How do you register for Austria's ORF-Beitrag in 2026?

Register Meldezettel as Hauptwohnsitz when you settle: Register address. Official guidance ties private-household ORF-Beitrag to addresses where at least one adult holds Hauptwohnsitz in the Central Residence Register. Nebenwohnsitz-only addresses are generally not charged under the post-2024 household model. Some businesses pay under separate Kommunalsteuer-linked rules.

OBS may write after ZMR data arrives, or you can register and manage the account online at orf.beitrag.at. Ask flatmates whether someone already pays for the same dwelling before you open a second account. One adult payer covers the Hauptwohnsitz; roommates can share the cost privately.

Published household planning figures sit near €15.30 per month nationwide as the ORF base, with some Bundesländer adding a Landesabgabe. Confirm the live OBS amount for your address. New registrations often pay annually by Erlagschein unless you set SEPA Direct Debit, which can split payments across the year. A Girokonto makes SEPA painless: Open a bank account.

Income-tested exemptions and reductions exist for qualifying households; apply through OBS with the documents they list rather than assuming a student visa erases the duty. Update OBS when you move or Abmelden so the old flat does not keep billing you. Put the line inside Monthly budget and How expensive is Austria. Vienna and Graz differ in housing, not in the Hauptwohnsitz rule: Living in Vienna and Living in Graz.