Answers to common questions about fines issued by a judge or magistrate at court.

If your fine is an infringement, such as a traffic, camera or officer-issued fine, see Infringement fine FAQs.

My question is about:

• understanding court fines
• whether I have a court fine
• how to deal with my court fine
• payment arrangements for court fines
• court fines and warrants
• not paying my court fine
• Enforcement Hearing Orders (EHO)
• bankruptcy

Understanding court fines



• What is a court fine?

  A court fine is a monetary penalty that is ordered by a court following a hearing for an offence. In Victoria, our courts include the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria, the County Court of Victoria and the Supreme Court of Victoria. A magistrate or judge may choose to refer the court fine to Fines Victoria for collection and enforcement.

• How do I know what type of court fine I have?

  If you have been ordered to pay a court fine, you will receive a Court Fine Collection Statement from Fines Victoria. The Court Fine Collection Statement has details about the court order (excluding additional orders not referred to Fines Victoria) and the major charge. It tells you how much to pay, when payment is due and provides information about your options and the consequences of not dealing with the fine.

  If you do not pay your court fine by the due date on your Court Fine Collection Statement, you will receive a Notice of Final Demand.

  If you have any questions, contact us for assistance.

• Who decides if a court fine is managed by Fines Victoria or Court?

  A judge or magistrate can choose to refer the court fine to us for collection and management or they can choose for the court to manage the fine.





Whether I have a court fine



• How can I check if I have received a fine from a court?

  Court fines are referred to Fines Victoria for management unless the magistrate or judge decides otherwise or you paid the court on the day of your hearing.

  If you think you have an outstanding court fine, you can contact us to see if the fine has been referred to us for management. If the fine has not been referred to us, you will need to contact the court.

• What are my options if I did not attend the court hearing?

  The court may make a determination and order you to pay a fine in your absence. If you were not in court when the final order was made, you may be eligible for a rehearing or to apply to pay by instalments.

  You may wish to seek legal advice or visit the Magistrates' Court of Victoria website, Supreme Court website and County Court of Victoria website for more information about the appeals hearing process.

• Why did I receive a Notice of Final Demand when I never received a Court Fine Collection Statement?

  Fines Victoria is required to issue the Court Fine Collection Statement to the address provided to us by the court. The Notice of Final Demand is sent to the address recorded in our system, which may differ from the address held by the court.





How to deal with my court fine



• What are my options for dealing with my court fine?

  You can deal with your court fine by:

  • paying it in full
  • applying for a payment arrangement
  • eligible for a payment arrangement: if the court has authorised or 'ordered' the Director of Fines Victoria to manage the fine, you can apply to pay by instalments or for an extension of time to pay. You can also add the amount to any existing payment arrangement you have with us
  • not eligible for a payment arrangement: if the court has not authorised or 'ordered' the Director of Fines Victoria to manage the fine, we cannot add the fine to an existing payment arrangement. You may be eligible to apply to the court that issued the fine for a variation of the order. Please contact the court for further information on this process.
  • apply to the court that issued your fine to undertake unpaid community work
  • apply to the court for a rehearing or an appeal. You can contact the court to confirm your eligibility for a rehearing or an appeal. You may also choose to seek legal advice.
• Can I apply for a rehearing to dispute this court fine?

  Fines Victoria cannot determine if you are eligible for a rehearing. You will need to contact the court that issued your fine for information on your eligibility for a rehearing.

  Further information can be found on the Magistrates' Court of Victoria website, Supreme Court website and the County Court of Victoria website.

• Is a court fine eligible for an enforcement review?

  No, court fines are not eligible for an enforcement review.

• If you are managing my court fine, can I still convert it to unpaid community work?

  We are unable to convert your court fine to unpaid community work, however, the court that issued the fine may be able to.

  For information on this option, visit the Magistrates' Court of Victoria website or seek legal advice. Fines Victoria can provide you with information on the outstanding amount of your fine.

• Can a court fine be added to my work and development permit?

  No, court fines cannot be added to your Work and Development Permit.





Payment arrangements for court fines



• Can I apply for a payment arrangement for each type of court fine referred to Fines Victoria?

  We can create or modify an existing payment arrangement to include a court fine after a Court Fine Collection Statement has been issued, and if it is permitted by the order of the court.

  Your payment options are outlined on your Court Fine Collection Statement.

  If permitted by the court, you can apply for a payment arrangement with us up until:

  • a sheriff's officer serves an individual with a 7 Day Notice and the 7 Day Notice period expires or you consent to waive the 7 Day Notice period
  • a sheriff's officer seizes your property, or a director of a company becomes a declared director.
• Is there a way to streamline my payment arrangements so I do not have multiple plans?

  If the court has not authorised or 'ordered' Fines Victoria to manage the fine, we cannot add this to an existing payment arrangement.

  You may be eligible to apply to the court that issued the fine for a variation of the order. Please contact the court for further information on this process.

• Can court fines be put on a payment arrangement through Centrepay?

  Yes. If the court fine has been referred to us for collection and management and you have been issued with a Court Fine Collection Statement, you can include your court fine in a payment arrangement to pay your instalments by Centrepay.





Court fines and warrants



• What does it mean if there is a warrant on my court fine?

  If there is a warrant on your court fine, then your fine has progressed to an enforcement warrant.

  Once an enforcement warrant is issued, sheriff's officers can:

  • come to your address and demand payment (this is an official process called a 'payment demand')
  • stop you at a police roadblock
  • wheel clamp, sell or detain your vehicle
  • search for and seize property (such as your vehicle) to sell
  • remove the number plates from your vehicle
  • arrest you so that you are brought before a magistrate or judge
• What is the execution process for an enforcement warrant?

  If an individual or a company has outstanding enforcement warrants, sheriff's officers can apply a wheel clamp to your vehicle, seize and sell it, or remove your number plates.

  For an individual
  Before executing an enforcement warrant against an individual, sheriff's officers will serve you with a 7 Day Notice and demand payment of the outstanding amount. If you do not pay the outstanding amount or deal with the outstanding fines, sheriff's officers can seize your personal property and leave it with you (conditions apply), or they can seize and remove it if they think it is necessary to avoid the property being disposed of or removed.

  If the amount is still outstanding after the 7 Day Notice period has expired, sheriff's officers can seize, remove and sell your personal property. If you do not have any personal property, they can arrest you and release you on bail, or if you do not consent to being released on bail, they can take you to a police station.

  For a company
  Before executing an enforcement warrant against a company, sheriff's officers will demand payment of the outstanding amount from an authorised representative of the company. If an authorised representative does not pay the outstanding amount or deal with the outstanding fine(s), sheriff's officers can seize, remove and sell the company's property.

• Can I apply to recall a warrant on my court fine?

  You cannot apply to recall a warrant on your court fine.

  The enforcement warrant can be recalled and cancelled when:

  • your warrant is paid in full
  • you finalise your payment arrangement and the warrant is paid in full
  • your warrant is paid in full under a completed attachment of earnings or attachment of debts direction
  • the court has converted your fine to community work
  • you apply to the court for rehearing or appeal the fine.




Not paying my court fine



• What happens if I do not pay my court fine?

  If you do not pay or deal with your court fine by the due date, the fine will be registered with Fines Victoria and a Notice of Final Demand will be issued. Additional fees will also be added to your outstanding amount.

  If you do not finalise the matter by the due date on the Notice of Final Demand, Fines Victoria may take one or more of the following enforcement actions:

  • suspend or prevent you renewing your driver licence
  • suspend or prevent you from renewing your vehicle registration
  • prevent you from transferring your vehicle registration out of your name
  • make a deduction from your bank account, wage or money owed to you
  • charge and sell land you own.

  Fines Victoria may also apply to the Magistrates' Court to issue an enforcement warrant. Additional fees will be added to your outstanding amount when the warrant is issued.





Enforcement Hearing Orders (EHO)



• What is an Enforcement Hearing Order?

  An Enforcement Hearing Order is a fine related order made by the court, after you are arrested by a sheriff’s officer. Enforcement Hearing Orders are referred by the court to us for collection or collection and enforcement.

  For some Enforcement Hearing Orders, we must collect the outstanding amount based on the terms of the order made by the court. In these cases, if you want to change the terms, you need to contact the court which made the order.

  More information about the role of sheriff’s officers and their powers is available on the Department of Justice and Community Safety website.

• Why have I received an Enforcement Hearing Order statement?

  After you were arrested by a sheriff’s officer, an enforcement hearing was listed, and an order was made by the court.

  The court referred the Enforcement Hearing Order to Fines Victoria for collection or collection and enforcement. We then sent you an Enforcement Hearing Order statement to the address provided to us by the court.

  For some Enforcement Hearing Orders, we must collect the outstanding amount based on the terms of the order made by the court. In these cases, if you want to change the terms, you need to contact the court which made the order.

  If you don’t comply with the terms of the order, it can progress and become more serious. This means more fees can be added, an enforcement warrant can be issued, or a sanction can be applied against you. The order can also be sent back to the court who can issue a warrant for your imprisonment.

  More information about the role of sheriff’s officers and their powers is available on the Department of Justice and Community Safety website.

• What are my options if I have received an Enforcement Hearing Order?

  If you have received an Enforcement Hearing Order, you must comply with the terms of the order. If you don’t, it can progress and become more serious. This means more fees can be added or an enforcement warrant can be issued. The order can also be sent back to the court who can issue a warrant for your imprisonment.

  For some Enforcement Hearding Orders, we must collect the outstanding amount based on the terms of the order made by the court. In these cases, if you want to change the terms, you need to contact the court which made the order.

  If you have received a Notice of Final Demand for a registered collection and enforcement order, you may be able to apply for a Work and Development Permit or to pay by instalments.





Bankruptcy



• What is bankruptcy?

  Bankruptcy is a legal process where a person is declared unable to pay their debts, as governed by the Bankruptcy Act 1966 (Cth). A person is normally bankrupt for three years and one day.

• What happens to my fines if I have been declared bankrupt?

  If an infringement fine(s) has been registered with Fines Victoria, enforcement action on applicable fine(s) will be suspended once the person’s bankruptcy status has been verified. No enforcement action will be taken during the term of a person’s bankruptcy.

  For more information on the impact of bankruptcy on fines registered with Fines Victoria contact us.

• What information needs to be provided when notifying Fines Victoria of bankruptcy?

  You should notify Fines Victoria of your bankruptcy status, as soon as possible. Notification can be provided by you, the Australian Financial Security Authority or a trustee that has been appointed to manage the bankruptcy.

  To process a bankruptcy notification, Fines Victoria requires:

  • the name, address and date of birth of the person who has been declared bankrupt
  • the assigned bankruptcy number
  • the date bankruptcy commenced
  • the name and contact details of the trustee in bankruptcy
  • documentation from the Australian Financial Security Authority.

  For more information on the impact of bankruptcy on fines registered with Fines Victoria contact us.