Apply for a Work and Development Order
If you are experiencing financial hardship you can apply to do a Work and Development Order.
If you are unable to pay your fines and you meet the eligibility criteria, you can complete activities in the community to clear your fine debt.
You may be able to do a Work and Development Order if you are experiencing financial hardship and at least one of the following:
- are in receipt of a Centrelink benefit or receive a low income
- are homeless
- have an intellectual disability or cognitive impairment
- have a mental illness
- have a serious addiction or
- you are under the age of 18
How it works
A Work and Development Order means you pay off or reduce your fine by doing voluntary work, taking a course or for receiving counselling or medical treatment. You can do several activities however you can only have one Work and Development Order at a time.
The terms
You must complete your activity through an approved Work and Development Order sponsor. The fine will be reduced by either an hourly rate of attendance or by a compliance rate. The rates are set for each activity up to a maximum of $1000 a month.
Keeping your options open
If you are not eligible for a Work and Development Order or you are unable to find a sponsor in your area, you can look at other payment options.
The first step to get a Work and Development Order is to find a sponsor in your area. A sponsor is an organisation or health practitioner who has been approved to be a part of the scheme. The sponsor will supervise your activity.
A list of sponsors is on the Revenue NSW website. Legal Aid NSW also has specialist teams in six locations in NSW who can assist you to find a suitable sponsor.
Once you get a sponsor they will provide you with the details of the activity and what you need to do. In most cases you will need to provide them with proof that you are eligible. Proof might be a copy of your Centrelink benefit statement or a letter from your treating doctor.
If you are already completing activities with a not for profit, government organisation or health practitioner you can ask them to become a sponsor to assist you. They can find further information through Revenue NSW or Legal Aid NSW.
Locate a sponsor
Look on the Revenue NSW website or contact Legal Aid NSW for a list of sponsors in your area
Then, the sponsor will
- confirm your eligibility and provide you with the activity and hours to be completed
- submit the application online which will create the Work and Development Order for your fines
- report to Revenue NSW on the 15th of each month with the hours you have completed
Next, Revenue NSW will
- stop any enforcement action. They might lift your license suspension or registration cancellation
- reduce your fine debt each month by the value of hours completed until you finish the activity, or the debt is cleared
Further action
If you are unable to continue the activity or your debt is not cleared, you can choose to:
- Locate another sponsor and complete a new Work and Development Order
- ask for a payment plan or extension of time to pay
- ask for a write off if you have a large debt remaining
Get these results in an email
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Please don’t ignore your fine
If you do not take action by the due date you may pay more and be stopped from driving or using your car.