Who doesn't pay?

Beneficiaries of supplementary benefits

• On application, persons are exempt from having to pay the fee if they receive an annual supplementary benefit (SB) from the Confederation in relation to disability or old-age (OASI or DI). The exemption applies from the time the supplementary benefits are received, for a maximum of five years back, but not retroactively to the period before 2019.
• To make an application, the confirmation letter from the SB implementation authority concerning receipt of SB must be submitted to Serafe.
• If one member of a private household is exempt, the obligation to pay the fee no longer applies to all members of the household concerned. In the case of SB recipients, the exemption applies for at least three years. After that, the collection agency must conduct an enquiry as to whether the conditions for exemption from the fee are still being met.
• Exemption for recipients of social welfare assistance is not provided, as social welfare assistance takes the fee into account in the basic amount. Discounts or waivers cannot be granted.
• Legal basis: Article 69b paragraph 1 letter a and paragraph 2 of the Federal Radio and Television Act (RTVA; CC 784.40) and Article 61 paragraph 1 of the Radio and Television Ordinance (RTVO; CC 784.401).

Diplomats

• In accordance with Article 69b paragraph 1 letter b of the Federal Radio and Television Act (RTVA; CC 784.40), the following persons are exempted from the obligation to pay the fee persons entitled to privileges, immunities and facilities under Article 2 paragraph 2 of the Host State Act of 22 June 20072 (HSA) and who enjoy diplomatic status, provided they do not hold Swiss citizenship; the Federal Council shall regulate the exemption of other persons enjoying privileges, immunities and facilities and the members of staff of institutional beneficiaries under Article 2 paragraph 1 letters d, e and f HSA, provided they do not hold Swiss citizenship
• In accordance with Article 61 paragraph 3 letters a, b and c of the Radio and Television Ordinance (RTVO; CC 784.401), the following persons are exempted from the obligation to pay:
  
  • a.   diplomatic staff, consular officials, administrative and technical staff and service staff of diplomatic missions, permanent missions or other representations to intergovernmental organisations and consular posts run by professional consular officials if they hold a legitimation card issued by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) (legitimation card types B, C, D, E, K red, K blue or K violet) and do not hold Swiss citizenship;
    b.   the members of senior management (legitimation card type B) and high-ranking officials (legitimation card type C) of institutional beneficiaries that have concluded a headquarters agreement with the Federal Council, provided they enjoy diplomatic status, hold a legitimation card issued by the FDFA and do not hold Swiss citizenship;
    c.   the persons authorised to accompany a person in terms of letters a or b with the same status as the accompanied person, provided they do not hold Swiss citizenship.

Households of deafblind persons

• Households which consist only of deafblind persons do not have to pay the fee.
• An application and a copy of a medical certificate must be submitted to Serafe for an exemption from the fee.
• Legal basis: Article 61 paragraph 4 of the Radio and Television Ordinance (RTVO; CC 784.401)

Principal residence abroad and no secondary residence in Switzerland

• Someone who has their principal residence abroad and who does not have a secondary residence in Switzerland, i.e. a person on holiday in Switzerland, does not have to pay the fee.

 

Further information

Exemption and opting out for households (PDF, 272 kB, 22.03.2019)

FAQ

Registration and exemption

Do I have to register with Serafe?

No. Every household automatically receives a bill from Serafe

Do changes to my housing situation (e.g. moving house or separation) have to be notified to the collection agency?

No. For billing, the collection agency, Serafe, uses data provided from the residents' registers of the cantons and municipalities. If you move house, it is important that you communicate this information to your residents' register office immediately.

Which private households can be exempted from the obligation to pay the fee?

Private households in which a person lives,

• who receives annual supplementary benefits relating to the AHV or IV pensions (Art. 69b para. 1 let. a RTVA);
• who has a Federal Department of Foreign Affairs identity card (Art. 69b para. 1 let. b RTVA and Art. 61 para. 3 RTVO);
• who is deafblind (if no person obliged to pay the fee is a member of the household) (Art. 61 para. 4 RTVO).

I receive an annual supplementary benefit; from what point in time will my household be exempt?

Recipients of annual supplementary benefits associated with AHV or IV pensions are exempt for a maximum of five years retroactively from the commencement of receipt of supplementary benefits (but from the time of introduction of the household fee on 1 January 2019 at the earliest). If an application for fee exemption was not previously submitted to Billag, no exemption can be granted for the period prior to 1 January 2019.

I receive social benefits; can I be exempted from the fee?

No, only persons who receive annual supplementary benefits associated with old age, survivors and invalidity insurance can be exempted from the fee. The exemption applies to this person's household. In the case of social benefits, the fee for radio and television, like the current reception fee, is included in the in the basic needs used to derive subsistence.

My father has been living in a home for a short time now. Does he have to pay the fee?

No. An old people's home or care home is considered to be a collective household, which has to pay the collective household fee for its members. The fee is therefore paid directly by the home. Note that this only applies if your father’s main place of residence is now the care home (and not another address).

I have a holiday home in Switzerland which is my secondary residence. Do I have to pay the household fee twice?

No. The fee paid by a household applies to the main residence but also to a secondary residence, whether it is used by one or more household members.
(Exception: If a person's main residence is abroad, they have to pay the fee for their secondary residence in Switzerland).

I am a weekly resident. Do I have to pay the household fee twice?

No. The fee has to be paid only for one's main residence. Members of this household who live for a number of days a week in a different location do not have to pay the fee twice.

I have already received the annual bill, but I am emigrating in June. Will I get a refund for the remaining 6 months?

Yes, you will be reimbursed the amount for this period. Here's how it works: the residents' registration office will inform Serafe of the household's deregistration and of your emigration. To receive the refund of the amount, inform Serafe of your bank account details.

I am travelling abroad for several months; can I be exempted from the fee for these months?

Not in principle. Only people who deregister their place of residence in Switzerland and move abroad receive a refund. If a place of residence in Switzerland is maintained, there is no exemption from the fee.

If I go abroad temporarily, do I have to de-register with Serafe?

No. Someone who goes abroad only temporarily and who does not cease to reside in Switzerland continues to be liable for the fee with Serafe AG.

The only persons who do not have to pay the fee are those who do not have a principal residence or a secondary residence in Switzerland.

Is the household fee refunded in the event of death?

If the deceased was the only adult living in the household and the annual bill has already been paid, the heirs are entitled to claim a refund for the excess amount because the household is deemed to be dissolved on the last day of the month in which the person died (Art. 69a para. 5 RTVA). In order to assert their claim, the survivors must provide Serafe with the certificate of inheritance and the relevant bank details.

Last modification 01.01.2021