…have you also thought about the broadcasting fee?

What is the broadcasting fee and what is it for?
This fee secures the financing of the German public-service broadcasting (ARD, ZDF, Deutschlandradio).
It applies to usual broadcasting receivers such as radio and TV as well as computers with internet access.

Who has to pay the broadcasting fee?
Everyone who is of full age and has an own apartment must pay a monthly fee of €18.36.
Since the reform in 2013 the fee has to be paid per household/apartment, irrespective of the number of inhabitants and TV or radio sets.

• Room: Rooms with a common corridor and without their own kitchen and bathroom are also considered as apartments in this case. Their tenants have to pay the broadcasting fee.
• Apartment: Apartments are small accommodations with their own kitchen unit and bathroom. Their tenants have to pay the broadcasting fee.
• Room in a shared apartment: Several rooms in one apartment with a shared kitchen and bathroom form a shared apartment (German, short: WG). 
• The license fee only has to be paid once per shared apartment. That means, one tenant must be registered and pays the total amount. He/She fairly splits the fee among all tenants of the apartment. If the other tenants are also asked to pay, they do not have to register additionally.

Foreign students
Foreign students must pay the broadcasting fee as well, even if they earn little. They – and all other students – can only be exempted from the fee under certain conditions.

Exemption from the license fee:
Students can be exempted from the fee if they receive BAföG or ALG II and do not live together with their parents. The exemption also includes the spouse or civil partner, but no other persons living in the same household, e. g. in a shared apartment. 

A reduction is granted to:

• severely visually or hearing impaired students with the "RF" sign.
• Students with a GdB of at least 80 and the characteristic sign RF.

Exempt are among others:

• Students who receive assistance for the blind
• Students who receive state care allowance
• Students who receive care assistance
• deaf-blind students

The modalities for reduction and exemption can be found at https://www.rundfunkbeitrag.de/buergerinnen_und_buerger/informationen/menschen_mit_behinderung/index_ger.html  and here https://www.rundfunkbeitrag.de/buergerinnen_und_buerger/informationen/empfaenger_von_sozialleistungen/index_ger.html.

A small income has no influence on the exemption. Relevant are the social benefits.

Further Informations:
www.rundfunkbeitrag.de