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This topic covers
- Paying a fine
- ​​Applying for a review of a fine
- Applying to have your fine heard in court
- Requesting a review of an overdue fine notice (previously called annulling an enforcement order)
- Payment arrangements
- Work and Development Orders
- Requesting a fine reduction
- Enforcement of fines by Revenue NSW
If a fine or offence is being heard in the Local Court, see the Crime topic.
The information in this topic does not apply to fines issued by Sydney Airport or by private car parks. For information about private car park fines, see the Private car parks debts topic.
If you haven't paid the fine
| Time limit | Action |
|---|---|
| 21 days | To deal with a fine, including:
If a fine notice is unpaid by the due date, or if no due date, 21 days from the date a fine notice is served on you, Revenue NSWÂ will serve you with a fine reminder notice. |
| 28 days | To deal with a fine reminder notice, including:
|
| 28 days from the review decision | To ask for the matter to be heard by the Local Court. |
| 28 days | To pay an overdue fine before Revenue NSW will take enforcement action. |
| 28 days | After Revenue NSW reject an application to withdraw an overdue fine to apply to the Local Court to cancel the overdue fine. |
If you paid the fine in part or in full
| Time limit | Action |
|---|---|
| 90 days from the date of service | To name the driver (where no fine reminder notice has been issued). |
| 60 days from the date of service | To apply for a review (where no fine reminder notice has been issued). |
| 90 days from the date of service | To ask for the matter to be heard by the Local Court, if you paid the fine in full before a fine notice reminder was issued. |
| By the due date | To:
|
Organisations
| Organisation | Responsibilities |
|---|---|
| Local Court of NSW | If you apply to have your fine heard in court, your case will be heard in the Local Court of NSW. The Court may have the power to increase your penalty. |
| Revenue NSW | The NSW authority responsible for overdue fines and enforcement of fines.  |
| Transport for NSW | The NSW authority responsible for the licensing of drivers and registration of vehicles. |
Legislation
| Authority | Covers |
|---|---|
| Fines Act 1996Â (NSW)Â | Fines and overdue fines. |
| Road Rules 2014 | Road rule offences, including speeding offences. |
| Road Transport Act 2013 (NSW) | Licensing, registration, offences, saf​ety and traffic management. |
| State Debt Recovery Act 2018Â (NSW) | Enforcement of fines and debts. |
| Common term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Conditional Release Order (CRO) | A CRO without a conviction is commonly referred to as a section 10. A CRO has standard conditions that the offender must not commit any offence and appear before the court if called to do so during the term of the order. Additional conditions can also be imposed by the Court. |
| Court attendance notice (CAN) | A notice that tells you the date and time that you have to go to court to respond to a charge. |
| Demerit points | Penalty points that are added to your licence when you commit certain driving offences. |
| Fine | A penalty you have to pay for breaking a law, for example, a driving offence, or littering. Fines are also sometimes referred to as penalty notices or infringement notices. Fines are generally issued from government authorities, for example, the police, Local Council, or the Court. |
| ​Fine Reduction | ​In some cases, people on government benefits may be able to apply for a 50% reduction of their fine. This does not include fines given by courts, fines given to a body corporate, jury duty related or voting related fines. |
| Fine reminder notice | A reminder sent to you 21 days after the fine notice, telling you your fine is still unpaid and giving you a further 28 days to pay it, ask for a review or ask for the matter to be decided by the Local Court. |
| Licence suspension | An order that bans you from driving for a period of time. |
| ​Notice of Penalty | ​A document sent to the Defendant by the Court after the case. It tells the Defendant what penalty was imposed by the Court and provides payment options. |
| Overdue fine | Issued by Revenue NSW after you've failed to pay your fine by the due date on your fine notice. When an overdue fine is issued, a fee is added to the unpaid fine. The overdue fine gives you 28 days to pay in full before Revenue NSW will take further action against you. |
| Request for review | An application to Revenue NSW to cancel your overdue fine notice (previously called an enforcement order) and have your case heard at court. It's also an application you can make to the court if you missed your court date. |
| Section 10 | An order under section 10 of the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 (NSW), where the Court finds a person guilty of an offence but decides not to record a conviction. It can also be referred to as a Conditional Release Order without a conviction. |
| Work and Development Order | An order you can apply for instead of paying a fine. A Work and Development Order can be made by Revenue NSW directing you to:
|
| Organisation | Fee |
|---|---|
| Revenue NSW | You have to pay enforcement costs if your fine reminder notice remains unpaid by the due date and becomes an overdue fine. |
| NSW Sheriff's Office | A fee will be added to your overdue fine if enforcement action is taken against you for an unpaid overdue fine, for example, the Sheriff seizing your personal property, or a garnishee on your bank account or wage. In some circumstances you can apply for these costs to be waived, postponed or refunded. |
| Organisation | Forms |
|---|---|
| Local Court of NSW |
|
| Uniform Civil Procedure Rules Civil Forms |
|
| Revenue NSW | myPenalty |
| My problem is about | Forms - Fines |
| Organisation | Type | Costs |
|---|---|---|
| NSW Local Court | Legal costs | If you are convicted of the offence in the Local Court or given a conditional release order without conviction, you may have to pay the prosecutions costs. Professional costs are not usually ordered in most criminal and traffic matters. If the matter is prosecuted by police, costs orders are extremely rare. If the matter is prosecuted by Transport for NSW (TfNSW), TfNSW may seek costs. TfNSW don't usually seek costs in licence appeals. Other prosecuting bodies such as Local Councils (for example, if you were disputing a council parking fine) or the RSPCA may seek costs. For more information about costs in court proceedings, including claiming your lawyer's costs if you are successful defending an offence at court, see the Crime topic. |
| Court Costs Levy | If you are convicted of an offence, the Court will order that you pay the Court Costs Levy unless you:
If you are under 18, the Court may direct that you don't have to pay the Court Cost Levy. Court costs are separate to any fine you receive, and the Victims Support Levy. If you have multiple charges, you will have to pay court costs for each offence. For more information, see Paying fines and judgement amounts on the Local Court of NSW website. | |
| Victims Support Levy | If you are convicted of an offence in NSW, you must pay a victims support levy, except where your offence relates to:
| |
| My problem is about | Costs in fine cases | Â |
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Last updated: December 2023