Offender Levy
The offender levy is an administrative fee to help pay for law enforcement and administration costs.
If you’re sentenced in the Supreme, District or Magistrates Court, you need to pay the offender levy. (This doesn’t apply to child offenders.)
The levy is payable on each sentencing event whether or not a conviction is recorded. For example, if you were sentenced on 1 October 2018 in relation to four charges, only one levy may be applied.
The levy is not an order of the court and doesn’t form part of any sentence imposed by a judge or magistrate.
You can’t appeal the levy or convert the levy payment to community service.
If you go to court diversion for a minor drug offence, you still have to pay the offender levy.
Paying the levy
You can enquire at the Court Registry where your matter is to be heard if you wish to know what the current levy is for that court.
You can pay the levy at the court registry on the day it’s applied. Otherwise, you may be able to pay it through the State Penalties Enforcement Registry (SPER) - they will send you an enforcement order advising how and when to pay the levy.
If you don’t pay the levy by the due date on the enforcement order, SPER may take enforcement action against you.
Multiple levies
If all your charges are dealt with at the same time before the same judge or magistrate, you will be charged only one levy.
However, if your charges are dealt with at two separate sentencing events (e.g. some at District Court and some at Magistrates Court, even on the same day), you will be charged two levies.