There are spec​ial rules for young people who are fined. If you got your fine when you were less than 18 years old, see Fines and young people.

If you have a lot of fines that you cannot pay, see Multiple fines.

This section doesn't deal with fines that have been given to you by a court. If you have already been fined by a court, see After court.

If you received a payment under the National Redress Scheme, a reparations payment or a funeral assistance payment through Aboriginal Affairs NSW, Revenue NSW may put your fine on hold or write off your fine. Revenue NSW can’t do this for all fines. You can give permission to the National Redress Scheme or Aboriginal Affairs NSW to contact Revenue NSW on your behalf.

Naming the person responsible

If you are a registered owner of a vehicle, you may receive a fine for an offence when you were not driving the vehicle. You can let Revenue NSW know that you were not responsible for the vehicle at the time of the offence. You may need to do this if you:

• are the registered owner but more than one person drives the vehicle,
• were overseas at the time and had loaned your vehicle to a friend or relative while you were away, or
• loaned your vehicles to someone for a period of time.

This section covers:

• When you can nominate who was responsible
• How to nominate who was responsible
• What happens if you don't nominate the person responsible

For more information, see Naming the person responsible.

Asking for a review

You can ask for Revenue NSW to review and withdraw a penalty notice if you believe that the fine is not fair or you should not have been fined. For example, if you:

• suffer from a mental health condition
• were given a parking ticket when your car broke down
• have had a clear driving record for the last 10 years (if your fine relates to a traffic matter or a parking offence that carries demerit points)
• did not own the vehicle used in the offence
• were not the person who committed the offence.

This section has information on:

• when you can ask for a review
• what grounds Revenue NSW will consider
• how to ask for a review.

For more information, see Asking for a review.

Paying the fine

If you have received a fine and you want to pay it, you can either:

• pay the fine in full, or
• pay the fine off by part payments or instalments.

If you want to pay the fine in full, you should check the due date. Fines must usually be paid by the due date or within 21 days of being served on you if there is no due date. If you do not pay the fine within the time required, you will be sent a 'Penalty Reminder Notice' and given a further 28 days to pay.

If you are not able to pay the full amount of the fine at once, you may be able to pay the fine off in part payments or instalments.

For more information, see Paying the fine.

Applying for a Work and Development Order (WDO)

If you cannot pay your fine, you may be able to apply for a Work and Development Order (WDO).  A WDO is where you agree to do an activity, like unpaid work, ​a training course, or undergo a medical treatment plan to pay off some or all of your fines. 

A WDO is available if:

• you have a mental illness
  
• you have an intellectual disability or cognitive impairment
  
• you have a serious addiction to drugs or alcohol
  
• you are homeless
  
• you are experiencing economic hardship (which can include where you rely on a Centrelink benefit) 
  

For more information, see Applying for a Work and Development Order.​

Requesting a fine reduction

​Electing (choosing) to go to court

If you don't believe you broke the law you may want to elect (choose) to challenge a fine in court. Once you get to court you can either:

• plead 'not guilty' and defend the case against you, or
• plead 'guilty', explain to the court why you broke the law, and ask the court for leniency.

This section has information on:

• time limits for electing to go to court
• how to elect to go to court
• what happens when you get your Court Attendance Notice (CAN)
• going to the mention.

For more information, see Electing to go to court.

What if I do nothing?

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

• not get 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 to pay by instalments, then Revenue NSW may:

• send you a penalty reminder notice
• issue an overdue fine
• cancel your driver's licence and motor vehicle registration
• seize (take) your property
• garnish (take money directly from) your wages or bank accounts.

If Revenue NSW takes any of these steps you may still be able to make arrangements to pay the fine in full, pay the fine by instalments or challenge the fine in court.

  Revenue NSW may get private debt collection companies to contact people who have overdue fines​​.  If you are contacted by a debt collector, you should get legal advice.

For more information, see What if I do nothing?

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