This guide is for internationals who have just moved to Germany and want to understand the Rundfunkbeitrag (broadcasting fee), the charge that funds public television and radio. After reading it, you will know who in a household pays, how much the fee is, how registration works and which groups can apply for an exemption or a reduction.
- What the fee pays for
- One fee per household, not per device
- How much it costs and how payment works
- Registering, moving and leaving
- Exemptions and reductions
- FAQ
What the fee pays for
German broadcasting is split into two groups. Private broadcasters pay their way through advertising. Public broadcasters such as ARD and ZDF are funded mainly by the licence fee. According to Handbook Germany, everyone who lives in Germany must pay, whether or not they actually watch or listen. Owning a television does not decide whether you pay. The fee is governed by the Rundfunkbeitragsstaatsvertrag (Broadcasting Fee State Treaty), and it is collected by the Beitragsservice (Contributions Service).
One fee per household, not per device
In principle every adult has to pay, but the fee is charged per household, not per person and not per device. Everyone living in one flat or house pays once, together. When a family shares a flat, one adult’s contribution covers the whole household. Flatmates are treated the same way. Someone living alone pays the full monthly amount. Several adults in one home also pay a single fee, which they can split between them.
One person in the household registers with the Beitragsservice and makes the payments. The page sums up the rule in plain terms: you must pay if you live in your own home and have an income, and it is enough for one adult in the flat to register.
Refugees living in shared accommodation (Gemeinschaftsunterkunft) do not pay, because the individual rooms there are not considered flats. Anyone in that situation who receives a letter from the Beitragsservice can ask the social workers in the accommodation for help with a reply. Handbook Germany provides a sample letter in English and German.
Business premises are charged separately. The amount depends on the number of permanent establishments, employees and vehicles, and a calculator at rundfunkbeitrag.de shows the figure. A home office has to be registered as a business premise. If it has no separate entrance and can only be reached through the flat door, no extra contribution is due. Each business premise covers one car used both privately and for work, and every additional car used that way costs €5.83 a month.
How much it costs and how payment works
The fee is €18.36 per month (as of 2024). It is billed every three months, so a household pays €55.08 each quarter. Paying six months or a full year in advance is also possible.
When registering, the payer chooses one of two methods. The first is a manual bank transfer. The second is automatic collection by SEPA direct debit, where the Beitragsservice takes the money from the bank account. With manual transfers, the payer is responsible for paying on time. A missed payment leads to a Festsetzungsbescheid (formal assessment notice). The overdue contributions then have to be paid along with a Säumniszuschlag (late payment surcharge). The page does not say how large the surcharge is.
Fake payment requests do circulate. A genuine letter shows your Beitragsnummer (contribution number) and your correct address, and scammers in principle cannot know the number. If a letter looks doubtful, you can call the Beitragsservice and check that it really came from them.
Registering, moving and leaving
Nothing is deducted until you register. You register at rundfunkbeitrag.de, and the deadline is one month after moving into or out of a flat. After a move, the new address can be updated on the same website.
The Beitragsservice also checks who has registered. It carries out a Meldedatenabgleich (registration data reconciliation), which means it receives the data of all adults registered in Germany from the residents’ registration offices. These are the local offices that handle the Anmeldung (address registration), and the city or municipality decides how they are organised. By comparing the two sets of data, the Beitragsservice can see who has not yet signed up for the fee.
Failing to register within a month counts as an administrative offence and can be punished with a fine. The authority decides the amount. A fine has to be paid within four weeks of the due date. If someone still does not pay after repeated warnings, their bank account may be seized. In the worst case, they may face heavy fines or even imprisonment.
When you leave Germany and give up your flat, you deregister on the website in the Abmelden (deregister) section.
Exemptions and reductions
Certain groups can apply for an exemption (Befreiung). One group is people who receive social benefits, for example from the Jobcenter or the Sozialamt (social welfare office). Another is trainees and students who receive Berufsausbildungsbeihilfe (BAB, vocational training allowance) or BAföG (state student finance) and no longer live with their parents. The Beitragsservice decides each application.
The application form is on rundfunkbeitrag.de. You fill it in, print it and post it to the Beitragsservice together with the required certificates from the relevant authority, such as the Jobcenter or the BAföG office. The postal address is on the same website. An exemption for one person does not cover the whole flat. If not everyone in a shared household is exempt, the household still pays.
Blind, partially sighted, deaf and hearing-impaired people can apply for a reduction (Ermäßigung) in the section Befreiung oder Ermäßigung beantragen (apply for exemption or reduction). People cared for full-time in a care home or nursing home can deregister under Abmelden and stop paying.
For problems with the Beitragsservice, migration advice centres can help, and their staff speak several languages. You can find one through bamf.de or jugendmigrationsdienst.de. The Verbraucherzentrale (consumer advice centre) also advises on these matters, in German. Questions about residence status belong with the Ausländerbehörde (foreigners’ authority) or a migration advice service.
FAQ
Do I have to pay if I do not own a TV or radio?
Under the rules described by Handbook Germany, everyone who lives in Germany must pay, whether or not they use public broadcasting. The fee is linked to the household, not to any device.
How many fees does a shared flat pay?
One. The fee is charged per household, so flatmates or family members living together pay a single €18.36 per month. One adult registers and pays, and the others can share the cost.
What happens if I do not register?
Not registering within a month of moving in or out is an administrative offence and can lead to a fine, with the amount set by the authority. The Beitragsservice receives data from the registration offices, so it can see who has not registered.
How do I stop paying when I leave Germany?
Anyone who leaves Germany and gives up their flat deregisters at rundfunkbeitrag.de, in the section called Abmelden. The same section is used by people moving into full-time residential care.
Sources: handbookgermany.de
Last verified: 23 October 2026 against the pages linked above. Rules and fees change; the responsible authority always has the final word.
This is general information, not legal or immigration advice. For your own situation, ask the foreigners’ authority (Ausländerbehörde) of your city, a recognised migration advice service or a lawyer (Rechtsanwalt).
Sources
- handbookgermany.de: Licence Fee for Public Broadcasting, accessed 23 October 2026
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