ARD ZDF Deutschlandradio contribution service

Broadcasting fee in the private sector

You have to pay a monthly broadcasting fee for your apartment.

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broadcasting fee

Detailed description

The license fee is charged in the private sector for each apartment and does not depend on the type and number of radios. The rule applies: one apartment – one contribution.


The license fee includes all


· radios,


· Smartphones and


· Computer


inside your apartment and in the private cars of all residents. If a resident pays the broadcasting license fee, this covers the obligation to pay the fee for everyone living in the apartment. This rule applies to


· Familys


· Shared apartments


· Unmarried couples


Are you a student and live in a hall of residence?


It depends on the exact spatial conditions on site. You have to pay a license fee if you direct your room through a private entrance


· from the stairwell or


· an anteroom or


· can enter from the outside.


You do not have to pay a contribution if you can only access your room through another apartment.


Note: You have to pay an additional license fee for a second home. Persons with disabilities and recipients of state benefits can receive relief. Special regulations apply to companies, institutions and the self-employed.

 

Information

Prerequisites

You must register with the contribution service,


· if you are of legal age (18 years or older) and


· if you or someone else has not yet paid the license fee for your home.


There is no obligation to pay a fee for an empty apartment. Requirement is,


· that this is not inhabited by anyone,


· that there is no rental agreement for them and


· that no one is registered with the residents' registration office for them.

Documents required

no

Please note

The broadcasting contribution replaced the broadcasting fee on January 1, 2013.

Deadlines

The obligation to contribute begins on the first of the month in which you occupy an apartment for the first time. That means you


  • live there,

  • are registered there or

  • are named as tenants in the rental agreement.

Fees

For citizens:


· per apartment: EUR 17.50 per month


· Each additional apartment: EUR 17.50 per month


· Reduced license fee: EUR 5.83 per month You have to pay the license fee for three months at a time.


The contribution service collects it in the middle of a three-month period.

Legal basis

State Broadcasting Agreement (RBStV)


https://www.rundfunkbeitrag.de/e175/e4794/Rundfunkbeitragsstaatsvertrag.pdf

Links on the Internet

Address and contact information

ARD ZDF Deutschlandradio contribution service

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To Hamburg Service startpage

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Last updated: 14.02.2026