Speeding fine and penalty points in Ireland: what to do

You have 28 days from the date of the fixed charge notice to pay the standard charge and a further 28 days to pay the increased charge. After 56 days a summons to the District Court is issued. Penalty points stay on your record for 3 years and take effect 28 days after payment or conviction.

1. Read the notice and check the details. A fixed charge notice states the offence, the date, time and place, the speed recorded, the speed limit and the vehicle registration. Check that the registration and vehicle description match your car and that you were in that place at that time. Note the date of the notice: the 28-day payment windows run from it. If the vehicle was sold before the date of the alleged offence, contact the Fixed Charge Processing Office with proof of the change of ownership. If the notice is clearly wrong, write to the office promptly, but remember that writing does not stop the payment periods running.
2. Decide who was driving. The notice goes to the registered owner, but the penalty points must go on the licence of the person who was driving. If you were not driving, complete the driver details section on the notice within 28 days, giving the name, address and driver number of the person who was driving, and return it to the Fixed Charge Processing Office. A new notice then issues to that driver. A registered owner who fails to nominate, or gives false information, commits an offence. Companies and hire firms must nominate the employee or customer. Never accept points for someone else: it is an offence and both people can be prosecuted.
3. Pay within the first 28 days if you accept the offence. The current fixed charge for speeding is €160. Pay online at fines.ie, by phone or at a post office, quoting the notice number. You must give your driving licence number when paying; payment without it can lead to a summons for failing to produce the licence. Paying in the first 28 days means 3 penalty points on your record and no court appearance. Keep the payment receipt. The points take effect 28 days after payment and remain for 3 years from that date.
4. If you miss the first deadline, pay the increased charge. From day 29 to day 56 after the notice, the charge rises by 50%, to €240 for speeding. The penalty points stay at 3. After 56 days you can no longer pay the fixed charge in the normal way and a summons to the District Court will be issued. Under amendments made by the Road Traffic Act 2016, once a summons is served you may still be allowed to pay a higher amount (currently understood to be double the standard charge) before the court date to avoid a conviction; check the summons and confirm the current rule with the court office.
5. Consider whether to contest the notice. You do not have to pay; you can wait for the summons and plead not guilty in the District Court. Realistic grounds include wrong vehicle or driver identity, a speed limit sign missing or obscured, a speed limit not lawfully made by bye-law, or a defect in the evidence of the speed measurement. A mere disagreement with the speed limit is not a defence: in [2026] IEHC 316 the High Court quashed a District Judge's dismissal of speeding charges where the facts were proven, holding that the judge was obliged to convict and apply the statutory penalty. If convicted, you face a fine of up to €1,000 (check the current maximum) and 5 penalty points instead of 3.
6. Prepare properly if you go to court. Request the prosecution evidence in advance, including the camera or speed detection record and the calibration details of the equipment. Photograph the road signs and the location. Bring your licence to court; failure to produce it on conviction is a separate offence. If you plead guilty, explain any mitigating circumstances briefly. If you are convicted, you can appeal to the Circuit Court within 14 days; the appeal is a full rehearing, and a stay on any disqualification can apply pending appeal, as discussed in [2026] IEHC 290. Unrepresented drivers can ask about the criminal legal aid scheme only if a disqualification or prison sentence is a real risk.
7. Keep track of your total points. A full licence holder who reaches 12 penalty points within 3 years is automatically disqualified from driving for 6 months. A learner permit holder or novice driver who first received a learner permit on or after 1 August 2014 is disqualified at 7 points. Since the Road Traffic Act 2024, where several penalty point offences are committed on the same occasion (for example speeding and using a mobile phone), points are endorsed for each offence, not just one. You can check your penalty points on the National Driver File through the NDLS or RSA online services.
8. Know the current speed limits. The Road Traffic Act 2024 reduced default speed limits outside built-up areas: 60 km/h on local roads and 80 km/h on regional and national secondary roads, with national primary roads remaining at 100 km/h unless a special limit applies; motorways remain at 120 km/h and built-up areas at 50 km/h unless a lower special limit applies. These changes were commenced in stages from 2025, so check the signs; local authorities can set special speed limits, including 30 km/h zones, by bye-law. Ignorance of a new limit is not a defence.
9. Tell your insurer and plan for the consequences. Most motor policies require you to disclose penalty points and convictions at renewal or when asked. Failing to disclose can invalidate cover or lead to claims being refused. Points usually increase premiums, especially at higher totals. If you are approaching 12 points (or 7 as a learner or novice), consider whether a court challenge on a genuine ground is worthwhile, and drive with extra care until the oldest points expire. A disqualification of 6 months means surrendering your licence to the NDLS within 14 days of the disqualification starting; driving while disqualified is a serious offence with fines and possible imprisonment.

• Ignoring the notice because you think it is wrong. The payment periods keep running, and after 56 days you lose the option of a fixed charge and face a court summons with higher points if convicted.
• Taking points for a family member or friend. Nominating someone who was not driving, or accepting points for another person, is an offence; Garda investigations into cancelled or falsified notices have led to suspensions and prosecutions.
• Paying without your driving licence number. The points cannot be endorsed and you may be summoned for failing to produce your licence, turning a simple payment into a court case.
• Forgetting that points are cumulative across offences. Several offences on one occasion now each carry points, so a single stop can push a learner or novice past 7 points.
• Not telling your insurer. Undisclosed points can lead to a policy being voided, leaving you uninsured, which carries its own penalty points, fines and possible disqualification.
• Expecting a court to excuse speeding because the limit seems too low. A judge who finds the offence proven must convict; challenges to the limit itself require evidence that the bye-law is invalid.

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Last updated: 03/11/2026 · Sources: Road Traffic Act 2010, Part 3 (ss. 34–47) – fixed charge offences, service and payment of fixed charge notices, Road Traffic Act 2002 – penalty points system and First Schedule, Road Traffic Act 2016 – fixed charge notices and payment on service of summons, Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023 – fixed charge offences and penalty points amendments, irishstatutebook.ie, EUR-Lex

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