Introduction
The licence fee is a legally prescribed contribution for citizens, companies and institutions as well as for public interest bodies. For private households, the current fee is 18.36 euros per month.
The contribution serves to finance public broadcasting service based on a contributory model. Contributory means that in principle all adult citizens, companies and institutions as well as public interest bodies in Germany should make a contribution – regardless of their actual media use. In this way, everyone can benefit from the variety and quality of the freely available public broadcasting services – even those who pay a reduced licence fee or none at all. The objective is to ensure the highest possible level of fairness in the financing.
One dwelling – one fee. If several people live together in one dwelling, only one person pays the fee, regardless of how many people live in it or how many devices they use.
Further reads Refer Link#3
Links
FAQs
What is this letter that I received for a payment of tax?
A: If you are new to this then most likely you are new to Germany and have recently moved to a new home. Primarily, this letter is an intimation that you need to make a payment of 18.36€/month to the IBAN details mentioned. There are some payment options.
What do I need to do once I receive this intimation?
A: Apart from point considered regarding the payment method and the amount, one needs to make note of the 9-digit Beitragsnummer. Please DON’T IGNORE IT!! It may attract fines due to late payment. Also, it may even affect SCHUFA score. Refer to the links to find more information about it and understand that the payment is inevitable except under certain circumstances (see “Exemption and reduction” in link#2).
Is there a way to work around it?
A: Yes. In case you are staying in WG, Studentenwohnheim, and other student accommodations then you can split the costs with other tenants. If someone is already making the payment then you can use the tools in link#1 to inform the authorities about the arrangement. Maybe one trick could be asking another German roommate to share the cost with as they can apply for exemption for their secondary apartment. (However, this is still unverified. @Amchis if someone has confirmed this, kindly update)
If someone is renting an apartment, then you can ask your Landlord to take over the costs of it. In my experience, many are considerate towards it and they understand that it is an unnecessary cost.
You can do both these workarounds in the “Wohnung Abmelden” option in link#1.
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