The broadcasting contribution

The broadcasting contribution is 18.36 euros a month for a private home. One person pays for the home, regardless of how many people live there or whether anyone watches television. You must apply for an exemption.

In short

• The broadcasting contribution for a private home is 18.36 euros a month. One dwelling, one fee, however many people or devices. A second home is not automatically free.
• The same monthly figure grouped is 55.08 euros for three months, 110.16 euros for six months, and 220.32 euros for twelve months. Pay the contribution service, not the Finanzamt. 18 euros is not the monthly figure.
• 18.36 euros is the fee published now. The KEF’s 25th report recommends 18.64 euros a month from 1 January 2027. The Länder have not adopted that, and the Federal Constitutional Court has not decided the case. If the monthly amount changes, those grouped totals change too. Check rundfunkbeitrag.de before relying on a future figure.
• Exemptions and reductions have to be applied for, including the secondary dwelling and the RF-mark reduction to one third, 6.12 euros a month. BAföG recipients must also live apart from their parents to qualify on that ground. Receiving an eligible benefit does not switch the fee off by itself. Arbeitslosengeld I, Wohngeld, and Übergangsgeld do not qualify. A granted exemption or reduction also covers the applicant’s spouse or registered partner and the applicant’s or partner’s children under 25 living in the same flat. An exemption can be applied for up to three years back.
• After the Anmeldung, answer the letter. Ending a dwelling, including when you leave Germany, still needs the contribution service to record the change. Deregistering with the Meldebehörde does not cancel the contribution account by itself.

What you need to know

The contribution service of ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio says the licence fee is a statutory contribution for private households, and that the current fee is 18.36 euros a month. It is not a tax paid to the tax office. It finances public broadcasting, and it is due regardless of whether you use radio, television, or the internet.

The amount is set by the Länder after a recommendation from an independent commission, usually for a fee period of four years, and then adopted by the state parliaments. When that procedure changes the figure, this page’s number has to change with it. 18.36 euros is still the figure on the contribution service’s English page.

In its 25th report, handed over on 20 February 2026, the KEF recommended 18.64 euros a month from 1 January 2027. That recommendation is not the fee. The Länder have not adopted it, and the contribution service does not publish it as the amount to pay. The Federal Constitutional Court heard the case on 23 June 2026 and still lists it as awaiting decision.

If a new monthly amount is adopted, the three-, six- and twelve-month totals change with it. Check rundfunkbeitrag.de before you rely on a future figure.

For people who are at least 18, the rule is one dwelling, one fee. If several people live in one home, one person pays, no matter how many people or how many devices there are. A second home is not automatically free. The exemption for a secondary dwelling has to be applied for, as every other exemption does.

The registration office tells the contribution service when you register a new address. The service then writes to you. It also matches registration data nationwide from time to time and writes to adults whose home had no contribution account. Respond when the letter arrives.

What to do

1. After the Anmeldung, expect a letter. Use the contribution number on it. If a flatmate or partner already pays for that dwelling, the household still owes one fee, not one fee per adult. Follow the letter’s instructions for saying that the dwelling is already registered. Do not ignore the letter because someone else “probably” pays.
2. Choose a payment schedule if the service offers you one. The contribution service lists 55.08 euros for three months, 110.16 euros for six months, and 220.32 euros for twelve months. These are the same monthly contribution grouped into longer periods, not a discount. Pay the contribution service, not the Finanzamt.
3. If you think an exemption or a reduction applies, apply for it. The service says people with the RF mark for a severe disability can apply to pay one third, which is 6.12 euros a month. Deaf-blind people, and people who receive blind assistance under Social Code Book XII, can apply for an exemption. So can people who receive certain benefits, including Grundsicherungsgeld (formerly Bürgergeld) and basic support in old age or for reduced earning capacity. For BAföG, vocational training allowance (Berufsausbildungsbeihilfe), or training benefit (Ausbildungsgeld), the recipient must also not live with their parents. Benefits such as Arbeitslosengeld I, Wohngeld, and Übergangsgeld do not qualify for an exemption. A granted exemption or reduction also covers the applicant’s spouse or registered partner and the applicant’s or partner’s children under 25 living in the same flat. It does not automatically cover unrelated flatmates, unless their income and assets were taken into account in granting the qualifying social benefit. An exemption can be applied for retroactively for up to three years before the application: it can reach back to the start of the proof, but not earlier than three years before the first of the month in which you apply. An application and current proof are the path. Receiving the benefit does not switch the fee off by itself.
4. Tell the service when the reason for an exemption ends. When you move, tell the contribution service separately: deregistering with the Meldebehörde updates the population register, not the contribution account. A room in an inpatient nursing home is one of the cases the service says can be deregistered with them. Read the current form rather than assuming every shared house qualifies.
5. Keep the account number. You will need it if you move and the next letter asks whether the new dwelling is already covered.

Use the official forms directly

Use the Beitragsservice’s own forms for registration, address changes and deregistration. These form services are free; the broadcasting contribution itself is separate and may still be due. Search advertisements can lead to private intermediaries charging to pass on your details. Check the operator and total cost before ordering. Paying an intermediary does not pay your broadcasting contribution. Keep a copy and confirmation of the actual submission. If you already bought an unwanted service, seek consumer advice promptly about withdrawal or refund options rather than assuming either that payment is unavoidable or that recovery is guaranteed.

Common mistakes

• Rounding the payment down to 18 euros. The published monthly figure is 18.36 euros. The quarterly figure that matches it is 55.08 euros.
• Paying 18.64 euros because a commission recommended it. That figure is not the fee. The published amount remains 18.36 euros until the Länder adopt a change or the court decides otherwise.
• Waiting for the Bürgeramt to cancel the fee when you leave Germany. The registration office notifies the service when you register a move-in. Ending a dwelling, including when you leave the country, still needs the service to record the change. The leaving page is the population-register step. This one is the contribution account.
• Treating a second flat as free because you already pay somewhere else. The secondary-dwelling exemption is an application.
• Sending the fee to the tax office because it looks like a public charge. The service says it is paid to the public broadcasting institutions, which is what keeps that funding separate from the government budget.