Fines in Victoria: Paying, Payment Plans, Reviews and What Happens If You Don't Pay

By James Stevens, Director and Solicitor, Go To Court Lawyers. Last reviewed 15 April 2026.

In Victoria, an unpaid infringement fine attracts $30.00 at the penalty reminder notice, $155.60 at the notice of final demand and $68.00 at an enforcement warrant (from 1 July 2026), and a payment plan, an internal review, a Work and Development Permit or the Family Violence Scheme can be used to deal with it.

Checked on 23 October 2026 against the Infringements Act 2006 and the Fines Reform Act 2014 (Vic) and their 2026 Regulations, the Sentencing Act 1991, Fines Victoria, the Department of Justice and Community Safety, Victoria Legal Aid and the Magistrates' Court of Victoria.

The stages and the fees

• The total: $253.60 on top of the original fine by the warrant stage.
• Registered fines do not expire.
• Paying is not an admission of guilt and no conviction is recorded, but demerit points still apply.
• Excessive speed, drink and drug driving fines are different: for speeding 25 km/h or more over the limit (or at 130 km/h or more), drink driving or drug driving, a conviction takes effect 28 days after the notice date unless you lodge an objection, your licence is suspended or cancelled, and there is no internal review.
• Official warnings: Victoria Police may give a warning instead of a fine for speeding under 10 km/h over the limit.

Your options

• Pay: online; BPAY (biller code 49031); by phone on 1300 735 124 with Visa or MasterCard; at Australia Post before the due date; or at the Fines Victoria counter, ground floor, 277 William Street, Melbourne, 9am to 5pm on weekdays. Some fines must be paid to the agency that issued them.
• Payment plan: before your fine is registered, the issuing agency can give you instalments, more time, or both, and collection stops while it decides. It must offer a plan if you hold a Centrelink Pensioner Concession card, a Health Care card, or a DVA Pensioner Concession or Gold card. A plan defaults if a payment is more than 14 days late; you get a 14-day warning before it is cancelled.
• Payment arrangement with Fines Victoria: at any stage until a 7-day notice expires, Fines Victoria can combine fines from different agencies, and court fines, into one fortnightly or monthly arrangement, including through Centrepay. It may ask for an upfront payment.
• Internal review: ask the agency that issued the fine, in writing with your reasons and current address, before the fine is registered. You get one review per offence, on five grounds: the decision was against the law; mistaken identity; special circumstances; exceptional circumstances that excuse what you did; or you did not know about the fine because it was not handed to you (apply within 14 days of finding out). The agency must decide within 90 days (plus 35 days if it asks for more information), or the fine is treated as withdrawn. It can confirm the fine, withdraw it, give you a warning instead, send it to court, waive reminder fees or approve a payment plan.
• Special circumstances means a mental or intellectual disability, disorder or illness, or a serious addiction, that significantly reduced your ability to understand or control what you did; homelessness or being a victim of family violence that significantly reduced your ability to control it; or long-term circumstances (not only financial) that make it impracticable to pay or deal with the fine.
• Enforcement review: after a notice of final demand, Fines Victoria can review the fine on the same grounds (not for court fines or excessive speed, drink or drug fines).
• You didn't know about the fine: if it was not handed to you, apply within 14 days of finding out for an extension of 28 days (most traffic and tolling fines). The application currently needs an affidavit or statutory declaration; from 1 November 2026 at the latest, a written application with your reasons will do.
• Go to court: any time before the fine is registered with Fines Victoria. The court can fine you more or less, record a conviction, dismiss the charge or order community work.
• Nominate the driver: for a camera fine, before it is registered (for excessive speed, before the conviction takes effect 28 days after the notice date). Not for on-the-spot police fines or drink or drug fines. A false nomination is an offence.
• Family Violence Scheme: if family violence substantially contributed to the offence or to your inability to name the driver, your fines can be withdrawn (and demerit points reversed), or enforcement put on hold for up to 6 months. Not for court, company, drink or drug, or excessive speed fines. Line: 1300 019 983, 9am to 5pm on weekdays.
• Fee waiver: Fines Victoria can waive or reduce fees if appropriate.

Work and Development Permits

• Who qualifies: a person with a mental or intellectual disability, disorder or illness; an addiction to drugs, alcohol or other substances; homelessness; acute financial hardship; or who is a victim of family violence.
• What counts: unpaid work with an accredited agency, courses, treatment by a health practitioner, financial or other counselling, and mentoring for people under 25.
• Credit: $62.73 an hour for unpaid work, courses, counselling and mentoring; $1,380.06 a month for treatment by a health practitioner.
• How: an approved sponsor (such as a support agency or health practitioner) applies with your consent; enforcement stops while the permit runs. The WDP team is on 1300 323 483, 8am to 6pm on weekdays.
• Not available for court fines, company fines, or after a 7-day notice expires or the Sheriff arrests you.

If a fine is not paid

• Licence and registration: after a notice of final demand, Fines Victoria can have your licence or vehicle registration suspended or not renewed. These are lifted when, for example, a payment arrangement starts or the fine is paid.
• Driving while suspended for unpaid fines is a separate, lesser offence: up to 10 penalty units ($2,091).
• Your finances: Fines Victoria can require a statement of your financial circumstances (failing to give one without a lawful excuse carries up to 60 penalty units, $12,546), take money from your wages (debts of $1,000 or more, leaving a protected amount) or your bank account (debts of $100 or more), and put a charge on your land (debts of $2,000 or more), with a power of sale.
• Enforcement warrant: the Sheriff can enter, search, seize and sell property, clamp, tow or sell a vehicle, or remove number plates, and can arrest you only if there is not enough property to cover the debt.
• Community work on arrest: if your fines total 100 penalty units ($20,910) or less, the Sheriff can release you on a community work permit: 1 hour for each $41.82, between 8 and 500 hours.
• Court after arrest: within 24 hours. The magistrate can cancel some or all fines (for example for mental impairment, special circumstances or family violence), order community work, time to pay or instalments, or, only if no other order is appropriate and you had the capacity to pay, jail at 1 day for each penalty unit unpaid, up to 24 months.
• Old jail warrants: since 23 September 2026, unexecuted warrants to jail people for infringement fines issued before 31 December 2017 are void.
• Companies: a company's registered fines become a debt, and directors can be made liable.

Court fines

• A court can fine you with or without recording a conviction, up to the maximum for the offence, and must take your finances into account as far as practicable. It can order instalments or time to pay, and you can apply for them later.
• Unless the court orders otherwise, a court fine goes to Fines Victoria, which sends you a Court Fine Collection Statement; you can pay the court on the day. Unpaid court fines are enforced like infringement fines, but there is no enforcement review and no Work and Development Permit for them.
• Converting a court fine to community work: for fines up to 100 penalty units ($20,910), the court can convert the fine at 1 hour for each $41.82, between 8 and 500 hours. Apply to a registrar in person, with no fee; the court says this is usually granted only if you are unemployed or there is an exceptional reason you cannot pay by instalments. You must report to community corrections within 2 clear working days.
• Fines issued to children are dealt with by the Children's Court, not Fines Victoria.

Free help in Victoria

How Go To Court Lawyers can help

Our free line, 1800 577 015, answers at any hour. Jen, our AI legal information assistant, gives general legal information and takes your details; Jen is not a lawyer and does not give advice about your case. A 60-minute consultation with a lawyer who practises in Victoria is a fixed $295, by phone, video or in person where the lawyer offers it. The lawyer can advise whether to seek a review, go to court or apply for a permit, and represent you if your fine goes to the Magistrates' Court. Requests are taken at any hour; how soon a lawyer can see you depends on who is available. Request a $295 consultation.

General information only, not legal advice. Updated 23 October 2026. Checked against the Infringements Act 2006 (Vic) and the Fines Reform Act 2014 (Vic) (versions as at 30 September 2026), the Infringements Regulations 2026 and Fines Reform Regulations 2026, the Sentencing Act 1991 (Vic), the Road Safety Act 1986 (Vic) and the Road Safety (General) Regulations 2019, the Department of Justice and Community Safety's penalty and fee unit values ($209.10 and $17.27 for 2026-27) and Work and Development Permit guidelines, Fines Victoria's pages, Victoria Legal Aid and the Magistrates' Court of Victoria, on 23 October 2026.