The new ORF fee from 2024: what exactly you have to do

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From January 1, everyone will pay an ORF household fee! Those who previously paid GIS will receive a lower rate; those who do not own a television will continue to pay.

The changeover from the previous broadcasting fees to the cheaper ORF contribution, which is payable for all primary residences from January 1, 2024, is in full swing. GIS provides comprehensive information about the relevant changes: For all those who already have a subscriber number with GIS, there is no need to take any action. Your data, including your payment agreement, will be automatically transferred to the new system. Existing exemptions will also remain in place.

Anyone who has not yet paid a subscription fee must, however, actively register with their primary residence address; the simplest way to do so is at orf.beitrag.at. One adult person per main residence must be registered. If this is not done, a person at this address will be sent a bill for the annual fee. It is then possible to switch to SEPA direct debit (direct debit order) and also to partial payment. Customers will continue to receive letters from GIS until the end of the year and, from January 2024, from OBS (ORF-Beitrags Service GmbH).

With the ORF Act, from January 1, 2024, every main residence address will contribute jointly to the financing of ORF, regardless of how many and which devices are operated and how many people live there. According to the fundamental principle that “ORF belongs to everyone,” one adult person per main residence address will pay a fixed ORF contribution of EUR 15.30 per month, plus any provincial tax. This is, therefore, cheaper than the amount previously paid by subscribers with a television, including radio. New from January 2024: No ORF fee is payable for secondary residences.

While the broadcasting fee was previously linked to the ownership of a receiver, the ORF contribution is now based on the main residence. This means that there are people who are liable to pay as of January 1, 2024, but do not yet have a subscriber number with GIS. These citizens must register a person for their main residence. This can be done directly at orf.beitrag.at. “When registering, you can also switch to convenient payment by SEPA direct debit, as the majority of our customers do. This allows you to spread the total contribution over the whole year, either twice a year for six months at a time or six times a year for two months at a time. In addition, as soon as you are registered, you can apply for an exemption if you meet the relevant requirements,” says Alexander Hirschbeck, Managing Director of GIS.

If no one actively registers at a main residence address, a payment slip for the 2024 annual fee will be sent. Even after receiving the payment slip, you can still switch to SEPA direct debit (with the option of partial payment) or apply for an exemption. Individuals who already have a GIS contribution account will be automatically transferred to the OBS as a contribution-paying person, along with their previous payment method. There is, therefore, no need for them to take any action.

As in the past, certain persons can still apply to be exempted from the ORF contribution and the provincial fee. The online exemption calculator available at orf.beitrag.at, provides an overview of whether the requirements for an exemption or subsidy are met. “Anyone who is already exempt from broadcasting fees does not need to take action. The exemption is taken over automatically,” emphasizes Hirschbeck.

As a result of the ORF Act, GIS Gebühren Info Service GmbH will be transferred to ORF-Beitrags Service GmbH (short: OBS-ORF Beitrags Service). “This means that the well-established yellow GIS logo will also disappear and be replaced by the new red-white-red OBS logo. We are already representing this transformation by displaying the GIS logo in shades of grey next to the OBS logo on various channels, thus creating a gradual transition,” says Hirschbeck.