Payments

View the payment methods.

Examples of penalty notices and where to find the penalty notice number.

Payment will not be accepted if the due date of the penalty reminder notice has passed (you now need to pay using the enforcement order number and the options stated on the enforcement order). Payment will also not be accepted if the penalty notice reference number entered is incorrect.

If the fine is a demerit point offence and in a company name you should supply a statutory declaration telling us the driver's name, address, date of birth and licence number so a penalty notice is issued to the driver, before the fine is paid.

If your payment is rejected after you enter your credit card details, either your bank has not authorised the transaction, or there could be a communication error with the bank. Processing of payments can take a few minutes during peak times.

If your bank declines the payment, a message will appear asking if you want to try another card. Your payment is only considered authorised once a receipt number has been provided to you. Please record your receipt number.

If you have misplaced or lost your penalty notice, contact us for your payment reference number.

If your payment was by phone or internet, you can attempt to pay again by phone or internet. If your first attempt at payment was for the full amount and successful you will receive a message advising you that payment is not required and providing the receipt number.

If your payment was for less than the full amount, you will be advised of the balance outstanding. If in doubt, attempt the payment again to determine if the payment succeeded.

If your initial payment was by mail, BPAY or Australia Post, we may not have received it yet to apply to your penalty. If time permits before the due date on the reminder notice, wait 48 hours before attempting payment again.

If time does not permit, contact us by phone to check.

Check with your bank to confirm whether your payment has been made twice. If two payments are shown, post an unaltered copy of your bank statement to us with your request for a refund of the duplicate payment. SDRO postal address details

Yes. To ensure payment is applied to the correct fine, send your payment slip with your cheque or money order. Please write the penalty notice number or enforcement order number on the back of the cheque.

Payment may have been received after the reminder notice was sent. You can contact us to ask a client contact officer to check if your fine has been paid.

If after hours and the fine was paid by phone or over the internet in full, you can try paying again by phone or internet to obtain your original receipt number. Because you have already paid your fine in full, the system will recognise your earlier payment and provide you with the original receipt number.

It will not accept the second payment.

If SDRO records do not confirm payment, you will need to provide evidence of payment. If sending a copy of your credit card statement, please black out the middle eight digits of the credit card number for your protection.

Contact us to check if and when your payment was received.

If you paid by cheque or by EFTPOS at Australia Post, send us an unaltered copy of your bank statement.

If you paid by credit card, send us a copy of your credit card statement or receipt number. If sending a copy of your credit card statement, please black out the middle eight digits of your credit card number for your protection.

If you paid by money order, you can call the money order hotline on (02) 92026580 to confirm the money order was presented. If presented, send us a copy of the money order receipt.

If you receive a Centrelink benefit, and are unable to pay the full amount by the due date on the penalty reminder notice, you may be able to setup an instalment plan from your Centrelink payment without paying the usual $50/$25 fee if you contact us before the due date on the penalty reminder notice.

Regardless of whether you receive a Centrelink benefit or not, if your financial circumstances prevent you from paying a penalty notice in full you may pay it off over 2 months without incurring additional costs. You can make part payments as low as $20 towards a fine, provided that full payment is made by the due date on the penalty reminder notice. If payment is not received in full by the due date on the penalty reminder notice, an enforcement order will be issued to you for payment of the balance with a further $50 fee applied. If you are under 18 years of age, the enforcement fee is $25.

If we do not receive payment by the due date on the penalty notice, a penalty reminder notice will be sent to you providing a further 28 days in which to pay.

View the payment methods.

You have received an enforcement order because you:

• failed to deal with a fine prior to the due date on a penalty reminder notice, or
• in the case of a court imposed fine, you failed to pay the fine by the date a magistrate has determined.

Your fine has now progressed to enforcement action.

Payment methods are detailed on the front of your enforcement order. For more information read our payment methods.

You need the payment reference number or a copy of your enforcement order(s) depending on how you wish to pay. Contact us if you need the payment reference details or a copy of your enforcement order(s).

We cannot grant you an extension of the due date to pay an outstanding enforcement order. You can apply to pay by instalments by applying online, contacting us or completing an application to pay by instalments.

The completed application must be received prior to the due date of the enforcement order to prevent further enforcement action and costs being applied.

If you have received advice that an RMS restriction is in place or about to be applied, applying to pay by instalments will not stop that restriction.

If payment of all enforcement orders is received we will direct the RMS to lift restrictions the following working day.

For more information on timeframes for payment processing and lifting of RMS restrictions read our payment methods.

Contact the RMS before driving to confirm the restrictions are lifted. Heavy fines exist for driving while unlicensed and/or unregistered.

You can have your RMS restrictions lifted immediately by paying all enforcement orders in full. Payments can be made at any RMS Motor Registry.

You have RMS restrictions in place because you failed to pay an enforcement order before its due date.

Yes, once your penalty notice has become an enforcement order, you can apply to pay by instalments.

If you have a court imposed fine which you are unable to pay by the due date, you can apply to pay it by instalments from your Centrelink benefit before it becomes an enforcement order. This will save you the $50 enforcement fee and can be arranged by completing the form available from the local court or the Attorney General's website.

You can do this by applying online, contacting us or by completing a payment by instalment application form. Once you have setup a payment plan with SDRO, payments can be made using one of the payment methods listed on the enforcement order/s or you can have payments deducted automatically from your Centrelink benefit.

Entering into an agreement to pay by instalments will only stop further enforcement action if it is received and approved before the due date on the enforcement order/s.

Note: It is too late to apply to pay by instalments after a community service order has been issued.

You can have the payments deducted directly from your eligible Centrelink benefit using Centrepay. If the amount due is less than $10,000, you can contact us to arrange payment from your benefits or indicate you wish to make payments from your Centrelink benefit on the payment by instalment application – for individuals.

Things you need to know about Centrepay:

• deductions are voluntary
• deductions can only be used to repay fines included on an instalment schedule
• deductions can only be made fortnightly and must cover your agreed repayment amounts. You can pay more if you wish
• deductions will automatically cease when the amount payable is reached
• you must contact us to add new enforcement orders to your instalment schedule. We will then reassess your repayment amounts and advise Centrelink of any changes
• if your Centrelink payments are cancelled, or you stop making payments via Centrepay, you are still required to make your agreed payments. If you do not make the agreed payments, your agreement may be cancelled and further enforcement action will be taken.

You can make changes to your Centrepay deductions by contacting us or Centrelink.

If any of the following criteria apply:

• the enforcement order/s are issued in a company name – complete a Payment by Instalments application – for companies
• total enforcement orders owing is in excess of $10,000
• you are unable to make minimum repayment amounts
• you are a third party acting on someone’s behalf via Authority to Act

You will need to complete the online application

State Debt Recovery Office
P O Box A2571
Sydney South 1235


or fax it to 02 6354 7302.

You can setup to pay by instalments by contacting us. If you wish to make payments through your Centrelink benefit, you will need your:

• Centrelink customer reference number
• contact telephone number
• preferred instalment amount.

If you do not receive Centrelink benefits or wish to make payments by one of the other payment methods, you will need to supply your:

• name of bank
• employer details – name, address and contact telephone number
• contact telephone number
• preferred instalment amount.

Note: If you are acting for another person you may need to send us an Authority to Act or Power of Attorney, before contacting us.

Setting up a payment plan over the phone will only stop further enforcement action if it is requested and approved before the enforcement order's due date.

You can review or amend your existing instalment schedule by contacting us, providing:

• your arrangement is up-to-date
• you are able to catch up a percentage (as discussed with one of our operators) of your arrears on your next payment or as a lump sum.

Amendments that can be made by phone include:

• adding other enforcement orders to the plan
• changing your payment amounts
• arranging to rectify arrears
• making a lump sum payment (if you have a Centrepay arrangement).

Note: If you are unable to catch up arrears by regular or lump sum payments, a new payment by instalment application must be submitted. Amendments and reviews cannot take place by phone in these instances.

We assess applications and grant the order at our discretion. Factors considered include:

• your earning capacity
• your regular expenses
• the amount you owe
• how much you are able to pay in each instalment
• how long it will take you to pay the fine off
• whether you have previously defaulted on a payment order (failed to make scheduled payments under a previous payment agreement).

If your application is approved, we will send you an instalment schedule which sets out:

• how much you are required to pay, based on our assessment of your financial details
• a schedule of dates when you are to make payments and
• what enforcement orders are included in the instalment agreement.

Note: if you receive another enforcement order, or some of your enforcement orders are not included in the instalment agreement, you should arrange to have all of your enforcement orders included.

Sometimes the dates of the payments do not match the dates that you receive your wages or Centrelink benefits. As long as your payment is made within one week of the date the payment is due, your instalment schedule will not be defaulted.

If your circumstances change and you are no longer able to pay according to the instalment schedule, you should contact us to discuss your options.

If you do not make your payments according to the instalment schedule, the order will be cancelled and further enforcement action will be taken against you.

Note: information provided by you in your application may be used for further enforcement action. This may include:

• Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) restrictions
• having your personal belongings taken and sold by the Sheriff
• taking part of your wages or money from your bank account to satisfy the debt
• being called before the local courts to have your financial circumstances examined.

SDRO may review any approved instalment arrangements at our discretion. If you pay your instalments in time and add any new enforcement order/s to your payment plan before the due date/s, no further enforcement action will be taken against you.

If your circumstances change and you are no longer able to pay according to the schedule, you should contact us to discuss your options. SDRO reserves the right to review any approved Instalment Plan at its discretion.

If you do not make your repayments according to the instalment schedule, the order will be cancelled and further enforcement action will be taken against you. This may include:

• Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) restrictions
• having your personal belongings taken and sold by the Sheriff
• taking part of your wages or money from your bank account to satisfy the debt
• being called before the local courts to have your financial circumstances examined.

To prevent enforcement action, you should apply online or contact us immediately if you receive new enforcement orders after your instalment plan is set up – these will not automatically be added.

If your circumstances change and you are no longer able to pay according to the instalment schedule, you should contact us to discuss your options. SDRO reserves the right to review any approved Centrepay agreement at our discretion.

Yes, once your instalment schedule has been set up with Centrepay deductions, your instalment amount will automatically be deducted from your eligible Centrelink benefit before you receive your benefit.

Yes, you will need to take an up to date instalment schedule to Centrelink or you can contact us and supply your Centrelink customer reference number and we can set it up on your behalf.

You will need to contact us and advise us of your new benefit, so that your arrangement can be adjusted.

If your application to pay by instalments is refused or assessed at a higher amount than you have proposed, you may ask us to review our decision. Complete and send another application to pay by instalments with supporting documents showing you cannot afford to pay the amount requested.

You can also apply to have decisions reviewed by the Fines Hardship Review Board.

Yes, you can made additional payments.

You will need to contact us to advise the details.

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