Radio Tax Germany Students: Rundfunkbeitrag, GEZ, WG Fee (2026)

Radio tax Germany students pay after Anmeldung is the Rundfunkbeitrag (still called GEZ). English guides also call it TV tax Germany or TV license Germany. It is not a fee you can skip because you stream. The amount is €18.36 a month per Wohnung. One adult registers the dwelling. You pay even if you never watch ARD.

This sits in week 2 to 4 of the first 30 days, next to rent standing orders and a Girokonto.

TL;DR

GEZ fee students: €18.36 what you are paying

GEZ fee students still hear that name for the 2026 Rundfunkbeitrag: €18.36 a month for public broadcasting (ARD, ZDF, Deutschlandradio). Beitragsservice bills three months at once (€55.08). You can choose half-yearly (€110.16) or yearly (€220.32) in advance. SEPA direct debit is the method they recommend so you do not miss the due date (the 15th of the middle month in the three-month cycle).

The fee does not depend on TVs, radios, or whether you use the services. Source: Informationen für Studierende.

Rundfunkbeitrag WG: one payer, not one per bed

Rundfunkbeitrag WG (who in the WG is the payer) is a house decision. One adult opens the Beitragskonto, gets a nine-digit Beitragsnummer, and pays. The others can then deregister from a personal demand if they already have one.

Ask at the viewing who already pays. That question sits next to deposit rules in WG viewing and contract.

Beitragsservice Anmeldung Wohnung: how to register

Beitragsservice Anmeldung Wohnung (registering the dwelling) is fastest online.

1. Open rundfunkbeitrag.de. Ignore lookalike domains that charge a "service fee".
2. Choose Anmeldung for a Wohnung (GEZ anmelden in German). Use the same name and address as on your Meldebescheinigung.
3. Pick a payer in the WG. Save the Beitragsnummer.
4. Set SEPA debit from your Girokonto, or note the quarterly due dates.
5. If a roommate later gets a letter, they answer with that Beitragsnummer instead of opening a second account.

You need a registered address first. Hotels and hostels usually cannot carry this registration.

Rundfunkbeitrag Studierendenwohnheim: dorms vs WGs

Rundfunkbeitrag Studierendenwohnheim rules split on the door:

If the Studentenwerk invoice is silent, ask the hall office which model they use, then confirm against the student FAQ rather than a WhatsApp rumour.

Rundfunkbeitrag BAföG Befreiung: GEZ Befreiung Student

Rundfunkbeitrag BAföG Befreiung (the query rundfunkbeitrag befreiung student / GEZ Befreiung Student) is an application, not automatic. You can apply if you receive BAföG (or Berufsausbildungsbeihilfe or Ausbildungsgeld) and do not live with your parents. Erasmus students and most scholarship holders (ohne BAföG) remain liable.

The exemption covers the applicant, spouse or registered partner, and children. It does not cover WG roommates. The dwelling is fee-free only when every adult there independently qualifies.

Exemption is not granted automatically. You submit the online form, print it, and send it with the BAföG notice. Source: Befreiung oder Ermäßigung.

GEZ letter Beitragsservice: the mail after Anmeldung

A GEZ letter Beitragsservice (letters to roommates) happens because the registration office tells Beitragsservice who lives at the address. If someone already pays:

• Reply with their Beitragsnummer and the ten-digit Aktenzeichen on your letter.
• Use the official online form or the reply slip. Do not ignore it; unpaid demands escalate.
• Never pay a third-party site that looks like "Rundfunkbeitrag-Service". Verbraucherzentrale MV warns about those clones.

Common mistakes

• Opening a second Beitragskonto because a letter arrived
• Assuming "I am a student" means free
• Thinking a BAföG exemption clears the whole WG
• Paying on a lookalike website
• Ignoring the letter until a reminder with extra costs

Official sources

• Informationen für Studierende, Beitragsservice
• Anmeldung, Abmeldung, and forms
• Befreiung oder Ermäßigung beantragen

Related: Anmeldung · First 30 days · Girokonto · WG contract · Steuer-ID