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Letter from the Beitragsservice: understanding the broadcasting fee

Last updated: October 2026

Every home in Germany pays the broadcasting fee (Rundfunkbeitrag), whether you watch TV or not. The Beitragsservice writes to you when you should register, when money is missing or when it sends a notice. Some people do not have to pay and can apply for an exemption.

Sample letter

Beitragsservice (Muster) · Postfach 10 10 10 · 54321 Beispielstadt
Herrn Samir Beispiel
Rosenweg 9
12345 Musterstadt
Beispielstadt, 6. Oktober 2026Beitragsnummer: 123 456 789

Festsetzungs­bescheid über rückständige Rundfunkbeiträge

Sehr geehrter Herr Beispiel,

für die Wohnung Rosenweg 9, 12345 Musterstadt, sind Sie seit dem 1. April 2026 als Beitragszahler angemeldet. Trotz Zahlungsauf­forderung haben wir für den Zeitraum April bis September 2026 keine Zahlung erhalten.

Rückständige Rundfunkbeiträge (6 Monate à 18,36 €): 110,16 €
Säumniszuschlag: 8,00 €
Gesamtbetrag: 118,16 €

Bitte überweisen Sie den Gesamtbetrag innerhalb von vier Wochen nach Zugang dieses Bescheids. Geben Sie dabei Ihre Beitragsnummer an.

Rechtsbehelfsbelehrung: Gegen diesen Bescheid können Sie innerhalb eines Monats nach Bekanntgabe schriftlich Widerspruch bei der Landesrundfunkanstalt (Muster) einlegen.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Beitragsservice (Muster)

Made‑up sender, made‑up names. The letter often looks like this or similar.

What does the letter mean?

The broadcasting fee is a charge for the public broadcasters. It applies per home, not per person and not per device. It costs €18.36 a month. If several adults live together, only one person pays for the whole home.

The Beitragsservice writes to you for three reasons: you should register, for example after moving house. You have not paid. Or you receive a notice. An assessment notice (Festsetzungs­bescheid) like the sample means: the unpaid fees have been set officially, and a late payment surcharge is added.

Some people do not have to pay, or only a third. You can be exempted if you receive Bürgergeld, social assistance, basic security in old age, BAföG (if you do not live with your parents). If you have a severely disabled person’s card with the mark RF, you pay only a third. This does not happen on its own: you have to apply.

Deadlines

  • You have to register right away after moving into a new home. The fee applies from the month you move in. If you receive a letter with questions about the home, the deadline for replying is in it.
  • You can object to an assessment notice within one month. The deadline in your own notice applies. But the objection does not stop the duty to pay.
  • The exemption applies from the month in which your benefit notice starts, also retroactively, but for at most three years before your application. Still apply right away when you have the notice from the Jobcenter, social welfare office or BAföG office, then no arrears build up in the first place.
  • If you do not pay, a late payment surcharge is added: 1 percent of the unpaid fees, at least €8. If the notice stays unpaid, the money can be enforced, for example from your bank account. Then more costs are added.

What you can do

  1. First check whether the letter is genuine. The real Beitragsservice never asks for your bank details by email or text message and does not threaten you with prison. Never pay with gift cards.
  2. If you have just moved in, register the home, ideally online. If someone in your home already pays, give that person’s contribution number (Beitragsnummer). Then you do not pay twice.
  3. If you receive Bürgergeld, BAföG (if you do not live with your parents), apply for the exemption. You need the application form and a copy of your approval notice. With the mark RF you apply for the reduction.
  4. If you received an assessment notice and the fees are correct, pay the amount with the contribution number as the payment reference. If you cannot pay all at once, ask for instalments.
  5. If something is wrong, for example because you are already exempt or someone else pays for the home, object in writing within one month and enclose proof.
  6. If you have questions, a social advice centre or a consumer advice centre can help. Keep all letters and your contribution number.

This guide does not replace legal advice. Every letter is different: deadlines and amounts apply as they are written in your letter. If you have questions, an advice centre can help.

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