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Broadcasting fee; application for exemption

Natural persons can be exempted from the obligation to pay the broadcasting fee upon application

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ARD ZDF Deutschlandradio Beitragsservice

Street address

Freimersdorfer Weg 6
50829 Köln

Postal address

50656 Köln

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Procedure details

In the private sector, a broadcasting fee must be paid for each home by its owner (fee debtor). The owner of an apartment is any person of legal age who lives in the apartment themselves. The owner is presumed to be any person who is registered there in accordance with registration law or who is named as a tenant in the rental agreement for the apartment. If more than one person lives in an apartment, one of them must pay the full contribution.

Exemption for social or health reasons:

Natural persons are exempt from the obligation to pay contributions upon application,

  • who receive certain social benefits (e.g. citizens' allowance, basic income support in old age and in the event of reduced earning capacity, assistance with living expenses or assistance with care under social welfare, assistance with care under war victims' welfare and equalization of burdens),
  • who receive training assistance under the Federal Training Assistance Act and do not live with their parents,
  • who are entitled to special care under the Federal Welfare Act,
  • who receive benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act,
  • deaf-blind people and recipients of assistance for the blind in accordance with § 72 of the Twelfth Book of the German Social Code.

The broadcasting fee is reduced to one third for the following natural persons upon application:

  • blind or not only temporarily significantly visually impaired people with a degree of disability of at least 60 solely due to visual impairment,
  • hearing-impaired people who are deaf or who are unable to communicate sufficiently by hearing, even with hearing aids, and
  • people with disabilities whose degree of disability is not only temporarily at least 80 and who are permanently unable to participate in public events due to their condition.

The exemption or reduction granted extends within the home to the applicant, their spouse, registered partner and children up to the age of 25. The exemption from the obligation to pay the broadcasting fee also applies to other adult roommates if their income and assets were taken into account when granting the social benefit.

Exemption for secondary residences:

Upon application (see below for the deadline), persons who already pay the broadcasting fee for their main residences are exempt from the obligation to pay the fee for their secondary residence. Their spouses or registered partners can also apply for exemption from the obligation to pay the broadcasting fee for their secondary residences. The prerequisite is that the partner pays the broadcasting fee for the joint main residence.

Cases of hardship:

Exemption is also possible in cases of particular hardship. A case of hardship exists in particular if a social benefit has been refused on the grounds that the income exceeds the respective needs limit by less than the amount of the monthly broadcasting fee.

  • You receive state social benefits, such as
    • Unemployment benefit II
    • social welfare
    • BAföG
    • basic income support
  • or you are deaf-blind
  • or receive assistance for the blind.

Please note:

You can apply for an exemption from the broadcasting fee as a special case of hardship if you do not receive any social benefits because your income exceeds the respective income threshold by less than EUR 17.50.

If you are exempt from the obligation to pay the contribution, the exemption also extends to your wife or husband within the home. The same applies to your registered partner.

  • Exemption for social or health reasons:

    In the case of exemption for social reasons: Corresponding confirmation from the responsible social welfare authority or benefit provider or the social benefit notification.

    For exemption for health reasons: Proof of the health impairment with the official award of "RF" ("Rundfunk-Fernsehen") or a certificate of deaf-blindness.

  • Exemption from secondary residences:

    Designation of the registered main and secondary residences, submission of the registration certificate or secondary residence tax assessment notice, submission of suitable official proof of the status of the marriage/registered civil partnership, if applicable.

  • Hardship cases:

    Proof of the rejection notice showing the amount of the overrun or a corresponding certificate from the competent authority.

    A simple copy of the relevant evidence is sufficient. Many authorities also issue so-called third-party certificates specifically for submission to the Contribution Service.

Applications for exemption or reduction must be submitted in writing to ARD ZDF Deutschlandradio Beitragsservice.

Please use the form or the online procedure.

If you use the online procedure, you can enter the data online. Print it out at the end of the input process and sign it. Enclose the required supporting documents and send your documents to the relevant office by post.

Your application will be reviewed and you will receive notification of the decision.

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Exemption for social or health reasons:

Exemptions/reductions for social reasons can be applied for at any time. Past periods can be taken into account retroactively for a maximum of three years from the date of application, provided that the requirements were met during this period.

Exemption from secondary residences:

To be exempted from a secondary residence, an application for exemption must be submitted within three months of the conditions being met (e.g. moving into the apartment). If the application is submitted later, the exemption does not apply from the date of moving in, but only from the date of application.

Hardship cases:

Exemptions can be applied for at any time. Past periods can be taken into account retroactively for a maximum of three years from the date of application, provided that the requirements were met during this period. The exemption is granted for a period of one year and must then be reapplied for if necessary.

Within a few days.

Status: 17.06.2025
Editorially responsible for prodecure description: Bayerische Staatskanzlei
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