Millions of households are threatened with new demands for broadcasting fees

Millions of citizens are facing an extensive data comparison: As the “Bild” newspaper reports, the nationwide registration data comparison for the broadcasting fee will begin on November 8th. The data from around 73 million adult residents is compared with the information from the contribution service of ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio. The goal: to identify apartments for which no broadcasting fee has yet been paid.

The authorities transmit names, addresses, dates of birth and move-in dates. Due to the volume, the transfer is likely to take several weeks. All data is expected to be received by the contribution service by December 8th. There they are compared with the existing database.

For those who cannot be assigned to an apartment that has already been registered, it will then become concrete: Corresponding letters are expected to be sent out from December 14th.

However, a letter does not automatically mean that a household has not yet paid any broadcasting fees. People whose apartment has already been registered can also be contacted. In this case, you must provide the contribution service with the contribution number of the person paying the contribution for the apartment.

According to the contribution service, the transmitted data will then be deleted.

The situation is different if there is actually no contribution account for the apartment in question. This can happen after moving out of a shared apartment, a divorce or a separation. If the previous contributor moves out without another resident registering the apartment, it can initially remain without a contribution account.

This can have financial consequences for those affected. The move-in date is generally decisive for the obligation to pay contributions. As part of the 2026 registration data comparison, retroactive registration can take place no earlier than January 1, 2024. Accordingly, contribution claims may arise for previous periods.

It can be particularly problematic if those affected ignore a letter from the contribution service. Anyone who does not respond can be automatically registered and asked to pay the broadcasting fee.

If the contribution is not paid afterwards, the procedure can go through further stages: an assessment notice is followed by a reminder and, in extreme cases, enforcement proceedings.

It is not possible to object to the transmission of registration data by the residents' registration offices.

The current process is the fourth nationwide registration data comparison in the history of the broadcasting fee. During the last registration data comparison in 2022, around 900,000 previously unregistered apartments were identified.

The contribution is currently 18.36 euros per month per apartment. Meanwhile, the financing of public broadcasting remains controversial. Critics accuse ARD and ZDF of, among other things, one-sided reporting and a waste of contribution money.