The broadcasting licence fee was meant to rise by 28 cents in January. Seven weeks before, nobody knows whether it will. One thing is certain: anyone on basic income support has to apply for an exemption themselves – it never happens automatically.
Every household currently pays €18.36 a month: €55.08 a quarter, €220.32 a year. In its 25th report of 20 February 2026, the independent commission KEF recommends €18.64 from 1 January 2027, or €223.68 a year. That needs a state treaty approved by all 16 state parliaments. According to Berliner Zeitung (10 November), the states have not yet decided; a model under which an increase would have applied automatically unless three states objected failed at the end of 2025 because not every state ratified in time. A single state can therefore still block a rise.
What will Karlsruhe do, and what does it mean for January?
ARD and ZDF have filed constitutional complaints over the missing increase from 2025 (1 BvR 2524/24 and 1 BvR 2525/24). The Federal Constitutional Court heard the case on 23 June 2026; there is no ruling yet and no date. As in 2021, the court could set the amount provisionally itself.
Our assessment: it is more likely that €18.36 still applies on 1 January if neither the states nor the court have acted. That is not certain. For a single household the difference is only €3.36 a year; the real nuisance would be a mid-year change.
In practice, direct-debit payers need do nothing – the Beitragsservice adjusts the collection and notifies them. Those with a standing order must change the amount themselves once a rise takes effect, or they will underpay. Quarterly payers face their next payment on 15 February 2027, according to Berliner Zeitung: €55.92 at €18.64, instead of €55.08.
Who is exempt, and what do you have to do?
People receiving Bürgergeld (now Grundsicherung), social assistance, benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act or BAföG can be exempted. That does not depend on the Karlsruhe ruling. The consumer advice centre of North Rhine-Westphalia describes the process for refugees from Ukraine too: apply in writing, in a way you can prove, ideally by registered post to the ARD ZDF Deutschlandradio Beitragsservice, 50656 Köln, enclosing a copy of your current benefits notice.
Three pitfalls come up again and again. First, you must still register your home even if you are exempt. Second, the exemption ends with the benefit period – when you receive a new notice, send the Beitragsservice a fresh copy, or the full fee becomes due again. Third, if your income is only slightly over the limit, you can apply on hardship grounds, but you need a rejection notice from the authority.
A note on accommodation: according to the consumer advice centre, residents of shared refugee accommodation need not register; anyone moving into their own flat will be written to by the Beitragsservice. Answer that letter even if you are exempt.
Sources: Federal Constitutional Court, KEF, Verbraucherzentrale NRW, Berliner Zeitung
