Received a Fine or Infringement?
Fines are issued by courts. Infringements are issued by councils, police, and other agencies, most often related to parking, traffic, public transport and common offences such as littering.
An Infringement Notice contains the details of the offence, the penalty and payment due date. If you have trouble paying an infringement or feel there is a reason why you should not have to pay, here are your options:
Having trouble paying?
If you are having trouble paying the fine and agree you owe it, you may be able to set up an affordable payment plan. You can do this online or over the phone with Fines Victoria. You can choose to pay the fine by instalments or if you need more time choose payment extension.
If you have more than one fine, it is possible to set up a payment arrangement that covers all fines. Speak to Fines Victoria to arrange this over the phone.
If you don’t want the fine to be dealt with through the infringements process, you can choose to go directly to Court. It is important to seek legal advice before choosing this option.
It’s important to take action on a fine when you receive it, otherwise it can increase in cost, and over time you may end up in Court or at worst incarcerated (Jailed).
Not responsible for the fine?
If you were not driving the vehicle, you can nominate another driver by completing the fines form, or you can do it online at Fines Victoria. You can also see a copy of the traffic offence on the website.
If you don’t believe you should have received a fine, you can request a review. If the review is approved the fine will go back to the issuing agency for a final decision.
For further information visit Legal Aid Victoria.
Special Circumstances
If you received a fine and were experiencing family violence or special circumstances (mental health, addiction, homelessness) at the time of the offence, you may be eligible to seek assistance for the enforcement to be cancelled. In this case the fine will be referred back to the original agency to consider withdrawing the fine. For further assistance with this, speak to a financial counsellor or Legal Aid Victoria.
