Rundfunkbeitrag data check: who could get a letter from Beitragsservice

A letter from the Beitragsservice could land in your mailbox in the coming weeks. The agency, formerly known as GEZ, collects the Rundfunkbeitrag (Germany's public broadcasting fee). On 8 November it started the fourth nationwide Meldedatenabgleich, a comparison of registration data.

What happened?

Local registration offices (Einwohnermeldeämter) are sending certain data on all adult residents to the Beitragsservice. That should be done by about 8 December. The agency then checks it against its own records to find flats that haven't been registered for the fee.

The data includes your full name, date of birth, any doctorate, former names, marital status, current and previous address and move-in date. According to the Beitragsservice, it's the same data that is passed on when someone moves or dies. You can't object to the transfer.

Who gets a letter?

If your data matches what the agency already has, you normally hear nothing. A letter comes if an adult can't be linked to a registered flat. The first ones are expected from 14 December, but some may only arrive in 2027.

The Beitragsservice advises you not to ignore it. The Hamburg consumer advice centre says the usual reply deadline is two weeks. The letter comes with a reply form, and a QR code leads to an online version.

If someone in your household already pays, such as a flatmate, you just give their contribution number. If the flat isn't registered, you can do that in your reply.

What if you don't answer?

Then the agency registers you automatically and asks you to pay. If nothing happens, the unpaid fees are set by official notice. After that, reminders and eventually enforcement proceedings can follow.

If you should have been paying all along, expect back payments. In this round, retroactive registration goes back to 1 January 2024 at the earliest. The move-in date matters, so it could mean several months or even years of fees.

Anything else?

If you qualify for an exemption or reduction, you can under certain conditions apply for it retroactively for up to three years.

Not the first time

The last nationwide comparison was in 2018, and the monthly fee has since risen from 17.50 to 18.36 euros in 2021. So if a letter arrives, answer it quickly.