden sie Mahn und zwangsvolltreckungsmasnahmen auf Grundlage dieses festsetzungsbescheids”
It says that I couldn’t have paid with the delay, and sadly I did. So I am afraid that I still need to pay more, I really dont want be illegal in the country.
Hi, Please I have changed my address to my new apartment, so I want to know if it will change automatically to my new address or I should contact them.
Hey David. you should notify them of the change of address yes.
Hello, when would you do it tho? Before the move? After the move?
After.
Thanks!
Hi Bastien,
i moved since 8 months to Munich, but during that time i was living for 3 months in a shared flat , but i do not have the beitragsnummer of the landlord,
and i want to sent to ARD a letter to confirm that on that period i was in a shared flat ( i have a lready the whonungs anmeldungand),i have to pay only for 5 month.Actually they sent me an invoice for the whole amount and with mahnnung too, what should i do?
Hey Houda. You need to do exactly what you said: find out the Beitragsnummer of whoever was paying in that shared flat and stating this person was already paying for those 3 months.
Hi Bastien,
Great article, this problem affects so many people moving to Germany.
Have you ever heard of cases where the ARD actually sent letters to foreign countries to someone who had spent a couple months in Germany and moved back abroad, asking them to pay up? What are the chances do you think?
And will they absolutely find you again if you move back to Germany afterwards, even to a different Lander?
Viele Grüße,
JC
Hey JC. I haven’t heard of such cases abroad but there is a good chance they will find you again if you move back yes.
Hello there!
I‘m situated in Cologne (not Berlin sorry) as a student and I‘ve received this letter as well. Do you know if I can ask to be freed from this since I receive Bafög from my own country or does it only count for German Bafög?
Thanks in advance!
Hey Vilde. Honestly, you can always ask, but i highly doubt it.
Since I cannot access my letters in my post box. Is there a way to know my radio bill through online?
Hey, I moved out of Berlin in March 2020 and came back to my home country. During my stay in Berlin, I only received one bill for broadcasting fee and the bill didn’t have any Beitragsnummer. While applying for de-registration on their official website, this field is mandatory. I am unable to proceed.
Hello,
I dont have Beitragsnummer yet as my roommate was already paying the TV tax.
Additionally, I have already done this – (https://www.rundfunkbeitrag.de/buergerinnen_und_buerger/formulare/kontakt/index_ger.html) and informed them that my roommate is paying the TV Tax.
I still dont have my Beitragsnummer.
How do i de-register?
I only have a 10-digit Aktenzeichen number.
Please suggest the steps.
please help
Hey Aniket. You don’t have a Beitragsnummer because the one for the household “belongs” to your roomate. You don’t need to de-register at this point.
Hello,
I don’t use and I don’t have TV and Radio at home but they send me the bills. In this case what should I do? Please answer me.
HEy Sonam. It doesnt matter. you still need to pay up
Hi,
Thanks for the article.
I left Germany in Feb-2020 and came back to my home country. Still they are deducting tax from my bank account.
Can you please guide me how to stop it and what is the procedure to get back excess deduction?
Regards,
Ankit
Hey Ankit. You need to get in touch with them via the “Wohnung Anmelden” form on the site. Pick the option stating you are leaving Germany for good and add your Abmeldung Bestätigung from the Bürgeramt with it.
How can i check my radio bill status?
For example how much I paid ?
How much i have not pay yet ?
Hey Gautamkumar. You may reach them at anytime with your Beitragsnummer to ask about those things yes.
HEY! I moved to Munich and I have to register for paying this tv tax. My landlord pays it on our behalf so she give me a number, I guess the Beitragsnummer. Now I am suppose to register myself and I wanna do it online but I cannot find the correct formulary. Could you help me? (Sending the exact link of the formulary)
Thanks in advance.
Hey Marina. Go there and pick “auf eine schriftliche Anfrage zur Beitragspflicht antworten.”
Hi Bastien!
First thank you very much for helping people this way, it is great to see someone help with the bureaucracy that can indeed get pretty difficult! Then the story and questions, which I tried to make short, but without leaving important details away it’s somewhat long anyway.
I have lived some years now in Germany, first in a student residence with a roommate where I paid half of the 17.5€ monthly as my roommate paid the other half. Now living alone I have paid the full 17.5€ ever since. Some time ago, the ard zdf threatened me with a court case if I didn’t pay the other half from my time in the dormitory, although my roommate had already paid that part. The lawyer of theirs (external) said I should have paid in full and let them know the ID of my roommate so he wouldn’t have to pay, or I’d paid nothing and my roommate would have paid it full.
I’ve contacted ard zdf with the formulas on their website multiple times, but never have I received any sort of answer. When I have tried calling them, they refuse to speak English but sometimes offer to transfer (and wait again 10, 15 minutes) to another colleague who should speak English, only to be refused service again in English.
After some months I thought it’s probably easier just to pay the other half again and get rid of the problem, so I did.
Now they are still anyway continuing sending me letters and demanding to pay even more and claiming often that I haven’t paid, also for example all 3 months of this year, although I’ve paid it monthly.
What can I do against such blackmailing and extortion?
How can I get them pay back what I have paid extra and the costs I’ve had trying to solve this problem?
Lawyers might get expensive pretty quickly if I need one and then lose the case. Also the lawyer of theirs whom I spoke with, just says they can’t help me.
I’ve tried contacting them multiple times multiple ways with no avail and just keep getting these letters, no matter how I have tried to solve this problem they’re ignoring every contact, and it’s costing already much time and money.
What options are there left to try and what do You think would solve the case?
Thank you and best regards,
Mike
Hey Mike. Sorry to hear about your case. I don’t really have a great answer to be honest: maybe use a German speaking friend to call on behalf of you to clear this up. Also, you may want to send those lawyers a confirmation that your case has now been resolved, from the Rundfunkbeitrag directly?
Thank you for the fast answer!
Alright, I understand, it is indeed a difficult case.
Well a German speaking friend calling would indeed be a good idea, although they just seem really unwilling to solve this issue after multiple contacts.
Also some of those contact attempts through their website-formula were in German, as I asked a friend to translate the texts I wrote, but 100% of the contact attempts have been ignored regardless of the language.
Otherwise I would contact again the lawyers, but they’ve always said they can’t help me, which seems a bit weird for me.
But as I can get the receipts from all the months paid – all months I’ve lived in Germany – and I have also saved the letters from ard zdf stating I haven’t paid those months, in which they’re also adding 8€ every letter to the “total” which is accumulating to be already pretty much, I think the paperwork is good if the lawyers contact again.
It just seems altogether absurd there can exist such an institution that is allowed to harass people with such claims, when their own counting doesn’t match at all, and then just ignore all tries to correct their mistake.
Thank you again and best regards,
Mike
Hey Bastien! I moved out of Berlin in March – did the Abmeldung with the Burgeramt but not with Rundfunk (just did it online). They just charged me with the €52, do you know what I need to do to get the refund? Thanks!
Hey Lucas. Get in touch with this form here, and send them your Abmeldungbestätigung as proof you don’t live in the country anymore, and ask for a refund.
Hi!
I moved to a new apartment and left my previous one permanently. The contract for my previous apartment will end by 01.04.2020. Yesterday I found out that 52.5 Euros were withdrawn from my bank account for the next three months by ARD-ZDF Deutschlandradio. What should I do to retrieve my money and how can I inform them that I am not living in that apartment anymore?
Thanks alot!
Hey Khaled. You can use the contact form there.
Hi, I was in an exchange in Germany for six months. I never received any letter, and now that I am back in my country and already did the “Abmeldung”. I don’t know what to do. Is there a way to pay them the 105 Euro online (without postmail)? I really don’t want any trouble if I decide later to go back to Germany. Should I just forget it?
Hey Max. I cant say for sure so that is just an opinion: if you never received a letter, then you might be just fine.
Hi All,
I would like to ask do you know how much do I have to pay as a fee if I’m 1-2 week late with sending back by post the Antwortbogen?
Thank you
Best regards
Anna
Hey Anna. there should not be a problem with so little delay.
thank you very much for your quick reply! I would like to ask that do you know, usually, what is the amount of time after they give you a fine, is it one month? And do you know that what is the cost of it? Thank you
Anna
Hey Anna. I cant possibly tell. It’s their own internal rules.
Hi,
Thank you for all this important information. Well, in my case, I am currently living in my apartment since Sept. 2019 and recently I paid radio fees for a year, i.e. 210 EUR. Now I have received another letter stating that I have to pay 70 EUR more. I don’t understand what that is for. Because I probably will be shifting to a new apartment in a new city after completion of the contract period. Can you please help me with it? I don’t know whom to talk with as my German skills are not really good.
Hey Manish. I also cant help you on so little details. The best way is to find a friend or a colleague that could sort this out for you.
Hi Joe,
are non-EU students in Germany exempted from the radio tax?
Hey Martins. No.
I have moved to the germany and to the new apartment on 24 Jan 2020 but the letter i received says that i have to pay from 1st jan.how to get the correction done as i have registered myself on 24 Jan
Hey Varun. Get in touch with them via one of the contact forms.
Hello,
I came to Germany in October 2019 and stays at student dorms of Paderborn. Since then, all of my friends have received the letter for Radio Tax payment except me. Do I need to make any move myself like registering for it online or notifying someone?
Will they charge any fine on me later? And Can they make a case against me stating why didnt I register for it sooner?
Hey Akshit. You can either proactively get in touch or wait for their letter. Either way, you will need to pay for the amount due counting from your moving-in date.
If i was out of the country for three months, do I still need to pay for these three months?
Hey Caleb.Yes.
Hi Bastian,
I have moved in a house from 1st November 2019 and my landlord paying the radio tax. Meanwhile, I am also paying the radio tax continously since the time I am living in Germany. My question is, How can I link my account to my landlord account number as I cannot find any form online to link the account, do I need to write a letter to them ?. Also, as I have a proof of city registration that I am living with my landlord, can I claim money which I already paid till now ?. Also, it would be great if you could post the link where we can connect our account with landlord account. Thanks
Hey Vishu. you can’t really connect accounts. You can only notify them that your landlord is already paying it all. This is the form to use.
Hello Bastien ,
I have my landlords Beitragnummer. How do I let the ARD know that he already pays the tax. Is there any particular form or link that I need to fill. Thanks in advance for the help
Hey Mihir. Yes, you can use the general contact form on their website.
this is the direct link:
https://www.rundfunkbeitrag.de/buergerinnen_und_buerger/formulare/kontakt/index_ger.html
Hi i just want to ask where i exactly can fill up a online form to declare someone is paying for me
Is this the one?
Ich möchte eine Wohnung abmelden, weil… ich zu einem anderen beitragszahler ziehe… oder??
There are many option on the link previously post. Thanks
Yes it is.
Hi,
Thank You so much for the article. Actually I’m living in a shared apartment, for all of us one of our room mate is paying the TV Tax. So how could I inform them that my room mate is paying the same for me? One of my room mate already got a letter from ARD.
Thank You
Hey Aivin. As mentioned already, get in touch with them and communicate the Beitragsnummer of your flatmate.
How to pay online?
Hey! I moved to Berlin and registered in my apartment in April 2019. I will be moving abroad in March 2020 .I never received anything from them about paying this tax. Am I safe to just forget about it as long as they don’t contact me before de-registering and moving abroad?
Cheers!
Hey Joe. Your guess is as good as mine but it might come back to bite you in the ass if you decide to return to Germany at some point.