Penalty Units (NSW)
What is a “penalty unit”?
A “penalty unit” is a defined amount of money used to stipulate the amount payable for a fine or used to prescribe a maximum penalty for an offence. In NSW the current penalty unit amount is $110.00 for offences under NSW legislation.
An offence will have the maximum financial penalty described in an amount of penalty units. For example:
- Contravene ADVO –2 years’ imprisonment and/or 50 penalty unit fine = $5,500.00,
- Possess Prohibited Drug – 2 years’ imprisonment and/or 20 penalty units = $2,200.00,
- Speeding >20km/h – 20 penalty units = $2,200.00,
- Negligent Driving (no death or GBH) – 10 penalty units = $1,100.00.
Legislation:
| Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999
Section 17 Penalty units Unless the contrary intention appears, a reference in any Act or statutory rule to a number of penalty units (whether fractional or whole) is taken to be a reference to an amount of money equal to the amount obtained by multiplying $110 by that number of penalty units. |
This article was written by Sophie Ogborne
Sophie Ogborne has a Bachelor of Laws from University of Wollongong and a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice from the College of Law. She was admitted to practice in New South Wales in 2020. Sophie has experience in criminal law, civil law, family law and in the criminal and equity divisions of the Supreme Court. Sophie now practices exclusively in...
About Armstrong Legal
Armstrong Legal is a national law firm with more than 30 years of experience guiding Australians through serious legal matters under various areas of law, including criminal law, corporate crime and traffic law. You are looked after by experts in their field, with our team including a number of Accredited Criminal Law Specialists who have passed a rigorous assessment and been conferred with Specialist Accreditation by the Law Society.
Each year, we handle more than 1,000 criminal and traffic matters, with lawyers appearing in Court almost daily and bringing practical, real-world experience to a broad range of cases. Our team can provide legal guidance for matters like assault offences, drug charges, fraud and more, so you can be confident you're in good hands if you're searching for "traffic lawyers burwood", "domestic violence order" or "criminal damage".
When you need urgent advice most, our 24/7 phone line for criminal matters lets you speak directly to a lawyer. Our team can assist you with any aspect of criminal or quasi-criminal law, whether your search included "criminal defence attorneys", "top criminal defence", "defence legal" or other terms, so reach out to us by phone call or online enquiry today.