Who has to pay the radio tax?
What expats call the "radio tax" or "TV licence" is officially the Rundfunkbeitrag. It funds public broadcasting (ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio) and is collected by the Beitragsservice, not by the tax office. The rule is "one dwelling, one fee": adults aged 18 and over who live in a dwelling are covered, but only one person per dwelling pays1.
The fee for private households is 18.36 euros per month2. Owning a TV or radio does not matter. By default it is paid every three months in the middle of the quarter (55.08 euros); you can also pay half-yearly or yearly in advance. Whether the amount changes from 2027 had not been finally decided at the time of writing, so check rundfunkbeitrag.de for the current figure.
Reductions and exemptions exist for some groups, for example recipients of certain social benefits; people with the "RF" disability mark pay a third, 6.12 euros2. Students who still live with their parents are covered by the parents' payment.
Register or update your address
When you register your address at the Bürgeramt, the registration office notifies the Beitragsservice, which then writes to you1. You do not need to wait for that letter. If nobody pays for your dwelling yet, register it with the online form "Wohnung anmelden"4. You will receive a nine-digit contribution number (Beitragsnummer).
When you move within Germany and keep paying, you only report the new address with the form "Name, Adresse, Zahlungsweise ändern". Your contribution number is personal and moves with you3. The forms are only in German, so keep these steps handy:
Find your nine-digit Beitragsnummer on your confirmation letter or bank statement.
Open the form for changing name, address or payment method on rundfunkbeitrag.de.
Enter your new address and move-in date and submit.
Sharing a flat or moving in together
In a shared flat (WG), only one person pays. If you move into a flat where someone already pays, deregister your old dwelling with the form "Wohnung abmelden" and enter that person's contribution number3. The number cannot be transferred to someone else.
If the paying person moves out, one of the remaining residents must register the flat in their own name. Otherwise payments are assigned to the leaver's new address and the flat runs into arrears3.
Deregister when you leave Germany
You can deregister if you move abroad permanently and give up your dwelling in Germany completely. You need proof of deregistration from the registration office (Abmeldebestätigung), which you can attach to the online form5. For a temporary stay abroad, deregistration is only possible if the whole flat is sublet and the subtenant registers it.
Timing matters: the obligation ends at the end of the month in which you give up the dwelling, but not before the end of the month in which you notify the Beitragsservice6. Deregister before you leave, not months later.
Information current as of 6 November 2026.
