Cancel the German Radio Tax (Rundfunkbeitrag / GEZ) When You Leave

At a glance

• The Rundfunkbeitrag (German radio tax, formerly GEZ) is a mandatory household fee in Germany. EUR 18.36 per month, EUR 220.32 per year.
• Deregistering your address at the Bürgeramt (residents' office) does not automatically stop the radio tax. You must cancel your account separately.
• You need your Beitragsnummer (9-digit account number) and your Abmeldebestätigung (deregistration certificate) as proof. Cancel online at rundfunkbeitrag.de or by post to the Beitragsservice in Cologne.
• Backdated cancellation to your move-out date is possible once you can prove the date with your Abmeldebestätigung. Overpaid contributions get refunded.
• If you ignore the bill, you risk late fees, an enforcement order (Feststellungsbescheid), bank or wage garnishment, and fines up to EUR 1,000.

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Why you actively have to cancel the German radio tax

EUR 220.32 per year — that is what every household in Germany pays for the Rundfunkbeitrag. Including yours. Even when you have long since moved to Lisbon, Bangkok, or Vancouver. Because deregistering your address at the Bürgeramt does not automatically stop the radio tax. Your account with the Beitragsservice keeps running, and EUR 18.36 per month gets debited without anyone reminding you to stop it.

After 40,000+ deregistrations since 2014, we have seen this go wrong hundreds of times. People emigrate, forget the GEZ cancellation, and get dunning letters months later. Some end up paying for a year or more for an apartment they no longer live in. A few only notice when a debt collector knocks on their parents' door.

"Do not forget to cancel your Rundfunkbeitrag. It only works with proof that you have left Germany — ideally your Abmeldebestätigung. The cancellation can be backdated to the day you actually moved out." — Oliver Frankfurth, founder of deregistration.de

If you want us to handle the cancellation, the cancel-radio-tax service bundles the form, the proof upload, and the German receiving address for the confirmation letter into a single booking.

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What is the Rundfunkbeitrag?

The Rundfunkbeitrag (literally "broadcasting contribution") funds Germany's public broadcasters: ARD, ZDF, and Deutschlandradio. The official name is "ARD ZDF Deutschlandradio Beitragsservice," but most people still call it GEZ — the acronym of the old collection agency Gebühreneinzugszentrale.

The system was overhauled in 2013. Since then every household pays, regardless of whether a TV, radio, or internet-capable device is in the apartment. Before 2013 you only had to pay if you owned a receiver. Now the apartment itself is the trigger.

The essentials in one block:

• Amount: EUR 18.36 per month, EUR 220.32 per year
• Who pays: Every household in Germany, regardless of devices owned
• Per apartment, not per person: One fee per apartment. A four-person flatshare pays one fee, not four
• Legal obligation: Mandatory as long as you have a registered address in Germany
• Payment cycle: Quarterly, semi-annually, or annually — paid in advance by SEPA direct debit or bank transfer

The fee is not a tax in the legal sense. It is a "contribution" — a charge tied to the benefit of having public broadcasting available — and the Federal Constitutional Court has confirmed it several times.

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How much is the radio tax exactly?

A private household pays EUR 18.36 per month, which equals EUR 220.32 per year. That rate has been unchanged since August 2021.

You can choose between three billing rhythms, always paid in advance:

• Quarterly: EUR 55.08 on the first day of the quarter
• Semi-annual: EUR 110.16 on the first day of the half-year
• Annual: EUR 220.32 on the first day of the year

When you register your account you decide whether you transfer the money yourself or grant the Beitragsservice a SEPA direct debit mandate. A mandate is the calmer option: the payment runs automatically and there is nothing to remember.

Since 2022 the Beitragsservice only sends one invoice per year. People who pay by manual transfer and lose track of the calendar quickly accumulate late fees — we have seen flatmates rack up EUR 50 to EUR 80 in surcharges this way before they even realised the bill had arrived.

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Who has to pay the Rundfunkbeitrag?

Everyone over 18 who is registered (angemeldet) in Germany has to pay. Citizenship does not matter — international students and expats are just as liable as German nationals.

If several adults share an apartment, the fee is due only once. Legally all adult residents owe the full amount jointly; in practice flatshares split the cost internally.

Special rules:

• Married couples: If one spouse qualifies for an exemption or reduction, the other automatically benefits.
• Flatshare with an exempt resident: The exemption only applies to that person. The other flatmates owe the full fee.
• Students: An exemption is usually only possible with a BAföG (state student aid) award or comparable home-country student aid. A regular international scholarship rarely qualifies.
• Second homes: Until 2018 you paid the fee twice if you had a second residence. Since the Constitutional Court ruling of July 2018 a second home is exempt — you just have to apply for it actively.

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How is your account opened?

When you register an address in Germany, the residents' offices forward your data to the Beitragsservice automatically. About four to six weeks later you receive a letter with your new Beitragsnummer (9-digit account number) and a payment request.

You can also pre-empt the registry by signing up yourself. Go to rundfunkbeitrag.de and use the "Anmelden" (register) menu. The forms are only available in German — every expat we work with has learned the words Beitragsnummer, Anmeldung, and Abmeldung the hard way. Registration itself is free.

If you move into an apartment where someone already pays the fee (joining a partner, moving into a flatshare), do not open a new account. Instead, give the Beitragsservice the existing Beitragsnummer of the person who pays. That keeps the apartment on one fee and avoids the double-charge headache that takes months to unwind once it happens.

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When can you cancel the Rundfunkbeitrag?

You can close your GEZ account when:

• you emigrate from Germany and deregister your address at the Bürgeramt
• you move into an apartment where the fee is already being paid (flatshare, moving in with a partner)
• you give up a second home
• the registered resident has died (relatives have to cancel separately)

There is no notice period, but the cancellation only takes effect from the following month. Cancelling itself is free.

The radio tax is one of the few German bureaucratic items where a backdated end date is genuinely accepted — provided you can prove the date with your Abmeldebestätigung. Without that document, the Beitragsservice will only end the account on the day they receive your letter.

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Cancel the radio tax: step-by-step

What you need before you start

• Your 9-digit Beitragsnummer (top-right of any letter from the Beitragsservice, or the reference field on your bank statement if you paid by SEPA)
• Your Abmeldebestätigung from the Bürgeramt (scan or photo — they accept image files)

Without both, the cancellation will not go through. The Abmeldebestätigung is the proof that you no longer live in Germany. Without it the Beitragsservice sees no reason to close the account.

If you do not have the Abmeldebestätigung yet, start there. Our deregister-online service handles the address deregistration end-to-end, including the receipt that the radio tax cancellation depends on.

Option 1: Online at rundfunkbeitrag.de

The fastest and most-used route. Also the one the Beitragsservice recommends itself.

1. Go to rundfunkbeitrag.de and click Abmelden (cancel).
2. Pick "Ich ziehe dauerhaft ins Ausland" ("I am moving abroad permanently").
3. Page 1 (intro): Confirm that you understand the implications and continue.
4. Page 2 (data): Enter your Beitragsnummer, your name, your previous German address, and your move-out date.
5. Page 2 (confirmation address): Choose where the cancellation confirmation should be sent. See the next section.
6. Page 3 (summary): Check everything carefully — you cannot edit later.
7. Page 4 (upload): Upload your Abmeldebestätigung as a scan or photo.
8. Submit.

A cancellation by phone or email is not possible. You either fill out the online form or send a letter by post. Everything has to be in German.

Who gets the confirmation letter?

The online form gives you three (effectively four) options for the receiving address. Pick the one that fits your situation.

a) Your previous German address Default option, useful if you have not moved out yet or if a trusted person will still receive your post there for the next two months.

b) A different German address For people who have already left but still have a German receiver — parents, friends, a former employer. You enter the name and address; the letter arrives there.

c) An address abroad Technically possible, in practice unreliable. International mail can take weeks, may not arrive at all, and there is no tracking. We do not recommend this option if you actually need the confirmation as proof.

d) The address of deregistration.de If you book our Sorglos-equivalent radio-tax service with the receiving-address add-on, we use our German company address as the receiver. We open the letter, scan it, and forward you the digital copy. We keep the original for five years or send it on by registered post to your new address.

Option 2: By post

Works equally well, just takes longer. Write a short letter with:

• Your full name
• The German address you are cancelling
• The effective date of the cancellation
• The reason ("permanent emigration", or in German "dauerhafte Auswanderung")
• Your Beitragsnummer

Attach a copy of your Abmeldebestätigung and send the letter to:

ARD ZDF Deutschlandradio Beitragsservice 50656 Köln Germany

Use Einschreiben mit Rückschein (registered post with return receipt) so that you have a delivery confirmation. Fax also works: 01806 999 555 01 (paid line). The phone hotline (01806 999 555 10) is usually overloaded and cannot accept a cancellation anyway — it is for inquiries only.

Option 3: Hire deregistration.de

No appetite for German bureaucracy? Already abroad? We handle the full GEZ cancellation, online, from anywhere. We receive your confirmation letter at our German company address and forward you the digital copy.

We have done this thousands of times. What feels complicated to you is routine for our team.

Book the radio-tax cancellation

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The cancellation confirmation: why it matters

Make sure you receive a written cancellation confirmation from the Beitragsservice. Without that document, you have no proof that the account was actually closed.

The problem: The Beitragsservice only sends the confirmation by physical mail, never by email. There is no tracking. If you are already abroad, the letter often does not arrive — or it arrives at an address where it sits in a stranger's mailbox.

Our workaround: With our radio-tax service, the confirmation goes to our German receiving address. We open it, scan it, and email you the digital version the same day it arrives. We keep the physical original for five years, or — if you want — send it on by registered international mail with tracking.

From thousands of GEZ cancellations we know: without the confirmation, you are exposed. If the Beitragsservice makes a mistake and keeps debiting, you need the document to prove the cancellation actually took effect. We have seen cases where the original cancellation was processed but a new automated reminder went out anyway because of a database mismatch — the confirmation letter was the only thing that ended the dispute in a single phone call.

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Backdating the radio tax cancellation

Forgot to cancel the GEZ before leaving? It happens — often. The good news: backdating is possible.

The payment obligation ends on the day you no longer had a registered address in Germany. If you can prove that date — and the Abmeldebestätigung is the standard proof — the cancellation takes effect retroactively to that day. Overpaid contributions get refunded.

Our advice: Catch up as soon as possible. Every month you wait, more fees accumulate and the refund process gets more bureaucratic. You need the Abmeldebestätigung and the Beitragsnummer. The application works the same way as a regular cancellation — online or by post.

"In 40,000+ deregistrations, the radio tax is the single most-forgotten step. People reach out to us months later because dunning letters suddenly land on their parents' doormat. Backdating is possible — but the sooner you act, the less stressful the refund." — Oliver Frankfurth

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What happens if you just stop paying?

Ignoring the bill is the worst possible response. The Beitragsservice is strict about enforcement:

1. Late fee (Säumniszuschlag): Roughly 1 percent of the outstanding amount after four weeks of non-payment, minimum EUR 8.
2. Enforcement order (Feststellungsbescheid): A formal notice listing all unpaid contributions and fees. The first step toward enforced collection.
3. Enforced collection: Bank or wage garnishment, court bailiff. Even life insurance payouts and certain social benefits can be garnished by court order.
4. Administrative fine (Ordnungswidrigkeit): Up to EUR 1,000.

Even when you have already left Germany, unpaid GEZ debts can catch up with you. If you keep a German bank account, an enforcement order can attach to that account. If you ever return to Germany, the file gets reopened the moment you register a new address.

A handful of stubborn refusers have even been sentenced to suspended prison time in the past. The broadcasters have publicly said they want to avoid coercive detention, but it is still technically possible for repeat offenders.

The takeaway: Cancel actively. Fifteen minutes of paperwork saves months of headaches.

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What if you skip cancellation because you have left already?

A lot of expats think: "I am abroad, the German registry will figure it out." It will not.

The Beitragsservice does not automatically close the account. They assume — based on the residents' registry data they last received — that you still live at your old German address. So:

• Dunning letters pile up at your old address (or get forwarded through the residents' office of your last home)
• Late fees keep accruing
• A garnishment order can attach to a remaining German bank account, even when you live abroad
• If you return to Germany, all open amounts become due immediately

The correct path is short: inform the Beitragsservice in writing, attach the Abmeldebestätigung, secure the confirmation letter. Only then is the account officially closed.

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Exemptions and reductions

Not everyone has to pay the full rate. An exemption (Befreiung) is possible if you:

• receive social benefits (Bürgergeld, BAföG, basic income support)
• have a severe disability that qualifies under the social code (e.g. deaf-blind status, recipient of blindness assistance under SGB XII)
• are a resident in a care home that already pays a collective contribution

For married couples the exemption is automatic: if one spouse qualifies, the other benefits too.

For students: An exemption usually requires a BAföG award letter or a comparable home-country student aid certificate. In a flatshare the cost can be split between residents because only one fee per apartment applies, regardless of how many people live there.

Exemptions have to be applied for in writing and are valid for one year. After that you submit a new application — they do not renew automatically.

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Joining an existing apartment account

If you move into an apartment where someone else already pays the radio tax (partner, flatshare), you can close your own account. Just tell the Beitragsservice the Beitragsnummer of the registered payer in the new apartment. One fee per apartment is the rule; the Beitragsservice accepts the change without further checks.

The online cancellation form has a dedicated reason: "Bin in eine Wohnung gezogen, in der bereits ein Beitrag gezahlt wird" ("I have moved into an apartment where a contribution is already being paid"). After submitting you receive a written confirmation at your old address.

Watch out: As soon as you have your own household again — after a breakup, after moving out of a flatshare — you have to re-register. Otherwise the old account at the main payer keeps running, and you are technically liable without knowing it. We see this every quarter: someone moves out of their partner's place and assumes the registry updates itself. It does not.

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Finding your Beitragsnummer

Your 9-digit account number appears:

• At the top right of every letter from the Beitragsservice, under the contact block
• In the reference field of your bank statement when paying by SEPA
• In the online portal of the Beitragsservice — if you have an account there

Lost the number? Call the service line (01806 999 555 10, paid call), or send a letter with a copy of your ID and a residency certificate (Meldebescheinigung) to the Beitragsservice. Without the number, processing takes longer — usually several weeks.

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How do you actually reach the GEZ?

The Beitragsservice is technically reachable on four channels. In practice only one of them works well.

• Online portal: rundfunkbeitrag.de has a login area where you can update your address, bank details, and payment cycle yourself. This is the recommended channel.
• Post: ARD ZDF Deutschlandradio Beitragsservice, 50656 Köln, Germany. Recommendation: registered post with return receipt.
• Fax: 01806 999 555 01 (paid line). Still works if you have a physical fax or an online fax service.
• Phone: 01806 999 555 10 (paid line). Usually overloaded; cancellations cannot be processed by phone anyway.

Email contact does not officially exist. Anything binding has to go through the portal or by paper.

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Changes to the rules over the years

The radio tax has been reformed several times in the last fifteen years. The key milestones:

• 2013: Switch from a device-based fee (Rundfunkgebühr) to a household-based fee (Rundfunkbeitrag). From that point on, every apartment pays — regardless of devices.
• August 2021: Increase from EUR 17.50 to EUR 18.36 per month. Before that, the fee had been unchanged since 2009.
• 2022: The Beitragsservice switches to one invoice per year for self-payers. Anyone who forgets accumulates late fees quickly.

Future increases are under discussion. The KEF commission (which determines public broadcasting funding needs) regularly proposes higher rates than the federal states are politically willing to enact. Concrete changes are agreed in the Rundfunkfinanzierungsstaatsvertrag (broadcasting finance treaty between the states) and announced months in advance.

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Video: complete walkthrough and common mistakes

The clearest walkthrough — including the pitfalls we see most often — is in Oliver's full English guide:

Shorter version, straight to the point — how to cancel when you emigrate:

The second clip is in German — YouTube auto-translates the subtitles into English (CC button → settings).

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Frequently asked questions

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Bottom line: do not put it off

The GEZ cancellation is one of the items expats forget most often. It is not difficult once you know the steps — your Abmeldebestätigung is the key, without it nothing happens.

You have two options:

1. Do it yourself: Fill out the form at rundfunkbeitrag.de and upload your Abmeldebestätigung.
2. Let us do it: We file the cancellation, secure the confirmation at our German receiving address, and email you the digital copy. Book the radio-tax service.

You take the flight, we handle the paperwork. If you also need to take care of the address deregistration, the deregister-online service bundles it with the GEZ cancellation. Our leaving Germany checklist walks you through everything else — rental contract, health insurance, pension, mail forwarding.

Related guides

• How to deregister from Germany — the umbrella guide that the radio tax depends on
• Leaving Germany checklist — every cancellation, in order
• Cancel your German rental contract
• Cancel German contracts — phone, gym, streaming, internet
• Mail forwarding from Germany — for the confirmation letter
• Deregistration confirmation — the proof document the GEZ relies on

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Last updated 2 June 2026. All figures and procedures are based on our experience from 40,000+ deregistrations since 2014. Please note: we do not provide legal advice in the sense of the German Legal Services Act (RDG). For legal questions, consult a qualified attorney.