Demerit points - Licence suspensions

This section covers:

​When will​​​ you get demerit points?

If you have a driver's licence issued in New South Wales and you commit a traffic offence, you will usually receive a fine and you may also get demerit points. If you get a certain number of demerit points, your licence will be suspended.

Demerit points are not added straight away. They are added:

• after you pay the fine,
• after a court convicts you of an offence, or
• when the deadline for electing to go to court has passed, if you did not pay the fine or did not elect to go to court.

If you want to check if a particular offence carries any demerit points, go to 'Demerit points' on the Transport for NSW website.

How many demerit points do you have?

You can check how many demerit points you have at the Service NSW website. It does not cost you anything to check you demerit point balance on the website.

You will need your driver's licence number with you to use the system.

When will your licence be suspended for having too many demerit points?

The number of demerit points that you can get before your licence is suspended depends on whether you have a:

• Learner or provisional P-1 licence (red p-plate)
• Provisional P-2 licence (green p-plate)
• Full licence
• Professional driver licence

Learner or provisional P-1 licence (red p-plate)
If you get 4 or more demerit points, your licence will be suspended for three months. This means that you will not be able to drive for three months.

If your licence is suspended, it is possible to appeal to the Local Court against that suspension. Some of the reasons that the court may decide that your licence should not be suspended are:

• you are of good character, or 
• you need your licence for work or family reasons
• there is some other good reason that the court should overturn the suspension.

If you are caught speeding while on your learner licence or P-1, you will get at least 4 demerit points (even if the offence usually carries less points). This means that your driver licence will be suspended for three months for any speeding offence.

Step by step guide: Appealing the suspension - Step by step guide.

If you incur 2 suspensions due to demerit points during your time as a provisional driver (P1 and P2 combined), Transport for NSW (TfNSW) (formerly known as Roads and Maritime Services or RMS) may ask you to complete:

• a driver knowledge test
• driver education program, or
• both

Your licence may remain suspended until you complete the drivers knowledge test and/or the driver education program as requested.

For more information about P-1 licences, see Provisional P1 licence on the NSW Government website.

Provisional P-2 licence (green p-plate)
If you get 7 or more demerit points, your licence will be suspended for three months. This means that you will not be able to drive for three months.

If your licence is suspended, it is possible to appeal to the Local Court against that suspension. Some of the reasons that the court may decide that your licence should not be suspended are:

• you are of good character
• you need your licence for work or family reasons, or 
• there is some other good reason that the court should overturn the suspension.

Step by step guide: Appealing the suspension - Step by step guide.

If you incur 2 suspensions due to demerit points during your time as a provisional driver (P1 and P2 combined), TfNSW may ask you to complete:

• a driver knowledge test
• driver education program, or
• both

Your licence may remain suspended until you complete the driver knowledge test and/or the driver education program as requested.

If your P2 licence is suspended for getting too many demerit points, or for a higher risk offence like speeding by 30km/h or more, you will need an extra six months on your P2 licence. Also remember that any time spent suspended does not count towards the 24 months you need before you can apply for your full licence. You'll need to complete an extra six months for every suspension received while on your P2 licence. 

For more information about P-2 licences, see Provisional P2 licence on the NSW Government website.

Full licence
If you get 13 or more demerit points, your licence will be suspended. The length of the suspension will depend on how many demerit points you get.

• If you get 13 to 15 demerit points your licence will be suspended for three months.
• If you get 16 to 19 demerit points your licence will be suspended for four months.
• If you get 20 or more demerit points your licence will be suspended for five months.

If you have a full licence and it is suspended because you get 13 or more demerit points, you cannot appeal to the Local Court against the suspension. If you get 13 demerit points there are two options so that you can keep driving:

• a good behaviour election, or
• an application for professional driver status.

A good behaviour election is made to TfNSW. A good behaviour period runs for 12 months. If you want to ask for a good behaviour licence, you must make the election before the suspension begins. You can continue to drive but if you get two or more demerit points during the 12-month good behaviour period, your licence will be suspended for twice the original suspension period. For more information, go to 'Apply for good behaviour on a suspended licence' on the Service NSW website or contact TfNSW.

If you incur 2 suspensions due to demerit points in a 5 year period the TfNSW may ask you to complete:

• a driver knowledge test
• driver education program, or
• both

Your licence may remain suspended until you complete the driver knowledge test and/or the driver education program as requested.

An application for professional driver status is also made to TfNSW. For more information, see Professional driver licence below.

Professional driver licence

If you are a driver who transports goods, or is an accredited taxi, bus or hire car driver for work you can apply to TfNSW for professional driver status. Professional drivers have a threshold of 14 demerit points instead of 13 (in a 3 year period).

Your application will only be considered if you have exactly 13 demerit points. If your application is successful, the suspension will be withdrawn and you may drive. The 13 demerit points will remain on your driving record. If you accrue any more demerit points during a 3 year period, your licence will be suspended.

The length of the suspension will depend on how many demerit points you get:

• If you get 14 to 15 demerit points your professional driver's licence will be suspended for three months.
• If you get 16 to 19 demerit points your professional driver's licence will be suspended for four months.
• If you get 20 or more demerit points your professional driver's licence will be suspended for five months.

 If you have received a notice of licence suspension in the mail, you will need to visit Service NSW before the suspension period begins.

For more information about professional drivers, see Professional driver demerit points on the NSW Government website. ​