Penalty Units (Qld)

In Queensland, fines for criminal offences are imposed as a certain number of penalty units, rather than as a dollar amount. This allows for the amount of a penalty to increase incrementally over time, without any need for the maximum sentence that applies for an offence to be altered. This page deals with penalty units in Queensland.

Legislation

Penalties and sentencing in Queensland are governed by the Penalties and Sentences Act 1992.

Under section 5A of that Act, the amount of a penalty unit increases each year by:

• the percentage published by the Treasurer in the Queensland Government Gazette on or before the 31 March; or
• 3.5%.  

The value of a penalty unit rises each year on the 1 July. It may not rise more than once in any financial year. The amount of the increase is to be rounded down to the nearest multiple of five cents.

How much is a penalty unit?

As of 2025, a penalty unit in Queensland is $161.30. For up-to-date information on the value of a penalty unit in Queensland, please visit this site.

How are fines calculated?

When a court has found a person guilty of an offence, it may decide to impose a fine if this is the appropriate penalty in the circumstances. In making this decision, the court will consider:

• the objective seriousness of the offence
• the impact of the offence on victims
• the offender’s personal circumstances
• the offender’s criminal history
• whether the offender co-operated with police and pleaded guilty

If a court is considering imposing a fine, it will also take into account whether the offender has the capacity to pay a fine and the impact this will have on them. If an offender has a low income, or if their financial situation was an underlying reason the offence occurred, they will be less likely to receive a fine.

Corresponding amount of imprisonment

There is generally a corresponding amount of imprisonment that can be served instead of paying the fine. This time can be served if the offender does not pay the financial penalty, or it can be imposed by the court instead of a fine if the court considers that time in prison is more appropriate in the circumstances.

Other court orders

In addition to imposing a sentence for a criminal offence, a court may also make additional orders to rectify the damage caused by the offending. This may include an order for restitution or compensation.

Restitution orders are orders designed to ‘restore’ a victim to the position they were in before an offence was committed. This may be an amount equal to the value of property that was destroyed or stolen.

Compensation order are orders designed to make amends to a person impacted by an offence. This may be an amount of money designed to assist a person to recover from the adverse experience of the offence.

When a court is considering imposing a fine as well as an order for compensation or restitution, it must prioritise the compensation of victims. If the offender does not have the capacity to pay both a fine and compensation or restitution, the court will probably impose some other form of sentence rather than a fine.

If you require legal advice or representation in any legal matter, please contact Go To Court Lawyers.