Broadcasting fee payers have to be careful: the usual reminders are no longer used. Anyone who forgets to transfer the broadcasting fee must pay a late payment surcharge.
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Broadcasting contribution: Now it can get expensive
© Ralf Liebhold/Shutterstock.com
If you don’t have your broadcasting fee automatically deducted from your account, but instead transfer it separately every three months, you have to be careful from now on. Because the “ARD ZDF Deutschlandradio Contribution Service” will no longer send reminders or requests for payment in future! You must therefore remember the payment dates yourself and transfer them in good time. Otherwise, you will have to pay a late payment surcharge in addition to the broadcasting fee, as the Hamburger Abendblatt writes.
Broadcasting fee: That much is not paid
In the reminder letters sent out by the “ARD ZDF Deutschlandradio Contribution Service” for the last time, the contribution service expressly refers to this change. You will find this notice in your letter under the section headed “IMPORTANT CHANGE”. The reason given for the Posting Service not sending out reminders in the future is that the Posting Service wants to “save resources and reduce administrative burden”. According to the Hamburger Abendblatt, these last payment requests will be sent gradually over the course of 2022 to all those who pay by bank transfer.
You must make a note of this
The section below shows the amount to be transferred (EUR 55.08 for three months) and the next payment dates. And this is where it becomes important for you. Because you should write down these four appointments. These apply from now on for all coming years. According to the letter available to us, these are the deadlines:
May 15th
15th of August
15th of November
February 15.
Below that, in turn, is the bank details for the contribution service. You must transfer the amount to them.
The amount of EUR 55.08 must be transferred no later than four weeks after the due payment date. Otherwise there is a risk of a late payment penalty, which according to the Hamburger Abendblatt amounts to at least eight euros! You will of course receive a reminder about this…
Alternative: direct debit
Unsurprisingly, the contribution service recommends that affected payers switch to direct debit. You can switch to direct debit on the Contribution Service website under “Change name, address, payment method”. Alternatively, you can also scan the QR code in the last payment request letter to go to said website.