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ORF-Beitrag

Broadcasting levy: ORF-Beitrag

Since 2024 the old GIS fee has been replaced by the ORF-Beitrag: it is paid per address with a main residence — whether or not you own a TV. On a low income you can apply for an exemption.

Who pays
One payment per address where at least one adult is registered with a main residence
Amount
€15.30 per month nationwide + Landesabgabe (depends on the province)
Payment
Once a year by invoice; with SEPA direct debit — in 2 or 6 instalments
Exemption
On application to the OBS, for at most 5 years

Step by step

  1. After your Anmeldung with the Meldezettel, data about your address reaches the OBS (ORF-Beitrags Service) monthly. If nobody at the address pays yet, report the start of the obligation yourself — unverzüglich, i.e. without delay.
  2. If a flatmate or family member already pays for the address, you do not pay again: the levy is paid once per address.
  3. Check whether you qualify for a Befreiung (exemption): the OBS online Befreiungsrechner generates the form and a document checklist.
  4. Sign the application, attach copies or scans of the proofs and send it to the OBS.
  5. An exemption lasts at most 5 years. OBS reminds you before it expires — submit a follow-up application. If your income changes, submit a new one.

What to bring

  • Signed application (Antrag auf Befreiung)
  • Proof of a benefit: e.g. Pflegegeld, AMS benefit, Sozialhilfe / Mindestsicherung, Studienbeihilfe, pension
  • Details of everyone living in the household and proof of their income (Haushaltsnettoeinkommen)
  • For deaf and hard-of-hearing people — a medical certificate

Common mistakes

Thinking you need not pay without a TV. The levy depends only on the Hauptwohnsitz registration, not on devices.

Receiving a benefit but not applying: exemption is not automatic. Haushaltsnettoeinkommen matters too — household income must not exceed the threshold (no more than 12% above the Ausgleichszulage rate).

Not reporting that you lost eligibility: the OBS can withdraw the exemption retroactively.

Receiving Grundversorgung? It is not listed separately on oesterreich.gv.at — check with the OBS whether your case qualifies.

Words you will meet

der ORF-Beitragpublic broadcasting levy
die Befreiungexemption
der Antragapplication
das Haushaltsnettoeinkommennet household income
die Landesabgabeprovincial levy

Official sources

Checked: 2026-10-07. This is a plain-language summary of official information, not legal advice. Deadlines and amounts change — check the linked official sources before you go.