GIS Change 2025 – Who Needs to Pay?

From January 1, 2024, the GIS contribution will be abolished in Austria. The ORF contribution that will replace it will be mandatory for almost all Austrian households to pay, regardless of whether they watch the Austrian Radio and Television (ORF) channels.

In this article, we’ll go through the questions arising in connection with the new contribution, and with the help of the answers, you’ll quickly be able to understand what to expect in the near future.

What Has GIS Been About So Far?

The GIS was the “bogeyman” for Hungarians moving to Austria, a tax form they had not directly encountered before. We must emphasize right at the beginning of the article that public media services in most countries are funded by taxpayers, embedded in various taxes, but in Austria, they have even given it a name.

The Gebühren Info Service (GIS) GmbH is the company responsible for collecting Austrian radio and television fees, which has been performing its task since 1998, working closely with the Ministry of Finance. According to the previously valid regulations, households had to pay GIS fees for every device capable of receiving television and radio broadcasts.

The disputes arose because many people did not watch or listen to ORF broadcasts at all, yet still had to pay due to their existing devices. Of course, there were some who tried to circumvent the system, hiding televisions during GIS inspections and/or not opening the door to inspectors.

Despite registering with the GIS and indicating our intention to pay, we received an unexpected GIS inspection shortly after moving in. After clarifying the situation, the inspectors immediately left our home.

What exactly does the new ORF contribution mean?

The ORF contribution is a new form of public media financing that will take effect in Austria on January 1, 2024. The ORF-Beitrags Service GmbH will be responsible for collecting the fees. According to the law, from the above date, every household must participate in supporting public television and radio channels. It is important to note that this refers to households, not individuals, so it does not matter how many people are registered at a given address.

The ORF contribution is €15.30 per month for every Hauptwhohnsitz, or primary residence, with a possible additional regional fee. This amount is lower than the previous GIS fee, which varied by region between €22.45 and €28.65 per month. An additional benefit is that according to the law, the ORF fee does not need to be paid for Nebenwohnsitz (secondary) residences.

How to Pay the ORF Contribution?

If you already have a GIS registration and are paying the fees, you don’t have any special tasks to do. The ORF Contribution Service will automatically transfer your data to the new system starting January 1, 2024.

Attention! If the second month of the bimonthly prepaid GIS would relate to January 2024 in your case, then GIS will only bill one month (December) in 2023. The portion for the second month will already belong to the new ORF contribution and will be invoiced by the ORF-Beitrags Service. As a result, their first invoice will contain a 3-month fee, including the old GIS one month and two months of the new ORF contribution. After this transitional higher billing occurs, the next invoice will show the usual 2-month period for you from the ORF-Beitrags Service. If your last GIS contribution invoice covers November-December 2023, the new ORF contribution will start for you with two months, as they do not need to bill the second month of GIS.

If you have previously received an exemption from GIS payment, you also have no tasks and do not need to submit a new request. You will be notified in writing in a timely manner before the exemption expires. Members registered on the GIS website can also indicate changed data (name, address change, bank account number change) by filling out an online form.

About payment methods: For new registrations, new payment methods will be valid from January 1, 2024:

• for checks, payment is required once a year
• with bank transfer, installment payment is also possible, 2 or 6 times a year

Important information: ORF fees must always be paid in advance.

Who Can Request Exemption from ORF Payment?

People who previously received exemptions do not need to submit a new application, but those who are newly registered or have not yet used this option can also request an exemption.

All of this can be done through the ORF. Those who receive child care allowance (Beihilfe zum Kinderbetreuungsgeld), scholarship (Studien-/Schülerbeihilfe), or unemployment benefits (Arbeitslosengeld) may be exempt from payment.

You can find the detailed list on the GIS website. By filling out a short online calculator here, you can immediately find out if you are eligible for the exemption. Click here to open the GIS (ORF) contribution calculator.

Important! As we mentioned above, no fee needs to be paid for Nebenwhonsitz. Exception: if this address is someone else’s Hauptwohnsitz, then there is a payment obligation for the address.

What to Do When Registering?

Every adult must be registered at their primary residence, regardless of whether there is a television or radio device at that address.

You can also complete the registration on the GIS website by clicking here, and no personal appearance is required. Submitting an exemption request is only possible with registration.

If your secondary residence address is someone else’s primary residence address, you must register according to the ORF Contribution Law. If no one is registered at a primary residence, the residents will be called upon to fulfill their obligations, so someone will definitely have to pay the new contribution for that address.