Registration data comparison: If you ignore this letter, you will soon have to dig deep into your pocket for the broadcasting fee

The contribution service of the public broadcaster recently received some data from the residents’ registration office and compared it with the number of contributors. Anyone who could not be assigned must expect mail from today.

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The contribution service, better known under the former abbreviation GEZ, started in November with the so-called registration data comparison 2022. The administrative community of the broadcasters ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio receives selected data from the residents’ registration offices on all adult citizens.

In order to clarify the broadcasting contribution obligation, this data is compared with the existing inventory data (46.1 million contribution accounts) of the GEZ. The contribution service writes to people who cannot be assigned to an apartment that is registered for the broadcasting contribution
from January 10, 2023
successively. Under no circumstances should you ignore this so-called clarification letter.

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Feedback is also possible online

The registration data comparison is regulated by law (Interstate Broadcasting Agreement § 11 Para. 5)
and is taking place for the third time after 2013 and 2018. According to the GEZ, those addressed should “react promptly to the clarification letter and send the contribution service the necessary information about their apartment”. That works too
on-line
. The deadline becomes more specific in the letter, and the persons concerned should report back within two weeks.

The people addressed simply scan the QR code on the clarification disc. Alternatively, the attached reply form can be filled out and sent back to the contribution service. If the persons contacted report back that a contribution has already been paid for the apartment and provide the corresponding contribution number, their data should be deleted immediately.

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GEZ compulsory registration threatened

You should not ignore the letter from the GEZ. If the persons addressed do not react to the first letter, there is another reminder letter. If this is also ignored, the contribution service automatically registers the person concerned. The GEZ then assumes that the license fee has to be paid for the apartment in question. Even if you get feedback that no fee has been paid yet, you will be registered.

If no GEZ fee has been paid so far, this will also be calculated retroactively to the moving-in date. So there is a risk of additional payments. A retrospective registration will take place on January 1, 2020 at the earliest.

When comparing registration data, the following information is transmitted by the residents’ registration offices:

family name
First names under designation of the first name
former name
PhD degree
Marital status
day of birth
Current and last address of main and secondary residences, including all available information on the location of the residence
day of moving into the apartment

The clarification letters are to be sent from January 10, 2023. But that doesn’t all work out at the beginning of the year. until
end of June 2023
all letters should have been sent.