Beitragsservice von ARD, ZDF und Deutschlandradio

The Beitragsservice von ARD, ZDF und Deutschlandradio (fee collection service of ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio)(commonly referred to simply as Beitragsservice), is a joint organization of Germany's public broadcasting institutions ZDF, Deutschlandradio and the ARD state broadcasting institutions that is located in Cologne. The Beitragsservice is responsible for collecting license fees. Mandatory license fees for every household are set in the Rundfunkfinanzierungsstaatsvertrag (state treaty on the financing of broadcasting). Since 2013, these fees must be paid by every household in Germany, regardless of whether the household actually has the capability to receive the broadcasts themselves. Until 2013, it was known as GEZ, short for Gebühreneinzugszentrale der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland).

The Beitragsservice is an association of administrations subject to public law and has no legal capacity. It operates as a joint data center of the ARD state broadcasting institutions, the ZDF and Deutschlandradio, and administers the collection of license fees. It was created by an administrative agreement.

The Beitragsservice is therefore not a legal entity of its own, but a part of the public broadcasting institutions. However, the Beitragsservice is a public authority in the material sense according to the Administrative Procedures Act Of The Federal Republic Of Germany (VwVfG), because it conducts public administration tasks. It conducts these tasks on behalf of the state broadcasting institutions.

Since January 1, 1976, the Beitragsservice (known as GEZ until 2013) has collected Rundfunkgebühren (broadcast license fees) as set in the Rundfunkfinanzierungsstaatsvertrag (state treaty on the financing of broadcasting). This had previously been the responsibility of Deutsche Bundespost (the German federal post office). The GEZ's tasks in detail were:

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