Paying a fine

Paying a court fine

A court order is a penalty imposed by a Supreme, District or Magistrates court in Queensland for an offence you have been charged with.

If you're required to pay a fine, you'll receive a notice in the mail explaining where and how you can pay it.

SPER

If you don’t pay your fine on time, the debt is registered with the State Penalties Enforcement Registry (SPER) for collection and enforcement.

SPER will issue you an enforcement order for the amount you owe, which shows a due date by which you must pay your debt or take other action.

If you don’t act by the due date, SPER may take enforcement action against you, including redirecting funds from your employer or financial institution, and seizing and selling your property.

Read more on the SPER website.

Offender levy

An offender levy is an administrative fee that helps pay for the cost of law enforcement and administration.

You can pay the levy on the day it is applied in court. Otherwise, the court will register the levy with SPER, who will send you an enforcement order with instructions on how to pay.

Read more about offender levies.

Victim compensation

In Queensland, a victim of a violent crime may receive financial assistance to help them recover from the crime. The government may recover money from the person convicted of the violent offence to pay the victim.

If you have been convicted of a relevant offence, you will receive a recovery notice from the offender debt recovery program.

Read more about offender debt recovery notices (Queensland Government).

If you can't afford to pay

If you are unable to pay the full amount, contact SPER as soon as possible to discuss available instalment options.