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Fines and fees
  • About

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    We offer a range of options for you make a payment.

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In this section
  1. The court process

Go to court

Court proceedings during the COVID-19 pandemic declaration period are delayed

Further information

Do you need to go to court?

Going to court should be your last option. It is usually more time-consuming and costly than using our review process.

Here are your other options:

1. Request a review

2. Nominate someone else

3. Do you know the options available to fix your fine? (please note this is not a Revenue NSW website. We do not guarantee that any information on the NSW Fine Fixer is current or accurate).

Apply to go to court

There are three ways you can apply to have your fine decided in court.

Use our online processGo to myPenalty and complete the online application process. To login, you'll need to enter the reference number on your penalty or infringement notice and the date of the offence.

If you've lost your notice, contact us or complete the enquiry form.

You'll need to provide some proof of identification, such as your address, date of birth or driver's licence number.
Download and complete the formDownload, print and complete the request to have a penalty decided in court for an individual PDF, 156.4 KB or a company PDF, 153.59 KB and send it to us.
Send a written request to usPut your request in writing and send it to
Revenue NSW
PO Box 786, Strawberry Hills NSW 2012

You should apply to go to court before the due date on your penalty reminder.

If you've already paid the fine, you have 90 days from the date the penalty was issued.

If you’re not sure of the due date, contact us.

If you don’t apply to go to court by the due date, you may need to go through a more difficult process, which involves proving you were hindered from requesting to go to court before the due date.

Read more about challenging an overdue fine in court.

What happens next

If your application is complete and received by the due date,  we'll take the following steps.

Apply for a court dateWe’ll set a date and notify you of the details.
Refund money to youIf you’ve already paid a fine, we'll refund the money to you and/or reverse any demerit points applied to your driver licence.

Once we’ve processed  your request to go to court, we will send the following documents to you:

  • Court Attendance Notice (CAN)
    The CAN tells you the place, time and date of the hearing which will be at the court closest to where the offence was committed. If this is not convenient, you can apply to the selected court to have the hearing moved to another court location. Visit the Local Courts website for a list of locations.
  • Written Notice of Pleading
    You will be asked to plead either ‘guilty’ or ‘not guilty’. You can complete and send this notice to the court before your hearing or you can enter your plea at the hearing. If you’re not sure what to do, we suggest you seek legal advice.

If you choose to plead not guilty, you will be given an additional hearing date.

  • You'll need to present your case at the hearing.
  • The authority that issued your fine will present their case too and may call on witnesses and produce other evidence.

More information about the court process can be found on the Department of Communities and Justice website.

If your fine is a camera detected traffic fine or was issued by Transport for NSW (formerly Roads and Maritime Services), please see Transport for NSW for further information on preparing for court.

Stopping the court process

Once a Court Attendance Notice (CAN) has been issued, this replaces your penalty notice and we can't stop the court process.

  • The CAN is sometimes issued within 24 hours of the court application and we aim to process all applications within 21 days.
  • If you have received a CAN and no longer wish to have your fine decided in court, please contact the court listed on the CAN to enquire about your options.

Possible court outcomes

The court will decide your case in one of three ways.

GuiltyYou will need to pay a penalty, which the court will set. You will have to pay court costs and may also have to pay the prosecutors’ professional costs. You will lose any applicable demerit points.
Guilty, no conviction recordedThe court may find you guilty but not make you pay a fine. You will have to pay court costs and may also have to pay the prosecutors’ professional costs. The offence will appear on your driving record but you won’t lose any applicable demerit points.
Not guiltyYou won’t need to pay a fine or lose demerit points, nor will you have to pay costs.

Legal help

If you have questions about the legal process or you need help with legal representation or translation, you should explore the options below.

If you have a visa, it's recommended that you seek legal advice before electing to go to court, as a recorded conviction could affect your status.

The court

The staff at the court listed on your Court Attendance Notice (CAN) may be able to answer many of your questions. They can also arrange an interpreter for you.

See the Local Court website for a list of court locations and phone numbers.

LawAccess NSW

Contact LawAccess NSW for free legal information and access to legal advice.

Legal Aid Youth Hotline

If you’re under 18, you may be entitled to legal advice through the Legal Aid Youth Hotline.

Indigenous Women's Legal Contact Line

The Indigenous Women’s Legal Program provides free and confidential legal advice to women with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island backgrounds.

Telephone Interpreter Service (TIS)

If English is not your first language and you want your Court Attendance Notice (CAN) or the court procedure explained in your language, call 131 450 and ask for LawAccess NSW.

Get the myServiceNSW app

Sign up and create a MyServiceNSW account to access government services quickly, securely and simply. You can pay a fine, renew your licence, check demerit points and more. Download the Service NSW app on the App store or Google Play.

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