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Introduction to Austria's "ORF Beitrag"

Updated: Jan 7, 2024

On 1 January 2024, Austria's public broadcaster, the Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF), transitioned from its previous Rundfunkgebührengesetz (GIS fee) to a new Haushaltsabgabe (household contribution) called the ORF Beitrag. This is essentially Austria's TV licence fee.


Key Points about the ORF Beitrag

  • Payment Basis: The ORF Beitrag is levied per household, regardless of the number of individuals living there or whether or not you own/use a TV or radio.

  • Contribution Amount: The standard ORF Beitrag is €15.30 per month (2024). However, Burgenland, Styria, Carinthia and Tyrol charge an additional local tax of between €3 and €5 per month. See here.

  • Payment Schedule: Payments will be made monthly, quarterly, or annually. Regardless of which option you choose, the total amount you pay is the same.

  • Payment Eligibility: The ORF Beitrag is mandatory for all households with a Hauptwohnsitz (main residence) in Austria. Nebenwohnsitze (secondary residences) are exempt.


Who Should Pay the ORF Beitrag?

You are liable to pay the ORF Beitrag if you are:


Exemptions

Some people may be exempted from paying the ORF Beitrag. To qualify:

  1. You must be the recipient of one of the following:

  • Kinderbetreuungsgeld (childcare allowance)

  • Studien-/Schülerbeihilfe (student grant)

  • Lehrlingsentschädigung (apprentice allowance (NEW)

  • Pflegegeld (care allowance)

  • Pension (pension)

  • Arbeitslosengeld (unemployment benefit)

  • Mindestsicherung (minimum income support)

  • eistungen aus sonstigen öffentlichen Mitteln (soziale Bedürftigkeit) (benefits from other public funds (social need))

  1. Your household net income (income of ALL people living in the household after social insurance contributions, income tax and rental expenses) must be below €1364,12 for a single person, € 2152,04 for couples (2024), plus €210.48 for each additional member of the household.

Furthermore, those who are deaf or have severe hearing impediment can apply for exemption depending on their income.


For further information about who may be entitled to an exemption and the documentation required, see https://orf.beitrag.at/befreiungsrechner/anspruchsgrundlage (your browser will translate it for you).

For up-to-date information about the maximum household net income and deductible expenses see https://orf.beitrag.at/befreiungsrechner/einkommen (your browser will translate it for you).

There is an online online exemption calculator with which you can test your eligibility for an exemption.


Applying for an exemption

To apply for an exemption, individuals must submit an application form with supporting documentation to GIS Gebühren Info Service GmbH. Your application will be reviewed and you will be notified of the decision. For the application form, visit https://orf.beitrag.at/befreiungsrechner/antragsformulare. You can upload the completed form to the website. We have found no information about how long thee review process is expected to take.


Do I need to register for the ORF Beitrag?

  • If you were already paying the GIS fee (whether the full fee or the radio-only fee), your payment schedule will simply be taken over by the ORF Beitrag. Note for early-2024: If your final GIS payment should have been for December 2023 and January 2024, then the last payment will have only been for the December contribution. Your first payment in 2024 will be for January, February and March. After this you will return to your previous two-monthly billing.

  • If you have a previous exemption from GIS, this will be carried forward to the ORF Beitrag system.

  • If nobody in your household previously paid the GIS fee (either you didn’t have a qualifying TV appliance or you have recently moved house) then one person needs to register for the ORF Beitrag. Visit https://orf.beitrag.at/registrieren


How to Pay the ORF Beitrag

Payments can be made online through the ORF's website, by direct debit (SEPA-Lastschrift), or via a payment slip (SEPA-Zahlungsanweisung). If you choose to pay by direct debit, you can choose to pay at either 12-, 6- or 2-monthly intervals. If you pay by bank payment slip you can only pay the full annual amount.


What happens if you don't pay the fee?

If you do not register and do not pay the ORF Beitrag, you can expect an administrative penalty of up to €2,180.


What is the ORF Beitrag used for?

According to the official website, the ORF Beitrag finances public service broadcasting and all its offers:

  • 4 television channels (ORF 1, ORF 2, ORF III, ORF SPORT+),

  • 9 state studios with their own contributions for TV,

  • 3 Austria-wide radio stations (Ö3, Ö1, FM4),

  • 9 regional radio stations from the federal states,

  • ORF-TVThek,

  • ORF-TELETEXT,

  • ORF.at,

  • ORF Sound,

  • ORF Topos,

  • Social media profiles,

  • an extensive network of correspondents and further planned online offers.


Hotline

The responsible body, ORF-Beitrags Service GmbH (OBS), has a service hotline: 0810 00 10 80 (Monday to Friday from 7:00 until 19:00; calls charged at a maximum of 10c/minute). There is also a number for calling from abroad: +43 50 200 (we don't know if this is a premium number. If it isn't, you should probably call this from Austria!). We don't know whether they will speak to you in English on either number. ORF Beitrag Service email address: service@orf.beitrag.at


Sources and further information


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