The German Radio Tax (Rundfunkbeitrag): What Expats Need to Know

Soon after you register your address in Germany, a letter will arrive from an organization called the Beitragsservice, informing you that you now owe a monthly fee to fund German public broadcasting. This is the Rundfunkbeitrag — often called the "radio tax" or "TV tax", though technically it isn't a tax at all. A 2018 ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court confirmed it's a legally mandated "contribution", paid regardless of whether you actually watch or listen to public TV and radio. The idea is that spreading the cost across every household lets public broadcasters like ARD, ZDF, and Deutschlandradio produce programming without relying on advertising — similar to the TV licence fee in the UK or Switzerland's Serafe fee.

As of 2025, the fee is €18.36 per household per month, reviewed periodically by an independent commission and only changed once the Bundestag and Bundesrat approve it. The next increase, to €18.64, has been recommended for 2027.

Crucially, it's charged per household, not per person: one dwelling means one fee, whether you live alone with an old radio or share a flat with eleven other people. That makes it cheap to split in a big shared house, but a real monthly cost if you live alone.

If you're in a shared flat, the Beitragsservice will often send a separate letter to every person who registers at that address, even if a flatmate is already paying. If that happens, you don't need to pay twice — just fill out their online form naming the flatmate who already pays, along with their contribution number (Beitragsnummer) and a copy of your registration certificate.

A handful of situations qualify for a discount or full exemption: receiving certain unemployment or disability benefits or a basic subsistence pension, having a vision or hearing impairment, holding a second home in Germany (you only pay once), or being a student. Students and apprentices are exempt only if they receive state funding (BAföG) and don't live with their parents — if you're self-funded, you're liable for the full fee even in a single room, so it's worth budgeting for.

There's no getting out of it by not owning a TV or radio. Before 2013, you could apply for an exemption if you didn't own a receiving device, but the system changed once the assumption became that everyone has access to public broadcasting content via the internet or a phone — so now every household pays, device or no device.

Ignoring the letters doesn't make the debt go away, and it comes with escalating penalties. Persistent non-payment can affect your SCHUFA credit score, making it harder to get a mortgage, credit card, or loan in Germany, and in extreme cases can lead to legal action.

Payment is due quarterly, on the 15th of February, May, August, and November, and you can set it up two ways: a direct debit (the easiest option, set up online or by returning the form on your payment reminder) or a manual bank transfer each quarter using your Beitragsnummer as the reference. Since 2022 the Beitragsservice no longer sends payment reminders by post, so if you're transferring manually, you'll need to remember the dates yourself — another reason direct debit is worth setting up.

If you're leaving Germany for good, don't forget to deregister from the Beitragsservice using their online form, along with your Beitragsnummer and proof you're leaving (such as your Abmeldebescheinigung) — otherwise the fee keeps accruing.

One more thing worth knowing: the Beitragsservice used to be called the GEZ (Gebühreneinzugszentrale), and plenty of people — including many Germans — still call it that out of habit.