There are essentially four options available for anyone who has been issued with a fine. These options include:

1. Pay the fine.
2. Convert the fine to community work. Five hours of community work equates to approximately $100.00 and a minimum of 8 hours is required to be worked. If an order of compensation has been made, this amount can not be converted to community work. Further information on converting a fine to community work can be obtained from court staff in your local area.
3. Convert the fine to time in custody. One day spent in prison equates to approximately $100.00 of a fine. Further information on converting a fine to time spent in custody can be obtained from court staff in your local area.
4. Fail to pay the fine and take no action. In this case a warrant will be issued for your arrest and provided to the Sheriff to enforce.

If you wish to convert a fine to community work, you must attend a Magistrates’ Court and submit an application with the registrar. There is no fee payable to submit this application. The registrar will usually only grant an application if you are unemployed or if there is some exceptional reason why the fine cannot be paid off by instalments. Generally, if you are working the registrar will allow you to pay off the fine by instalments but this will be assessed on a case by case basis.

The registrar is allowed to ask you questions about your financial situation and request to see your financial records or documentation to support your application. In some cases, you may be required to swear an affidavit as to your financial situation.

If your application to convert a fine to community work is granted, you will be asked to sign a form and be required to report to community corrections by 4pm, usually on that day or the next day. It will be up to community corrections as to when and where you work and the type of work you perform. You will be required to do a minimum 8 hrs of work and the conversion is one hour for approximately every $20 owing.

If your fine has resulted originally from an infringement and has come to court via the Infringements Court (for example, a parking fine), application for conversion of your fine can only be made to a magistrate and not to a registrar.