SPER enforcement orders
Unpaid fines and penalties may be registered with the State Penalties Enforcement Registry (SPER) for collection and enforcement.
Your debt starts as any of the following:
- an unpaid infringement notice fine (e.g. speeding or parking ticket)
- a court-ordered penalty
- an offender levy
- an offender debt recovery notice.
If you don't pay it, the agency that issued the fine (e.g. the Department of Transport and Main Roads) may refer the debt to us.
Receiving an enforcement order
We will send you an enforcement order for the amount you owe.
If your enforcement order is for an infringement notice, it will include a registration fee of $78.20.
Registration fees do not apply to court-ordered penalties and offender debt recovery notices. However, an offender levy is added when an adult is convicted of an offence.
Pay it
You must pay the whole amount by the due date. The easiest way to pay is online, but there are other payment methods.
If you can't pay the whole amount, you may be able to pay by instalments. Help is available if you need it.
Elect to go to court
If you have a valid reason, you can elect to have the matter heard in court (for infringement notices only).
You should carefully consider whether you have valid grounds to contest the infringement. If you are unsuccessful in court, you will be found guilty and be liable for extra costs, including an offender levy.
If you haven't received the enforcement order yet, and the due date on your fine or court order has not yet passed, you can dispute the fine by contacting the agency or court that issued it.
We cannot waive a fine issued by another agency or an order issued by a court.
To elect to go to court, view your debts and select the debt you want to have heard in court. This option is only available on eligible debts.
Enforcement action
If you don't act by the due date, we will take one or more enforcement actions against you—for example, we can suspend your driver licence, clamp your vehicle or seize and sell your vehicle.
We may also add an enforcement fee of $131.05.
If you have other debts with us, any payment you make could be applied to those debts first.
Need help?
If you can't pay by the due date, you may be eligible to pay by instalments.
If your application is approved, payments can be made by:
- direct debit from your bank account
- credit card
- eligible Centrelink payments.
If you have an existing payment plan (i.e. that has been set up via your bank account or card) and can't make your next payment, you can skip a payment online.
Help is available if you are experiencing hardship and can’t pay your SPER debt. Contact us to discuss options for managing your debt if you:
- are homeless
- are experiencing domestic or family violence
- have impaired decision-making capacity
- live in a remote Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander community
- are undergoing rehabilitation
- have a disability
- are experiencing financial difficulty or are unable to work due to illness or injury
- are in custody or were recently in custody.
If you are eligible, you can pay off your debt by completing a work and development order with the support of one of our approved hardship partners.