Offender levies

An offender levy is a fee that helps pay the cost of law enforcement and administration costs.

This levy is applied to any adult convicted of an offence in a supreme, district or magistrates court, whether or not the conviction is recorded. It does not apply to child offenders.

The levy is payable on each sentencing event. A sentencing event is a specific date and time at which sentence is passed on an offender. For example, if you were sentenced on 1 October 2023 in relation to four charges, only one levy would be applied. The levy is not an order of the court and does not form part of any sentence imposed by a judge or magistrate. It is an amount prescribed under the Penalties and Sentences Regulation 2015. It is in addition to any sentence imposed by the court for the offence. It applies if you are found or plead guilty to an offence. The levy is not applied if you are found not guilty of an offence.

If your sentence includes a fine, this is separate to the offender levy. The court will not consider the payment of an offender levy when deciding your penalty or sentence. If you plead guilty online you will still have to pay the offender levy. You have to pay an offender levy whether you appear in person or not.

If you unsuccessfully contest a traffic infringement and you are found guilty, then the offender levy will be applied. This is in addition to any fine or penalty imposed by the court.

You cannot appeal the levy, and we cannot waive or withdraw it. It cannot be converted to community service. The levy is a legislated fee that is automatically applied when an adult is sentenced for an offence.

You should pay the levy on the day it is applied in court. Otherwise, the court will register the levy with the State Penalties Enforcement Registry (SPER), who will send you an enforcement order with instructions on how to pay.

Find out more about offender levies, including the current rates.