Fines & Infringements

Fines (infringements) can apply in many different circumstances, for offences including:

• Parking offences
• Traffic offences (for example, speeding or driving through an intersection when a traffic light is red)
• Public space offences (for example, littering or drinking alcohol in an alcohol-free zone)
• Public transport offences (for example, not paying the correct fare or behaving offensively)
• Failing to vote

Victoria Police can issue infringement notices, as well as local councils, the Department of Transport Victoria, the Victorian Electoral Commission, and other bodies (also known as enforcement agencies).

You will find out about your fine (infringement) when you receive the infringement notice. The infringement notice can be:

• Mailed to you; or
• Given to you immediately; or
• Left on your property (for example, taped to the windscreen of your car)

The notice will state:

• The reason for the infringement
• The amount
• How to pay
• The due date for payment
• The law which applies to your infringement

If you can’t pay the infringement, you need to check your infringement notice for options about what to do.

Most of the time, you have 21 days to pay your infringement, but you need to check your infringement notice to confirm this. If you can’t pay, you must take action before the deadline.

Generally, your options may include:

• Applying for a payment extension
• Applying for payment by instalments (in which you make small payments over an agreed time until you have paid the entire infringement, commonly called a payment plan)

The infringement notice will include payment options and contact details. Some infringements are payable through Fines Victoria and some directly through the enforcement agency, for example the local council.

If you ignore the infringement notice, you risk not paying by the due date.

If this happens, the authority may take further action against you, which may include:

• Issuing a Penalty Reminder Notice, which will add extra fees to your infringement
• If the infringement remains unpaid, the enforcement agency which issued the infringement notice can refer the matter to Fines Victoria. Fines Victoria may then issue a Notice of Final Demand, adding another payment amount to your infringement
• If the infringement remains unpaid, an enforcement warrant will be issued. The warrant will allow a Sheriff’s Officer to visit you and take action to recover the money, which may include a demand for payment, wheel-clamping your vehicle, seizing and selling your property, suspension of your drivers’ licence and car registration
• The Sheriff’s Officer can give you a 7 Day Notice. If this happens, you must take action immediately. If you don’t pay, make arrangements to pay, or dispute the infringement within this time, the matter will be referred to the Magistrates’ Court, and you face more severe penalties which, in some cases, may include imprisonment

Every time an infringement moves to the next stage of the process, the amount you’re required to pay increases. At each stage, the infringement becomes more difficult to challenge, and there are fewer options.  Don’t ignore an infringement.

You must act before the due date. If you receive an infringement and you’re not sure what to do, contact us as soon as possible for advice.

When you receive an infringement notice, how you deal with it will depend on the circumstances leading to the offence. You may be surprised to learn that there are many options about what you can do, depending on the situation.

Your options are to:

Pay the infringement

If you agree that you committed the offence, you can pay the infringement. Make sure you pay before the due date. If you pay on time, that ends the matter, with no further legal action.

If you pay the infringement, you can’t appeal or dispute it. If you think there’s an issue, don’t pay it straight away. To challenge the infringement, you must act before the due date.

However, sometimes infringements are accompanied by other penalties, particularly in traffic matters, for example, demerit points and licence suspension.

To find out more, visit Vic Roads’ Demerit Points and Driver History website page.

To pay your infringement online, visit Fines Victoria.

Tell the authority you’re not the responsible person

If you weren’t driving the car at the time of the offence, you must nominate another person before the due date. You can do this by following the instructions on the infringement notice.

If you’re successful, the Police will withdraw the infringement notice and issue another notice to the person who was driving the car.

To find out more, visit Fines Victoria’s Nominate a Driver page.

Internal review

You can ask the authority to review the infringement notice if you believe you shouldn’t have received it. This is also known as an internal review. If the review is successful, the authority may decide to withdraw the notice.

For a red light or speeding offence, you can view an image of the infringement. This can be useful if you believe the light wasn’t red when you entered an intersection, or if you believe someone else committed the offence.

Circumstances in which you may ask for a review include:

• There were special circumstances, including family violence
• The infringement notice was against the law (contrary to law)
• Someone else committed the offence (mistaken identity)
• You didn’t receive an infringement notice (person unaware)
• There were exceptional circumstances. Exceptional circumstances are usually considered circumstances which are out-of-the-ordinary, unavoidable or unexpected. Examples may include medical emergencies or mechanical breakdowns. If you are seeking a review because of exceptional circumstances, usually you will need to show evidence

Once your infringement notice has been reviewed, you can’t ask for another review for the same incident.  

For more information, see Important points to remember

For more information about internal reviews, visit the Fines Victoria website.

Go to Court

You may decide to go straight to Court if you believe you have reasonable grounds to challenge. For some offences, you must make an application to Court at the infringement and penalty reminder notice stage. It is important to check the infringement for any time limits. 

If you challenge an infringement in Court, the infringement is withdrawn, and then you are issued a charge and summons. It means the Magistrates’ Court will hear your matter as a criminal matter. If you are found guilty, or if you plead guilty, a conviction may be recorded against you. Regardless of the outcome at Court, the result will appear on your criminal record.

We recommend that you seek legal advice before challenging any infringement in Court.

For more information about going to Court to challenge an infringement notice, visit the Fines Victoria website.

Apply to change the payment terms

If you can’t pay the full amount of the infringement by the due date, you may be able to get an extension of time to pay or arrange payment by instalments (payment of smaller amounts at regular intervals, commonly called a payment plan).

You can apply for either an extension of time or an instalment plan, and Fines Victoria will work out whether you’re eligible. It will take into account:

• The amount of the infringement
• Your income and financial situation
• Your history of paying infringements
• Whether you’re experiencing hardship

For more information, visit Fines Victoria’s website pages about:

• Extensions of time to pay infringements
• Payment of infringements by instalments

Other options

There are also other options. If you’re a survivor of family violence, you may be able to apply to have the infringement withdrawn.  

Applying to have the infringement withdrawn due to family violence is different from applying under special circumstances. If you apply for reasons of family violence, you must show that:

• You’re a family violence survivor
• The violence led to the infringement because you:
  • Couldn’t control the conduct
  • Couldn’t nominate the driver of the car because it was registered in your name
  • Couldn’t reject the other person nominating you as the responsible person because that person was violent towards you, causing you to fear for your safety.

For more information about family violence and infringements, visit the Family Violence Scheme website page.

There is a Work and Development Permit for other people experiencing financial hardship, homelessness, mental health problems and addiction. The scheme allows some applicants to work off their infringements.

For more information, visit Fines Victoria’s website page about the Work and Development Permit.

Get help from FineFixer

FineFixer is an interactive website which helps you work out your options. Use your infringement notice to answer the questions, and FineFixer will work out the best approach.

Visit the FineFixer website for more information.

If your infringement notice moves through different stages because it’s unpaid and you haven’t exercised an option, it’s important to know that your options change at every step.

For more information, see the Fines Victoria infographic on the fines (infringements) lifecycle.

We can provide legal advice specific to your circumstances. Contact us to make an appointment.

If you have a genuine reason to challenge it, do not pay the infringement. Instead, contact the authority before the due date and discuss your options, which may include:

• Nominating someone else who was responsible for the infringement (for example, someone who was driving your car at the time of the infringement)
• Asking the authority for an internal review
• Successfully challenging the infringement in Court
• Applying under special circumstances
• Applying under the Family Violence Scheme
• Apply under exceptional circumstances. Exceptional circumstances are considered events which are out-of-the-ordinary, unavoidable or unexpected; for example, medical emergencies or mechanical breakdowns. Usually, you will need to show proof of exceptional circumstances

For more information, see If I receive an infringement notice, what are my options?

If someone else was driving your car and committed a traffic offence, usually the infringement notice is sent to you as the owner of the vehicle. You can fill in a form declaring that another person was the driver. If this is successful, the enforcement agency may withdraw the notice and issue a new notice to the other person.

Usually, you can only nominate another person when your infringement is at the stage where an infringement notice or a penalty reminder notice is issued.

To find out more, visit Fines Victoria’s Nominate a driver page.

Even if a situation is out of your control due to special circumstances, an infringement notice can be issued against you. However, the law recognises that sometimes this penalty is too severe. Your infringement may be withdrawn if you meet the criteria for special circumstances. You must also apply to Fines Victoria to ask that it takes your circumstances into account.

You can apply for special circumstances if you either:

1. Didn’t understand that you were breaking the law; or
2. Couldn’t control your behaviour

Categories for special circumstances include:

• Mental illness or disorder
• Intellectual disability
• Drug or alcohol addiction
• Homelessness
• Family violence

You’ll need some evidence that demonstrates your special circumstance and why it may have caused you to break the law. Depending on your circumstance, this may include reports or letters from:

• Doctors
• Psychologists or psychiatrists
• Financial counsellors
• Caseworkers

If you’re experiencing special circumstances, you may be in a vulnerable situation.

In some cases, we can help you understand your options, including whether you may have special circumstances. Contact us to make an appointment.

For more information, see Important points to remember below.

For more information, visit Fines Victoria’s website page about special circumstances.

You should receive an infringement notice either at the time of the offence, in the mail or left on your property (for example, taped to the windscreen of your car). However, sometimes notices are lost or misplaced.

If you’re concerned that you may have an infringement but you don’t have the notice, you can contact Fines Victoria to find out. If you know your infringement notice number, you can log into the Fines Victoria website to view your infringements and to seek more information.

Not all infringements are registered with Fines Victoria, for example, local council fines. If you believe you have outstanding infringements, check with Fines Victoria for updates. You may need to do this more than once.

If a local council or the Department of Transport issued your infringement, you will have to contact those enforcement agencies for more information.

Sometimes, the first you know about the infringement is when you receive a Penalty Reminder Notice. In these circumstances, you have 14 days from the time you first knew about the infringement to apply for an internal review under the category of person unaware.

If you become aware of an infringement for the first time when you receive a Notice of Demand or a warrant, the matter has progressed into the final stages, and you need to act quickly. Depending on the situation, you can apply to the Magistrates’ Court or Fines Victoria. If the matter has reached this point, strict time limits apply. Contact us for urgent legal advice.

You must always keep your address updated with VicRoads. Failure to update your address isn’t a reasonable excuse for missing an infringement notice.

Contact us to make an appointment.