Fines and young people ​

​​​​​​What different rules apply to people under 18 years?

If you are under 18 years old, or you got your fine when you were under 18, there are some different rules that apply to you, for example:

• you can't be fined if you are under ten years old
• generally fines are not given to children under 14
• Roads and Maritime Services (RMS, formerly known as the RTA) can't suspend your driver's licence or vehicle registration for not paying a fine if you were under 18 when you were fined (unless the fine was for a traffic offence)
• you can't be fined more than $1100.00 for an offence by a court (as at July 2014)
• additional costs are reduced from $65.00 to $25.00 (as at July 2014) for each fine you received when you were under 18 years old
• if you are fined by a court, the court can order that you do not need to pay a court costs levy as well. For more information on the court costs, see Costs in fines cases.
  

Which court will deal with the fine?

If you decide that you want a court to deal with your fine, your case will usually be heard in the Children's Court.

If you are going to the Children's Court, you should get legal advice.

The Local Court will hear your case if it relates to a traffic offence and at the time you were fined, you were:

• 16 years old or older (for traffic offences involving cars), or
• 16 years and 9 months or older (for traffic offences involving motorbikes).

For more information, see Going to court.

Are parents responsible for their children's fines?

Your parents can't be made to pay your fines for you. If you get a fine, Revenue NSW can't take recovery action against your parents.

What if you don't pay?

If you receive a fine you should deal with it as soon as possible. However, in some cases a person might:

• not receive the fine
• forget about the fine
• not understand what they have to do about the fine.

If you have received a fine and do not pay the fine in full or make arrangements for a payment plan, Revenue NSW may:

• cancel or suspend your driver licence or your vehicle registration
• order the Sheriff to take your goods or property and sell them to pay the amount you owe
• take money from your bank account or wages
• register an interest on any land or property you may owe
• refer your debt to a private debt collection agency
• issue an Examination Notice
  
• remove permission to drive in NSW.
  

For more information, see What if I do nothing?

  There are strict time limits for responding to fines. If you are a young person and you have received a fine, you should get legal advice.

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