Germany utility costs statement (Nebenkostenabrechnung) calculator
How much you bear of the utility and heating costs in Germany, whether you owe an additional payment or get a refund, and by when the statement must come.
Additional payment
€277.50
Your share €2,917.50 minus €2,640.00 advance payments
- Your share €2,917.50
- Statement due by December 31, 2026
- Objections by October 31, 2027
By living area you bear 12.5% of the costs (70 of 560 m²): of €12,000.00 that is €1,500.00. Of the heating costs (€9,000.00), 70% go by consumption (your share 10%: €630.00) and 30% by area (€337.50); on top come €450.00 of other consumption-based costs. Together that is €2,917.50 against €2,640.00 of advance payments: an additional payment of €277.50.
The landlord must communicate the statement at the latest by the end of the twelfth month after the end of the billing period: here by December 31, 2026. You must communicate your objections by October 31, 2027, twelve months after receipt (BGB § 556 para. 3).
- If heating costs are not billed by consumption, you may cut your share by 15% (HeizkostenV § 12 para. 1): by this calculation up to €145.13.
- After a statement, either side may adjust the advance payment to a reasonable level by a declaration in text form: by this calculation about €243.13 a month (BGB § 560 para. 4).
- You may inspect the receipts, on request also electronically (BGB § 556 para. 4). Administration and maintenance and repair costs cannot be passed on (BetrKV § 1 para. 2).
What your share consists of
- Costs by living area€1,50051%
- Heating by consumption€63022%
- Heating by area€33812%
- Other consumption-based costs€45015%
I’m not an accountant or a financial advisor. This is an estimate, for information only. Check with a professional before you decide.
Show the detailsHide the details
| Building costs by living area | €12,000.00 | |
|---|---|---|
| × | Your area share70 of 560 m² | 12.5% |
| = | Your share by area | €1,500.00 |
| + | Heating: 70% by consumptionYour consumption share 10% | €630.00 |
| + | Heating: 30% by area | €337.50 |
| + | Other costs by consumption | €450.00 |
| = | Your share in total | €2,917.50 |
| − | Advance payments12 × €220.00 | €2,640.00 |
| = | Additional payment | €277.50 |
How it works
- If landlord and tenant have agreed that the tenant bears utility costs, they are settled annually against the advance payments (BGB § 556 paras. 1 and 3). Which costs are utility costs is set in the Operating Costs Ordinance: administration and maintenance and repair costs are not among them.
- Unless agreed otherwise, utility costs are allocated by the share of living area; costs that depend on a recorded consumption, by consumption (BGB § 556a para. 1). For heating costs, at least 50 and at most 70 percent are to be divided by the recorded heat consumption, the rest by area (HeizkostenV § 7 para. 1).
- The calculator adds your shares and subtracts the advance payments: a positive remainder is the additional payment, a negative one the refund. The statement must be communicated to the tenant at the latest by the end of the twelfth month after the end of the billing period; after that a back-payment claim is excluded, unless the landlord is not responsible for the delay. You must communicate objections by the end of the twelfth month after receipt (BGB § 556 para. 3).
Worked example
You live on 70 of 560 m² (12.5%). Costs by area €12,000 → €1,500. Heating costs €9,000, of which 70% by consumption with a consumption share of 10% → €630, and 30% by area → €337.50. Plus €450 of other consumption-based costs: together €2,917.50. With 12 × €220 = €2,640 of advance payments that is an additional payment of €277.50. If the billing period ends in December 2025, the statement must reach you by December 31, 2026.
Sources
- Civil Code (BGB) § 556: agreements on utility costs — gesetze-im-internet.de (in German)
- Civil Code (BGB) § 556a: allocation key for utility costs (in German)
- Civil Code (BGB) § 560: changes in utility costs (in German)
- Operating Costs Ordinance (BetrKV) §§ 1 and 2: utility costs and their list (in German)
- Heating Costs Ordinance (HeizkostenV) § 7: allocation of the costs of heat supply (in German)
- Heating Costs Ordinance (HeizkostenV) § 12: right to reduce (in German)
Text checked on October 6, 2026
Good to know
- This is an estimate from your details. The landlord’s statement is what counts; the calculator helps you check whether it is plausible.
- If you have agreed another allocation key with the landlord (for example by persons or by units) or a flat rate, other rules apply: this calculator then does not fit.
- With a heat pump or an independent commercial heat supply, further rules of the Heating Costs Ordinance can apply: the calculator does not know them.
- If you move in or out in the middle of the year, the page calculates the costs by area and the advance payments by months; the statement usually calculates by the day.
- The deadline for objections starts with the receipt of the statement: note the date and keep the documents.
Frequently asked questions
By when must the utility costs statement reach the tenant?
At the latest by the end of the twelfth month after the end of the billing period, so for a statement for calendar year 2025 by December 31, 2026. After that the landlord can no longer demand an additional payment, unless the landlord is not responsible for the delay (BGB § 556 para. 3).
How long can I raise objections to the statement?
Until the end of the twelfth month after receipt of the statement; after that only if you are not responsible for the delay (BGB § 556 para. 3).
How are heating costs divided?
At least 50 and at most 70 percent by recorded consumption, the rest by living area. If the billing is not consumption-based, you may cut your share by 15 percent (HeizkostenV §§ 7 and 12).
Which costs may the landlord not pass on?
Administration costs and maintenance and repair costs (BetrKV § 1 para. 2). The costs listed in BetrKV § 2 can be passed on if the lease provides for it.
May I see the receipts?
Yes: on request the landlord must allow inspection of the receipts on which the statement is based; the landlord may provide them electronically (BGB § 556 para. 4).