Serafe fee 2027: CHF 312, quarterly bills and flatshares

From 1 January 2027 the Swiss radio and TV fee for a private household falls from CHF 335 to CHF 312 a year, and it is charged once per household, not per person. At the 2027 rate that is CHF 312 / 12 = CHF 26.00 a month to set aside; in 2026, paying by three-month invoice on paper costs CHF 85.75 a quarter (CHF 83.75 plus a CHF 2.00 paper fee), so 4 × 85.75 = CHF 343, which is CHF 8 more than the single annual invoice of CHF 335. In a flatshare of three adults, an even split at the 2027 rate comes to 312 / 3 = CHF 104 each a year, or CHF 8.67 a month.

This is general information about an official fee, not legal advice. Figures are from serafe.ch, the federal communications office (BAKOM) and the radio and TV ordinance, checked on 14 October 2026.

How much is the Serafe fee in 2026 and 2027?

The fee is the Radio- und Fernsehabgabe (radio and television fee). Serafe collects it on behalf of the Confederation and has done so since 1 January 2019. The amount is set by the Federal Council.

Both household types' amounts for 2027 and 2029 are written into Art. 57 of the radio and TV ordinance (RTVV, version in force from 1 January 2027): CHF 312 for private households from 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2028, then CHF 300.

The cut comes from a change to the RTVV that the Federal Council decided on 19 June 2024. The federal fact sheet of 21 January 2026 from the environment, transport, energy and communications department (UVEK) puts it in two sentences: "2027 senkt der Bundesrat die Abgabe von 335 auf 312 Franken. 2029 bezahlen Haushalte noch 300 Franken." (In 2027 the Federal Council lowers the fee from 335 to 312 francs. In 2029 households pay 300 francs.) Serafe calls 2027 "a first step".

Compared with 2026, a household pays 335 − 312 = CHF 23 less a year at the 2027 rate, and 335 − 300 = CHF 35 less at the 2029 rate.

Annual or quarterly invoice: what does each cost?

The annual invoice is the standard the Federal Council has set. You can switch to a three-month invoice at any time, using the QR code on your invoice or Serafe's contact form. A three-month invoice sent on paper costs CHF 2.00 extra each time (RTVV Art. 60); according to BAKOM, a three-month invoice paid electronically (E-Rechnung) carries no surcharge.

2027 quarterly amount: not yet published. Serafe's fee overview still shows the 2026 figures. We will add the 2027 three-month amount once Serafe or BAKOM publishes it, rather than guess.

Payment terms: the annual invoice is due within 60 days, the three-month invoice within 30 days (also RTVV Art. 59). Serafe notes that paying late can cause extra costs. The ordinance names them: CHF 5 for each reminder and CHF 20 for each justified debt collection (Betreibung) (RTVV Art. 60).

So which to pick? Quarterly on paper costs CHF 8 more a year in 2026 (by electronic invoice, nothing extra), and either way it spreads the bill into four smaller payments. If you already put a monthly amount aside (next section), the annual invoice is never the more expensive choice: by the time it arrives, the money is waiting.

How much should I set aside each month?

Divide the annual fee by 12 and move that amount on payday, the same method we use for the monthly tax set-aside.

One open point for the turn of the year: Serafe bills households in twelve rolling groups (next section), so an annual invoice issued in 2026 can cover months of 2027. We have not found an official statement on how such an invoice is calculated across the change on 1 January 2027. The CHF 312 rate applies to the fee from 2027; check the period and amount printed on your own invoice.

Why did my Serafe invoice arrive this month?

Because of the group you are in, not because of when you moved in or anything you did. Serafe assigns households at random to one of twelve billing groups: group 2 is billed in February, group 3 in March, and so on through the year. The month tells you your group; it is not a late notice.

What is on it:

• Who pays: the invoice lists all adult members of the household, taken from the municipal residents' register.
• Wrong names or household? Serafe uses the register data, so errors are corrected via your municipality's residents' office, not by Serafe.
• QR code validity: 60 days on the annual invoice, 30 days on the quarterly one.

Do I have to pay without a TV or radio?

Yes. Until the end of 2023, households without any receiving device could ask to be released. That option ended on 31 December 2023: since 1 January 2024, households pay whether or not they own a TV or radio, and whether they watch live, stream, or neither.

Who pays in a flatshare or a couple?

The rule is one fee per household, and all adult household members are jointly liable (solidarisch haftbar). In practice, Serafe can ask any adult on the invoice for the full amount. How you share it among yourselves is up to you.

The simplest fair split is equal shares per adult. That is our worked example, not an official rule:

Monthly figures are the yearly share divided by 12, rounded to the rappen. Because everyone on the invoice is liable for the whole amount, it helps to agree in writing who pays Serafe and when the others transfer their share, and settle up when someone moves out.

Arriving in, moving within or leaving Switzerland

What the official pages confirm:

• Arriving or moving: Serafe works from the household data in the municipal residents' register. Registering with your municipality is what puts your household on Serafe's list; if the data is wrong, the residents' office corrects it.
• Weekly residents (Wochenaufenthalter) pay only once, at their main residence.
• Leaving Switzerland: after you deregister, the fee for the remaining months is refunded, provided Serafe has your bank details.

The exact month in which liability starts or ends when you arrive, leave or change household is set in federal law. We have not confirmed it against the legal text yet, so we do not state it here; Serafe's customer service can confirm it for your case.

Who is exempt?

The exemptions are narrow. According to BAKOM:

Receiving social assistance (Sozialhilfe) does not exempt you: the fee is already included in the basic social assistance allowance (Serafe, BAKOM).

Serafe's exemption pages set out who qualifies, with a separate page for each group.

What if the invoice is wrong or covers past years?

• Wrong household members or address: contact your municipality's residents' office; Serafe updates its data from the register.
• Invoices for past years: in exceptional cases Serafe can bill for up to five years back.
• Cannot pay in one go: you can request an instalment agreement (Teilzahlungsvereinbarung) from Serafe. Ask before the payment term runs out, since late payment can cause extra costs.

What this means for your budget

The Serafe fee is small, which is why it catches people out: it arrives once a year, in a month you did not pick. As a monthly line it stops being a surprise.

Three things keep the line accurate:

• Change the amount in January 2027. From CHF 27.92 to CHF 26.00, then check the figure on your first invoice at the new rate.
• Keep it separate from rent and Nebenkosten. The fee comes as its own invoice from Serafe, not with your rent; what your landlord does charge on top of rent is covered in Nebenkosten (service charges) in Switzerland.
• See it next to the other fixed costs. In our Is CHF 100k a good salary in Switzerland? breakdown, Serafe is one of the fixed lines at CHF 26.00 a month.

Any spreadsheet works: one row, CHF 26.00, every month from January 2027. In our Swiss Budget Planner it goes in as one more fixed monthly cost next to rent and insurance, so you can see what is left to spend each month.

Sources and last checked

Figures checked against these official pages on 14 October 2026 (German pages with an English gloss). We will recheck the 2027 figures and the quarterly amount on publication day and again in January 2027.

• Serafe, home page (fee now and from 2027, back-billing, instalments, exemptions, residents' office), fee overview (Abgabeübersicht: annual and three-month amounts, collective households), invoicing (Rechnungsstellung: annual standard, switch to quarterly, twelve billing groups), questions and answers, people receiving social assistance (Personen mit Sozialhilfe: no exemption) and customer service.
• Federal Office of Communications (BAKOM), fee amount and invoicing (Höhe der Abgabe und Rechnungsstellung: payment terms, joint liability) and frequently asked questions (one fee per household, end of the opt-out, weekly residents, leaving Switzerland, exemptions, social assistance, instalments).
• UVEK / BAKOM, fact sheet 1 of 21 January 2026, PDF (Federal Council decision of 19 June 2024: CHF 312 in 2027, CHF 300 in 2029).
• Radio and TV ordinance (RTVV, SR 784.401), version in force from 1 January 2027 (Art. 57 fee amounts 2027 and 2029, Art. 59 payment terms, Art. 60 CHF 2 fee for paper three-month invoices and the reminder and debt-collection fees, Art. 61 exemptions).