Beitragsservice Letters From 14 December: What to Do in the 2026 Data Check

From mid-December 2026, expected from 14 December, the Beitragsservice of ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio will start sending letters about the nationwide registration-data check (Meldedatenabgleich). A letter does not automatically mean you owe a second broadcasting fee (Rundfunkbeitrag). It means the Beitragsservice could not match you to a household that is already registered. If you ignore it, you can be registered automatically and billed back to your move-in date.

This is the fourth nationwide check, after 2013, 2018 and 2022. It is set out in § 11(5) of the Broadcasting Fee State Treaty (Rundfunkbeitragsstaatsvertrag, RBStV). Registration offices compiled the data of every adult as of midnight on 8 November 2026 and must send it to the Beitragsservice by 8 December. The mail-out is expected to begin on 14 December and to finish no later than 12 months after the data arrives.

Here is what matters:

• One fee per home, not per person: the private broadcasting fee is €18.36 a month (€55.08 a quarter, €220.32 a year). If your flatmate or partner already pays for your apartment, you should not be asked to pay again.
• Reply even if you think everything is already in order. A letter only means you could not be matched to an existing account. Give the contribution number (Beitragsnummer) of the person who already pays, and the fee stays with that account.
• If nobody is registered for your home, you can register through the same reply, with your move-in date.
• If you do not reply, the Beitragsservice will register you automatically from the move-in date on your registration (Anmeldung) and ask you to pay. For this 2026 check, back-billing goes back no earlier than 1 January 2024. A late-payment surcharge (Säumniszuschlag) is also possible.

NOTE: Getting a letter is not a fine and not a second bill by itself. Answer it. The easiest way is the official form at rundfunkbeitrag.de/meldedaten. The QR code on the letter opens the same form. You can also post the paper reply form that comes with the letter.

What to Do If You Get a Letter

• Someone already pays for your apartment: send that person’s contribution number (Beitragsnummer). If you reply online, you also need the ten-digit file number (Aktenzeichen) from your letter, so the Beitragsservice can match your reply. On the paper form the file number is already printed, so the contribution number is enough. Once that is confirmed, your data are deleted.
• Your apartment is not registered: register it, and give the correct move-in date. The fee is due from that date, subject to the 1 January 2024 back-billing limit for this check.
• You have moved, or your shared flat changed: this is a common reason for the letter. When the person who paid moves out, the Beitragsservice is not automatically told who stayed. If you remained, you may need to put the account in your name. If you left, you should not be paying for the old address; say so in the reply and give your new address if you now have your own home.
• You may be exempt or entitled to a reduction: receiving certain social benefits, or some degrees of disability, can lead to an exemption or a lower fee. You must apply and send proof. You can usually claim this up to three years backwards, if you already met the conditions then. An exemption is not granted just because you might qualify. Check the rules in our Rundfunkbeitrag guide and on the Beitragsservice site, and apply as well as answering the letter.

Who Is Likely to Get a Letter?

The Beitragsservice writes to adults it cannot place in a home that already has an account. Typical cases for expats include:

• You live in a shared flat (WG) and a flatmate pays, but the account is not linked to your name.
• You registered your address (Anmeldung) recently, or the previous tenant deregistered and nobody took over the account.
• You are a student. International students are not automatically exempt. Whether a room in a student hall is a separate “apartment” for the fee depends on the building; our Rundfunkbeitrag guide explains this in more detail.
• You were written to in a previous check and already replied. The Beitragsservice says you can be contacted again. Answer the new letter too.

What Data Are Used, and Can You Object?

Registration offices send, for every adult: family name, first names, previous names, doctoral title, marital status, date of birth, current and last addresses of main and secondary homes, and the move-in date (§ 11(5) RBStV). Because the check is in the State Treaty, you cannot object to this transfer. One exception is a registration-office disclosure block (Auskunftssperre) under § 51 of the Federal Registration Act: those data must not be sent.

Data that have not been checked must be deleted after 12 months at the latest. If the Beitragsservice finds that someone already pays for a home, it must delete the other residents’ data once that account is settled.

What You Should Do Now

• If a letter arrives from mid-December, do not throw it away. Reply online or by post.
• If you live with someone who already pays, ask them for their contribution number now, so you have it ready. You can find it on their Beitragsservice statements.
• If your home is not registered, be ready to give the real move-in date. For this check, back-billing does not go before 1 January 2024.
• If you think you qualify for an exemption or a reduction, apply with evidence. Answering the letter and applying for an exemption are two different steps.

The fee, who has to pay, second homes, student halls and exemptions are explained in full in our guide: Rundfunkbeitrag: Radio Tax Germany ->