Registering for the broadcasting fee (Rundfunkbeitrag)

The Rundfunkbeitrag is a monthly fee for private households in Germany. In principle, one dwelling pays one fee, and the current amount for private households is 18.36 euros per month 12. If you move into a new dwelling and no one has yet registered it for the fee, you need to register that dwelling with the Beitragsservice 4.

Who needs this

• If you are the first person in a dwelling to take responsibility for the Rundfunkbeitrag, you must register the dwelling with the Beitragsservice 4.
• Only one person per dwelling registers and pays the fee, even if several people live there 24.
• If someone already pays the fee for your dwelling, you do not pay again; you should tell the Beitragsservice who is paying for the dwelling 4.
• If you have already had a Beitragskonto at a previous address, you only need to report your new address 4.
• If you live in a shared flat (Wohngemeinschaft, WG), one resident registers and the others can deregister if they have already registered 3.
• If you are a student living at home, your parents pay the fee 13.

Step by step

1. Register the dwelling with the Beitragsservice. The online form is the fastest and easiest way to do this 4.
2. When you register, a Beitragskonto is opened in your name and you receive a nine-digit Beitragsnummer 4.
3. If another person in the dwelling is already paying, wait for the letter from the Beitragsservice and use the file reference from that letter to tell them who pays for the dwelling 4.
4. If you already had a Beitragskonto before moving, submit your address change instead of a new registration 4.
5. If the person who was registered for the dwelling moves out and you remain there, you must register the dwelling yourself and will then receive your own Beitragsnummer 14.

Documents

• For online registration, the sources name the online form; they also mention that the Beitragsservice may send you a letter with a file reference or ask you to reply online 4.
• If you communicate for another person, the Beitragsservice needs a written authorisation (Vollmacht) or a copy of the official guardianship card (amtlicher Betreuerausweis) 1.
• The written authorisation must include the full name of the authorising person, the full name of the authorised person, the scope of authority, the duration, the date, and the signature 1.
• If you apply for an exemption, attach the required proof directly to the application 3.

Cost and time

• The fee for private households is 18.36 euros per month 124.
• In a student hall of residence, a room that opens onto a generally accessible hallway is treated as a dwelling and costs 18.36 euros per month per room 13.
• If several rooms are separated from a generally accessible hallway or staircase by a common front door, WG rules apply 3.

Deadlines

• If you do not register the dwelling yourself, the Beitragsservice will write to you and ask you to clarify your payment obligation 4.
• If you do not respond to this letter, your dwelling is automatically registered retroactively from the moving-in date known from the registration data 4.
• When you move out, the Beitragsnummer stays with the person, not the dwelling, so you must not continue paying under the previous person’s number 4.

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