How to share radio bill / Der Rundfunkbeitrag?

Snigdha DaluaSeptember 20, 2022

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How to share radio bill / Der Rundfunkbeitrag?

Are you concerned by the ARD ZDF Deutschlandradio’s payment reminder for the Rundfunkbeitrag that arrived in your mailbox? Know How to Share Radio Bill / Der Rundfunkbeitrag which covers the radio tax in Germany.

The Der Rundfunkbeitrag is the German public TV and radio industry’s equivalent of a licensing fee or broadcasting payment. Although it is frequently referred to as the “radio and TV tax,” but not a tax. German households are required to contribute a monthly charge of €18,36 to maintain free public broadcasting.

How Much Does the German Radio Tax Cost?

Germany charges a radio and television tax of €18,36 per household, regardless of the number of occupants. You will have to pay €55,08 four times a year because it is collected once every three months. The last time the price was raised was in August 2021.

How to share the radio bill?

There are 4 sections to the online form:

1. Persönliche Daten ( Personal data): Complete all required fields, such as your Beitragsnummer [your id for radio bill], first name, surname, date of birth, email address, house number, etc.
2. Wohnung (Apartment): Choose the type of your apartment and enter the required information and here you can say if you are staying with someone and someone is paying the radio bill already and provide his/her Beitragsnummer.
3. Zahlungsweise (Payment method): You can use your SEPA or a bank transfer with a reference number to make payments but not necessary since you will be sharing it with other people.
4. Zusammenfassung (Summary): The summary includes the date and the receipt of the payment for the bill.
  Registration form

Click here to register NOW!!

In the case of flat-sharing community

One person at a time must always sign up for the contribution service in a shared unit. All other residents who have registered before can cancel their registration. If the contribution service contacts you as a resident of an apartment building and requests clarification on your contribution duty. Kindly provide the contribution number of the person who is responsible for paying the residence license fee.

Only if everyone in the WG (Wohngemeinschaft/shared flat) satisfies the exemption criteria is it possible to be excused from the necessity to pay the licensing fee. If one resident doesn’t fit the requirements, he or she must register their name with the contribution service and pay the license cost.

In the case of dormitories for students

If your room is in a commonly accessible hallway it is regarded as your residence. Whether you have a kitchen or bathroom, you still have to pay the €18.36 monthly license cost for each room.

The regulations for a flat-sharing community apply; if numerous rooms are divided from a commonly accessible hallway or staircase by a shared front door. While the contribution service advises that you register to quickly pay the licensing fee to avoid any claims for recovery, assuming there is no license-fee account for a home.

How to pay the radio bill?

Likewise other services in Germany, you do not need to pay radio tax monthly You have the option of paying for it at the following intervals:

- Paying three months in advance at the start of a quarter.
- Every three months on the fifteenth of the month (default frequency)
- Paying in advance for six months at the start of each semester.
- Paying a year forward

In Germany, there are two ways to pay the radio tax:

You grant them a Lastschrift Einzugsermächtigung (direct debit authorization) from your German bank account. You can do this by completing an online form.
To ensure that you never miss a payment, simply set up a standing order from your bank account.

Note: Starting in 2022, you won’t get postal mail reminders for payments. Thus you can set up a direct debit order to prevent paying costs because you forgot the payment.

However, paying the Radio Bill / Der Rundfunkbeitrag is essential since, in Germany, failure to do so will result in severe legal consequences. You will continue to receive payment requests, and they will eventually develop into formal collection operations. Ultimately you will be forced to pay both the full amount you owe and any extra late payment penalties.