diff --git a/participant.php b/participant.php
index 472eae8..499e425 100755
--- a/participant.php
+++ b/participant.php
@@ -85,41 +85,49 @@ if ($_SERVER["REQUEST_METHOD"] === "POST") {
         }
         mysqli_stmt_close($stmt_insert);
 
-        // 🔹 GEBURTSTAGS-ZAHLUNG BEHANDELN
+        // 🔹 GEBURTSTAGS-ZAHLUNG BEHANDELN – MIT last_birthday_year
+        $meeting_year = (int)date('Y', strtotime($meeting['meeting_date']));
+        $meeting_month = (int)date('n', strtotime($meeting['meeting_date']));
+        $meeting_day = (int)date('j', strtotime($meeting['meeting_date']));
+
         foreach ($_POST['user_id'] as $user_id) {
             $user_id = (int)$user_id;
             $paid = isset($_POST['paid'][$user_id]) && $_POST['paid'][$user_id] == 1;
 
             if (!$paid) continue;
 
-            // Hole aktuellen Status
-            $user_stmt = mysqli_prepare($conn, "SELECT birthday_payer_pending FROM users WHERE id = ?");
+            $user_stmt = mysqli_prepare($conn, "SELECT birthday, last_birthday_year FROM users WHERE id = ?");
             mysqli_stmt_bind_param($user_stmt, "i", $user_id);
             mysqli_stmt_execute($user_stmt);
             $user_row = mysqli_fetch_assoc(mysqli_stmt_get_result($user_stmt));
             mysqli_stmt_close($user_stmt);
 
-            if (!$user_row) continue;
-
-            $was_birthday_payer = (bool)$user_row['birthday_payer_pending'];
-
-            if ($was_birthday_payer) {
-                // 🎂 Geburtstags-Zahlung: NICHT zählen, aber Flag zurücksetzen
-                $update = mysqli_prepare($conn, "
-                    UPDATE users 
-                    SET birthday_payer_pending = 0 
-                    WHERE id = ?
-                ");
+            if (!$user_row || !$user_row['birthday'] || $user_row['birthday'] === '0000-00-00') {
+                // Kein Geburtstag → normale Zahlung
+                $update = mysqli_prepare($conn, "UPDATE users SET regular_paid_count = regular_paid_count + 1 WHERE id = ?");
                 mysqli_stmt_bind_param($update, "i", $user_id);
                 mysqli_stmt_execute($update);
                 mysqli_stmt_close($update);
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            $last_bday_year = (int)($user_row['last_birthday_year'] ?? 0);
+            $bday_month = (int)date('n', strtotime($user_row['birthday']));
+            $bday_day   = (int)date('j', strtotime($user_row['birthday']));
+
+            $birthday_passed = ($bday_month < $meeting_month ||
+                ($bday_month == $meeting_month && $bday_day <= $meeting_day));
+            $birthday_not_paid_yet = ($last_bday_year < $meeting_year);
+
+            if ($birthday_passed && $birthday_not_paid_yet) {
+                // 🎂 Geburtstags-Zahlung
+                $update = mysqli_prepare($conn, "UPDATE users SET last_birthday_year = ? WHERE id = ?");
+                mysqli_stmt_bind_param($update, "ii", $meeting_year, $user_id);
+                mysqli_stmt_execute($update);
+                mysqli_stmt_close($update);
             } else {
-                // 🔢 Normale Zahlung: reguläre Anzahl erhöhen
-                $update = mysqli_prepare($conn, "
-                    UPDATE users 
-                    SET regular_paid_count = regular_paid_count + 1 
-                    WHERE id = ?
-                ");
+                // 🔢 Normale Zahlung
+                $update = mysqli_prepare($conn, "UPDATE users SET regular_paid_count = regular_paid_count + 1 WHERE id = ?");
                 mysqli_stmt_bind_param($update, "i", $user_id);
                 mysqli_stmt_execute($update);
                 mysqli_stmt_close($update);
diff --git a/zahler.php b/zahler.php
index 5ce57f2..a919003 100755
--- a/zahler.php
+++ b/zahler.php
@@ -18,15 +18,18 @@ function get_next_payer_info($conn, $meeting_id)
     }
 
     $meeting_date = $meeting['meeting_date'];
-    $current_year = (int)date('Y', strtotime($meeting_date));
+    $meeting_ts = strtotime($meeting_date);
+    $meeting_year = (int)date('Y', $meeting_ts);
+    $meeting_month = (int)date('n', $meeting_ts);
+    $meeting_day = (int)date('j', $meeting_ts);
 
-    // Alle ZUSAGENDEN Teilnehmer dieses Meetings
+    // Alle ZUSAGENDEN Teilnehmer – mit last_birthday_year
     $sql = "
         SELECT 
             u.id,
             u.username,
             u.birthday,
-            u.birthday_payer_pending,
+            u.last_birthday_year,
             u.regular_paid_count
         FROM meeting_teilnehmer mt
         JOIN users u ON mt.user_id = u.id
@@ -44,8 +47,25 @@ function get_next_payer_info($conn, $meeting_id)
         return null;
     }
 
-    // 🔹 PRIORITÄT 1: Geburtstags-Zahler (birthday_payer_pending = 1)
-    $birthday_candidates = array_filter($candidates, fn($c) => $c['birthday_payer_pending'] == 1);
+    // 🔹 Geburtstagskandidaten: Geburtstag war + noch nicht in diesem Jahr gezahlt
+    $birthday_candidates = array_filter($candidates, function ($c) use ($meeting_year, $meeting_month, $meeting_day) {
+        if (!$c['birthday'] || $c['birthday'] === '0000-00-00') {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        $last_bday_year = (int)($c['last_birthday_year'] ?? 0);
+        if ($last_bday_year >= $meeting_year) {
+            return false; // Bereits in diesem Jahr gezahlt
+        }
+
+        $bday_month = (int)date('n', strtotime($c['birthday']));
+        $bday_day   = (int)date('j', strtotime($c['birthday']));
+
+        // War der Geburtstag in diesem Jahr bereits?
+        return ($bday_month < $meeting_month ||
+            ($bday_month == $meeting_month && $bday_day <= $meeting_day));
+    });
+
     if (!empty($birthday_candidates)) {
         usort($birthday_candidates, fn($a, $b) => strcmp($a['username'], $b['username']));
         $first = $birthday_candidates[0];
@@ -55,7 +75,7 @@ function get_next_payer_info($conn, $meeting_id)
         ];
     }
 
-    // 🔹 PRIORITÄT 2: Normale Rotation (nach regular_paid_count)
+    // 🔹 Normale Rotation
     $min_paid = min(array_column($candidates, 'regular_paid_count'));
     $regular_candidates = array_filter($candidates, fn($c) => $c['regular_paid_count'] == $min_paid);
     usort($regular_candidates, fn($a, $b) => strcmp($a['username'], $b['username']));
@@ -65,9 +85,3 @@ function get_next_payer_info($conn, $meeting_id)
         'is_birthday_payer' => false
     ];
 }
-
-function get_next_payer_username($conn, $meeting_id)
-{
-    $info = get_next_payer_info($conn, $meeting_id);
-    return $info ? $info['username'] : null;
-}