Leistungen A-Z

The broadcasting fee is levied in the private sector per dwelling and does not depend on the type and number of radio sets. The rule is: one apartment – one contribution.
The broadcasting fee covers all

• radios,
• Smartphones and
• Computer

inside your home and in the private cars of all occupants. If a resident pays the broadcasting fee, this covers the obligation to pay the fee for all persons living in the apartment.
This rule shall apply to:

• Families
• Shared flats
• Unmarried couples

Are you a student living in a student dormitory? Here it depends on the exact spatial conditions on site. You have to pay a broadcasting fee if you enter your room directly through a private entrance

• from the stairwell or
• an anteroom or
• can be entered from the outside.

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

Hint: For a second home you have to pay an additional broadcasting fee.

People with disabilities and recipients of state benefits can receive relief.
Special regulations apply to companies, institutions and self-employed persons.

You must register with the Contribution Service,

• if you are of legal age (18 years or older) and
• if you or another person does not yet pay a broadcasting fee for your apartment.

There is no obligation to pay contributions for a vacant apartment. The prerequisite is:

• that it is not inhabited by anyone,
• that there is no rental contract for them and
• that no person is registered with the registration office for them.

For citizens:

• per apartment: EUR 17,50 per month
• each additional apartment: EUR 17,50 per month
• reduced broadcasting fee: EUR 5.83 per month

They must pay the broadcasting fee for three months at a time. The Contribution Service collects it in the middle of a three-month period.

The obligation to pay contributions begins on the first day of the month in which you first occupy an apartment. This means that you

• live there,
• are registered there, or
• are named as tenants in the rental agreement.

• Interstate Treaty on the Broadcasting Contribution (RBStV)

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

• Explanations about the broadcasting fee
• Glossary: The new broadcasting fee - explanations of terms and individual cases
• Contribution calculator

SWR;
editorial revision by BW/GK LeiKa on 17.02.2014