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BriefDiener
DE

Beitragsservice (licence fee service)

Meldedatenabgleich: letter from the Beitragsservice (registration data comparison), what to do?

What this letter means

Every four years the Beitragsservice compares its data with the data of the registration offices (Meldebehörden). Anyone who cannot be matched to a home that is already registered receives a letter. For the Meldedatenabgleich 2026, the letters are expected to be sent from mid-December 2026.

The letter does not mean that you did something wrong. Often the Beitragsservice simply does not know who lives with whom. If another person in your home already pays, you do not have to pay. But you must tell them.

If you do not answer, you are registered automatically. The fee is then calculated from the move-in date held by the registration office, for the 2026 comparison from 1 January 2024 at the earliest.

What to do now

  1. 1Check whether someone already pays the Rundfunkbeitrag for your home, for example your partner or a person in your shared flat (WG).
  2. 2If so, ask for their nine-digit Beitragsnummer and check that the number is registered to your current address.
  3. 3Answer online at rundfunkbeitrag.de/meldedaten with the ten-digit Aktenzeichen (reference number) from the letter, or with the enclosed reply form.
  4. 4If you write a letter, write it in German; the templates (Vorlagen) on this site are in German.
  5. 5If nobody pays yet, register the home with your move-in date.
  6. 6If you receive social benefits such as Grundsicherungsgeld or BAföG while not living with your parents, apply for an exemption (Befreiung) at the same time.

How you can reply

Give the Beitragsnummer of the person who pays

If an existing Beitragsnummer is given, the Beitragsservice deletes your data from the comparison immediately.

Register the home

If nobody pays for your home yet, register yourself with your move-in date. This avoids official registration (Anmeldung von Amts wegen) with a Säumniszuschlag (late payment surcharge).

Cancel a double registration

If you have already been registered although someone already pays for the home, deregister your contribution account and give the other Beitragsnummer.

Template: Rundfunkbeitrag abmelden

Common questions

I live in a shared flat (WG) and my flatmate pays. Do I still have to answer?

Yes, so that you are not registered automatically. Give your flatmate's Beitragsnummer. At the same time, check that her contribution account is registered to your current address.

How far back can I be registered?

From the move-in date the registration office has sent, but for the Meldedatenabgleich 2026 from 1 January 2024 at the earliest.

What happens to my data?

If you give an existing Beitragsnummer, your details are deleted immediately. The Beitragsservice deletes unchecked data from the comparison after twelve months at the latest.

Sources (German law and official pages)

  1. Rundfunkbeitrag: Fragen und Antworten zum bundesweiten Meldedatenabgleich
  2. Rundfunkbeitrag: Plötzlich Post vom Beitragsservice, Meldedatenabgleich 2026
  3. Rundfunkbeitrag: Empfänger von Sozialleistungen

Research as of: 10 November 2026