At a glance
- Deadline
- 21 days from the Infringement Notice to pay the fine or deal with it another way
- If you do nothing
- Penalty Reminder Notice (+$30.00), then Notice of Final Demand (+$155.60, so $185.60 more in total), then an Enforcement Warrant (+$68.00, so $253.60 more in total); amounts as of 1 July 2026
- Who you pay
- Check your notice first: council and public transport fines at infringement stage go to the agency that issued them, not Fines Victoria
- Fastest way to pay
- Online with the reference number in the top-right corner of the notice; BPAY, phone, Australia Post, in person and post are also listed
- Who it’s for
- Anyone in Melbourne or elsewhere in Victoria who has a fine and wants to know what happens at each stage
- What to do now
- Read the payment instructions and the due date on your most recent notice, then pay, or choose another option before that date
- Last checked
- Saturday 7 November 2026, against four Fines Victoria pages
- Not yet confirmed
- The amount of any one fine; Fines Victoria’s pages we read do not list it, so we do not give one
A Victorian Infringement Notice gives you 21 days to pay the fine or deal with it in another way, and Fines Victoria says that if you do nothing the amount grows at every stage: $30.00 at the Penalty Reminder Notice, $155.60 more at the Notice of Final Demand, and $68.00 more when an Enforcement Warrant is issued. Those fees are listed as of 1 July 2026 and are adjusted each July. This guide sets out what each stage means, who you pay at each one, and the ways to pay.
Everything here comes from Fines Victoria’s own pages, read on Saturday 7 November 2026. It is general information, not legal advice. Your notice is the document that counts, and Fines Victoria says to always check the payment instructions on your fine before you pay.
How long do I have to deal with a fine in Victoria?
Fines Victoria’s page on the Infringement Notice says that when you first receive a fine, you will be issued with an Infringement Notice, and you will have 21 days to pay the fine or deal with it in another way, such as applying to pay it in instalments or requesting a review.
The notice itself should tell you five things, according to Fines Victoria: your offence, how much you owe, how you can pay, your options for dealing with the fine, and the fine due date. The agency page lists these options:
- pay now
- nominate the responsible driver, if you received a camera-detected fine and were not driving the vehicle at that time
- request a review
- request a court hearing
- ask for more time to pay
- ask to pay in instalments
- apply for a Work and Development Permit
- apply for the Family Violence Scheme
Fines Victoria says fines for excessive speed, drink or drug-driving offences are different from other fines and are more serious, and that you should act on them before the due date on the notice. For fines issued by Victoria Police for alleged speeds of less than 10 km/h over the posted limit, you may be eligible for an official warning in place of the fine; Fines Victoria points to the Victoria Police website for the details.
Do I pay Fines Victoria or the council?
Check this before you pay anything. Fines Victoria says its website only deals with fines it manages at infringement stage. If you have received, for example, a public transport fine or a fine issued by a local council that is at infringement stage, you need to deal with the enforcement agency that issued the fine, not Fines Victoria. For those fines, Fines Victoria says it only gets involved once a Notice of Final Demand is issued.
| Where your fine is | Who you deal with, per Fines Victoria |
|---|---|
| Council fine at infringement stage | The council that issued it |
| Public transport fine at infringement stage | The agency that issued it |
| Fine managed by Fines Victoria at infringement stage | Fines Victoria, on its website |
| Any fine after a Notice of Final Demand is issued | Fines Victoria becomes involved |
Fines Victoria’s advice is the same on both of its pages: always check your most recent notice for instructions on what to do, who to contact and how to pay. Some fines must be paid directly to the enforcement agency that issued them.
What happens if I do nothing?
Fines Victoria’s page, If you don’t deal with your fine, says you must do something about your fine by the due date, and that once a fine is registered with Fines Victoria, it does not expire and can be enforced at any time. It sets out five stages:
| Stage | What is added | What Fines Victoria says |
|---|---|---|
| Infringement Notice | Nothing yet | You have 21 days to pay the fine, or ask to pay in instalments, ask for additional time, ask for a review or ask to go to court |
| Penalty Reminder Notice | + $30.00 | Issued if you did not deal with your Infringement Notice by the due date; you have 14 days to deal with the fine before it becomes more serious |
| Notice of Final Demand | + $155.60, making your fine $185.60 more than when first issued | If you did not deal with the Penalty Reminder Notice by the due date, the agency that issued the fine may register it with Fines Victoria, which sends this notice; you must comply within 21 days |
| Enforcement Warrant | + $68.00, making your fine $253.60 more than when first issued | The Magistrates’ Court may issue a warrant to the Sheriff of Victoria if you did not deal with the Notice of Final Demand by the due date |
| 7 Day Notice | No further fee listed | Sheriff’s officers may serve this final warning before the Sheriff of Victoria takes further action; you have 7 days |
The fee amounts on that page are marked as fine amounts and fees as of 1 July 2026, and Fines Victoria says they are adjusted each July.
What can the Sheriff and VicRoads do?
At the Notice of Final Demand stage, Fines Victoria says that if you do not take action by the due date it may direct VicRoads to suspend your driver licence or vehicle registration, or take other enforcement actions.
Once an Enforcement Warrant has been issued, Fines Victoria says sheriff’s officers can wheel clamp and detain your vehicle to get you to deal with your fine, and that if you do not take action to resolve it, they may seize and sell your vehicle.
The 7 Day Notice is described as your final warning. Fines Victoria says it is only issued to an individual and cannot be issued to a company. In the 7 days you can pay the outstanding amount in full, apply for a payment arrangement or request a review of your fine, and, if eligible, apply for a Work and Development Permit or the Family Violence Scheme. Once the 7 Day Notice period expires, you cannot apply for any of these options, and sheriff’s officers can then take actions to finalise the warrant.
How can I pay a Victorian fine?
Fines Victoria says the easiest and fastest way to pay is online, using the payment reference number or obligation number, which is usually in the top-right corner of your fine. Its Pay your fine page lists these other ways:
| Way to pay | What the page says |
|---|---|
| BPAY | Biller Code 49031; the reference is your Obligation Number, located in the top-right corner on the front of the notice |
| Phone | Call 1300 735 124 and quote the payment reference number on your notice; Visa or MasterCard |
| Australia Post | Before the due date, visit any Australia Post outlet and present your Infringement Notice, Penalty Reminder Notice, Notice of Final Demand or payment arrangement letter |
| In person | Fines Victoria, Ground floor, 277 William Street (near corner of Little Lonsdale Street), Melbourne; open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, except public holidays |
| By post | Send a money order, not cash, along with the payment slip to Fines Victoria, GPO Box 2041, Melbourne VIC 3001; no receipt is issued for payments made by post |
If you received a handwritten fine, the fine was sent to your phone or by email, or your fine does not have an obligation number, and you want to pay it on the website or by phone, Fines Victoria says to call 03 9200 8111.
What if the fine is from a traffic camera and I was not driving?
Fines Victoria’s payment page says that if your fine is for a traffic camera offence and you were not driving the vehicle at the time, you should not pay the fine. You should nominate the person who was driving so the fine can be reissued to them. The Infringement Notice page lists nominating the responsible driver as one of your options for a camera-detected fine.
What if I cannot afford to pay in full?
Fines Victoria says that if you cannot afford to pay your fine in full, you can ask to pay in regular instalments, fortnightly or monthly, and that your payments can also be automatically deducted from your Centrelink payment. You can also ask for more time to pay and, if eligible, apply for the Work and Development Permit scheme or the Family Violence Scheme.
On its page about paying by instalments, Fines Victoria says an individual or a company can apply, and that your application will be assessed based on:
- the outstanding fine amount
- your income
- your financial status
- your payment history
- any hardship that you are experiencing
The page says you are not eligible if you are an individual who has been issued with a 7 Day Notice which has expired, or you waived the 7 day period. It lists other cases that are not eligible too, including a fine that is a court fine issued by or registered with the Children’s Court, and a warrant to imprison issued against you.
Once a decision has been made, you receive a notification by post explaining the outcome. If your application is successful, you will receive information by mail about how to pay your instalments. If it is not successful, the page says to contact Fines Victoria for information on your options. If you want to pay by Centrepay, the page says not to submit an online form and to call 03 9200 8111 instead, because Fines Victoria needs to talk to you before it can set that up. If you cannot apply online, you can also call that number or download the paper application for an individual or a company.
Who do I ring at Fines Victoria?
Fines Victoria’s pages give 03 9200 8111 for fine enquiries, and 1300 369 819 for regional callers. If you want to speak to someone about your fine in your preferred language, the same numbers apply, and an introduction to the fines system in Victoria is also available in 15 languages. Fines Victoria’s counter at 277 William Street is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, except public holidays.
What is still unknown?
The Fines Victoria pages we read do not list the penalty for any particular offence, so this guide gives no amount for a parking, speeding or toll fine. The amount you owe is printed on your notice. We have also not checked each council’s own pages for how to pay a council fine at infringement stage, so for those, follow your notice. We will update this page if Fines Victoria changes its fees or steps, and we will not guess at details it has not published.
Sources
- Fines Victoria — If you don’t deal with your fine (checked 7 November 2026)
- Fines Victoria — Infringement Notice (checked 7 November 2026)
- Fines Victoria — Pay your fine (checked 7 November 2026)
- Fines Victoria — Request to pay by instalments (checked 7 November 2026)
Featured image: a parking meter in a park in Melbourne, June 2020 (photo: Ben Stone / CC BY-SA 4.0, text added). Other photos are from Wikimedia Commons; two illustrations are AI-generated.
OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with Fines Victoria or the Victorian Government.