What Happens If You Lose All Your Demerit Points in NSW?
Reach your demerit point limit in NSW and Transport for NSW must send you a notice of licence suspension. How long you are off the road depends on your licence type and how many points you reached. Unrestricted licence holders may be able to elect a 12-month good behaviour period instead, and police can suspend a licence on the spot for serious offences without waiting for points to build up.
A suspension does not cancel your vehicle’s registration or your green slip. It changes when you can drive, and it can change what you pay for CTP insurance at your next renewal.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Your rights and deadlines depend on why your licence was suspended, so read the notice you received and get advice promptly if you plan to appeal.
What can get your licence suspended in NSW?
Five things, and they follow different processes.
- Reaching your demerit point limit. Transport for NSW issues a notice of licence suspension once you reach the limit for your licence type.
- A serious offence detected by police. Police can suspend a licence on the spot rather than waiting for a court date.
- Unpaid fines. Fines that stay unpaid through the reminder and enforcement stages can lead to licence action by Revenue NSW.
- Medical fitness. Transport for NSW can suspend, cancel, vary or refuse a licence on medical grounds.
- A court order. A court can disqualify you from driving as part of sentencing.
The rest of this page covers the two most common paths: demerit points and immediate police suspension.
What is the demerit point limit for your licence?
The threshold depends on the licence you hold:
| Licence type | Demerit point limit |
| Professional drivers | 14 points |
| Unrestricted licence | 13 points |
| Provisional P2 | 7 points |
| Provisional P1 | 4 points |
| Learner | 4 points |
| Unrestricted on a good behaviour period | 2 points |
That 4-point limit is why a single offence can end a learner or P1 driver’s licence. Every speeding offence committed by a learner or provisional driver carries at least 4 demerit points, so one detection can reach the threshold on its own.
For how points are counted, when they expire and how to check your balance, see our guide to demerit points in NSW.
How long is a licence suspension for demerit points?
It depends on your licence type, and the two groups work differently.
Unrestricted licence holders. The Road Transport Act 2013 sets the periods:
| Demerit points in the previous 3 years | Suspension period |
| 13 to 15 (or 14 to 15 for a professional driver) | 3 months |
| 16 to 19 | 4 months |
| 20 or more | 5 months |
Learner and P1 licence holders. Reaching or going over 4 points means a 3-month suspension, or Transport for NSW refusing to renew the licence. The period does not scale with how far past the limit you go.
Learner and provisional drivers face extra suspensions for serious speeding on top of that: an additional 3 months for exceeding the limit by more than 30 km/h, and 6 months for more than 45 km/h.
Check the date on your notice. The Act requires the notice to specify when the suspension takes effect, and that date cannot be earlier than 28 days after the notice is given, so you have a defined window to act, but it is short.
Can police suspend your licence on the spot?
Yes, for a defined set of serious offences. Police can suspend immediately, or within 48 hours of charging you, where a driver:
- is involved in a serious crash causing death or grievous bodily harm
- exceeds the speed limit by more than 45 km/h, for full licence holders
- exceeds the speed limit by more than 30 km/h, for learner and provisional licence holders
- is charged with certain alcohol or drug driving offences
- is caught street racing or committing other hoon offences
An immediate suspension does not wait for a court hearing, which is why the clock on any appeal starts straight away.
Street racing carries heavy penalties in its own right. The maximum court-imposed fine for a first offence is $3,300.
Can you choose a good behaviour period instead?
If you hold an unrestricted NSW licence and you have been sent a demerit point suspension notice, you may be able to elect a 12-month good behaviour period through Service NSW and keep driving.
The trade-off is strict. During those 12 months your limit drops to 2 demerit points, and reaching it means a suspension of double the original period. Because the base periods are 3, 4 and 5 months, a breach means 6, 8 or 10 months off the road.
Two things people get wrong. You have to apply before your suspension starts, and it is only available to eligible unrestricted licence holders, not to learners or provisional drivers.
Can you appeal a licence suspension in NSW?
Sometimes, and it depends entirely on why you were suspended.
Demerit point suspensions. Learner and provisional licence holders can appeal to the Local Court. Unrestricted licence holders cannot appeal a demerit point suspension, which is why the good behaviour period exists as the alternative.
Transport for NSW decisions. Licence and registration appeals are filed in the Local Court, generally within 28 days of receiving the letter. Service NSW provides an online path through the NSW Online Registry.
Immediate police suspensions. These can be appealed, and the time runs from when you were given the notice.
Medical suspensions. You can appeal, but lodging one does not pause the decision.
The Local Court can allow the appeal, vary it, or dismiss it. Nobody can promise an outcome, and an appeal does not automatically let you keep driving in the meantime, that depends on the type of suspension.
Deadlines are short and they differ by suspension type. Check your notice, and contact Service NSW, Legal Aid NSW or a solicitor if you are considering an appeal.
What happens if you drive while suspended?
Do not. Driving while suspended is a separate offence, and the penalties include disqualification, heavy fines and imprisonment.
It also makes the original problem worse. A conviction for driving while suspended sits on your traffic record, which is exactly the history insurers look at later.
How do you get your licence back after a suspension?
Serve the suspension period, then confirm with Transport for NSW that your licence is due to be restored. You can check your licence status and demerit balance through Service NSW.
For demerit point suspensions, the points counted towards your notice are deleted when the suspension period begins, so you are not carrying the same balance afterwards.
One trap worth knowing: points you pick up after being served the notice but before the suspension starts are treated separately and can carry forward.
If your suspension relates to unpaid fines, it ends when the fine matter is resolved with Revenue NSW rather than after a set period.
What do traffic fines actually cost in NSW?
Two different numbers get confused here, so it is worth separating them.
A penalty notice is the on-the-spot fine. These amounts are indexed, so they change. Illegal mobile phone use currently attracts a fine of $423, or $562 in a school zone, plus 5 demerit points — doubling to 10 points during a double demerit period.
A maximum court-imposed fine is what a court can order if the matter goes before it, and those figures are much higher. For speeding, the maximums run to $2,200 for light vehicles and $3,300 for heavy vehicles.
Does a licence suspension affect your green slip?
Not directly, and this is where people worry more than they need to.
A suspension does not cancel your vehicle’s registration or your CTP green slip. If the vehicle stays registered, CTP insurance remains compulsory for it, and the policy runs to its expiry date as normal.
What can change is your next price. SIRA says individual risk factors influence the total cost of a green slip, which is why it recommends shopping around. Driving history is one of those factors, and the six licensed insurers weigh it differently from each other — so whoever was cheapest for you before may not be cheapest now.
There is a practical step in that. When your registration or green slip is due, compare rather than accepting the renewal notice in front of you. Our post on how demerit points change prices between insurers shows how much the same record can vary, and why green slips get expensive covers the other factors at play.
Compare NSW green slip prices across all six insurers when your registration is due.
Key points
- Transport for NSW must issue a suspension notice once you reach your demerit limit
- Limits are 13 points for unrestricted licences, 14 for professional drivers, 7 for P2, and 4 for P1 and learners
- Unrestricted suspensions run 3 months at 13 to 15 points, 4 months at 16 to 19, and 5 months at 20 or more
- Learner and P1 suspensions are 3 months, and do not scale with the point total
- Learner and provisional drivers face an extra 3 months for speeding more than 30 km/h over, and 6 months for more than 45 km/h over
- The suspension start date cannot be earlier than 28 days after the notice is given
- Police can suspend on the spot, or within 48 hours of charging, for serious crashes, extreme speeding, some alcohol and drug offences, and street racing
- Eligible unrestricted licence holders can elect a 12-month good behaviour period, but must apply before the suspension starts
- On a good behaviour period, 2 or more points means 6, 8 or 10 months depending on the original period
- Learners and provisional drivers can appeal a demerit suspension; unrestricted licence holders cannot
- Driving while suspended is a separate offence with serious penalties
- A suspension does not cancel your registration or green slip, but it can affect your next price
People Also Ask About NSW Licence Suspension
Drivers facing a suspension notice tend to ask the same questions about how long it lasts, whether they can keep driving, and what it costs them later. Here are the answers.
1. What happens if you lose all your demerit points in NSW?
Transport for NSW sends you a notice of licence suspension. For an unrestricted licence the period is 3 months at 13 to 15 points, 4 months at 16 to 19, and 5 months at 20 or more. Learner and P1 holders get a flat 3 months once they reach 4 points. If you hold an unrestricted licence you may be able to elect a 12-month good behaviour period instead, but you have to apply before the suspension starts.
2. How long is a licence suspension in NSW?
Between 3 and 5 months for demerit points on an unrestricted licence, and 3 months for learners and P1 holders. Immediate police suspensions and court disqualifications work differently, and unpaid fine suspensions end when the fine matter is resolved rather than after a set period.
3. Can you appeal a licence suspension in NSW?
It depends on the reason. Learner and provisional licence holders can appeal a demerit point suspension to the Local Court, while unrestricted licence holders cannot. Transport for NSW licence decisions are generally appealed to the Local Court within 28 days of receiving the letter, and immediate police suspensions can also be appealed. Deadlines are short, so get advice quickly.
4. What is a good behaviour period in NSW?
A 12-month alternative to a demerit point suspension, available to eligible unrestricted licence holders who apply through Service NSW before the suspension begins. Your limit drops to 2 points for the year, and reaching it means a suspension of double the original period — so 6, 8 or 10 months.
5. Can a P-plater get a good behaviour period?
No. The good behaviour option is for eligible unrestricted licence holders. Learner and provisional drivers have a 4-point limit for L and P1 and 7 points for P2, and their route is an appeal to the Local Court rather than a good behaviour period.
6. How do you check if your licence is suspended in NSW?
Check your licence status and demerit point balance through Service NSW, online or in person. If a suspension notice has been issued it will show the date the suspension takes effect, and that date cannot be earlier than 28 days after the notice was given.
7. Do demerit points affect your green slip price?
They can. SIRA says individual risk factors influence the total cost of a green slip, and driving history is one of them. Because the six licensed insurers weigh that history differently, the same record can produce noticeably different prices, which is why it pays to compare all six at renewal rather than staying put by default.
