Paying the court fine
This section covers:
How to pay a court fine
If you have been fined by the court, the magistrate will usually order that you pay the fine within 28 days. You will be sent a Notice of Penalty which tells you the amount you have to pay.
You can pay by:
- credit card
- cheque or money order
- EFTPOS at the court
How to ask for more time to pay
If you would like more time to pay your fine, you need to complete an application for 'Time to Pay a Court Fine'.
You need one form:
- Application for Time to Pay a Court Fine
You can get copies from:
Sample:
Sample Application for Time to Pay a Court Fine.
You should give the completed form to the Local Court registry.
An offer to pay instalments of less than $100.00 per fortnight may not be accepted, unless there are exceptional circumstances.
If you are receiving a Veterans Affairs Pension, Centrelink Payments or you have a concession card, you can offer to pay less than $100.00 as long as you pay at least $15.00 per fortnight.
When making your instalment payments make sure they are paid on or before the due date. If you do not pay the instalment on time, the court will refer the matter to Revenue NSW and they will start enforcement action against you to collect the outstanding money. They may add an additional fee to the fine. If this happens, you can apply to pay by instalments through Revenue NSW. For more information, see
Responding to an overdue fine.
If you are not able to pay a court fine that is being enforced by the Revenue NSW, you may be able to ask the NSW Attorney General to recommend that your fine is remitted. If your fine is remitted, you will not have to pay it. For more information, go to the
Department of Justice website.
What happens if you do not pay?
If you do not pay your court fine and the court has not agreed for you to pay by instalments or given you an extension of time to pay, your fine will be referred to Revenue NSW.
Revenue NSW will send you an overdue fine to recover the money from you. They will also add an additional fee to the fine. For more information about what to do when you receive an overdue fine, see Responding to an overdue fine.
Payment by instalments if you are on Centrelink benefits
If you receive a Centrelink benefit, such as a pension or newstart allowance, you can apply to have instalment payments deducted from your fortnightly benefit. You will need to apply to have your fine enforced by Revenue NSW. There is no cost for this.
You will need to complete:
- an Early Enforcement to Pay by Instalments - Penalty form.
You can get a copy of the form:
Sample: Early Enforcement to Pay by Instalments.
Voluntary enforcement - Work and Development Orders (WDOs)
You can choose to have your court fine 'voluntarily enforced' by Revenue NSW, so that you can pay off your fine through a Work and Development Order (WDO). A WDO is where you agree to do an activity, such as unpaid work, a training course, or undergo a medical treatment plan, to pay off your fines.
You may be eligible for a WDO if you:
- have a mental illness
- have an intellectual disability or cognitive impairment
- have a serious addiction to drugs or alcohol
- are homeless, or
- are experiencing acute economic hardship (which can include where you rely on Centrelink benefits)
For more information, go to the 
Revenue NSW website or contact the WDO Hotline on 1300 478 879.
You will not have to pay the $65 enforcement fee if you choose to have your court fine voluntarily enforced to do a WDO.