How to satisfy a Fines Default

Fines defaults are shown as either satisfied or unsatisfied on the Register. Satisfied means you have paid in full, unsatisfied means you have not. You can ask the court for this to be corrected if it is wrong.

If you have fully paid the fine more than a calendar month from the date of the notification letter, you can apply to have it shown as satisfied by providing the court with proof of payment. The satisfied fine will stay on the Register for the statutory five years from the date of conviction.

When the court has received the proof of payment, they should notify us to amend the Register, to show the record as ‘satisfied’. Once updated, the Register will show that your debt has been fully paid and the date it was paid.

If you require a certificate showing that your record has been paid, you can apply to the relevant court for a 'Certificate of Satisfaction'. There is a court fee of £14 for the certificate.

Cancelling/setting aside a Fines Default

The court will set aside a fine if it has been:

  • entered in error
  • paid before the court date
  • cancelled because full repayment was made within one calendar month from the date of the notification letter

If a judgment was entered in error, an application can be made to the court to have the judgment set aside.

If you have fully paid the fine within a month from the date of the notification letter, you can apply to have it set-aside/cancelled by providing the court with proof of payment. The fine will be removed from the Register once we have been notified by the court.

If full payment is made within one month, you can also apply to the relevant court for a Certificate of Cancellation, available for a court fee of £14.