Tasmania Demerit Points: Thresholds and Accrual Windows Explained (2026)
Transport Tasmania, within the Department of State Growth, administers the demerit points system under the Vehicle and Traffic Act 1999 (Tas). A full Tasmanian licence allows up to 12 demerit points in a rolling 3-year window, while learner and provisional licences allow only 4 points in a much shorter 12-month window.
How Tasmania's demerit points system works
Transport Tasmania, a division of the Department of State Growth, administers driver licensing and the demerit points system for every class of Tasmanian licence. The legal basis for the system sits in the Vehicle and Traffic Act 1999 (Tas), with related offence provisions also found in the Traffic Act 1925 (Tas). Under section 22 of the Vehicle and Traffic Act 1999 (Tas), demerit points are awarded automatically once a traffic infringement notice is served on a driver for a demerit points offence. Section 21 of the same Act separately allows a court to award demerit points on conviction. Points are calculated from the date of the offence, not the date of conviction or payment, and each licence class has its own threshold and accrual window.
The full licence threshold: 12 points over 3 years
A driver who holds a full Tasmanian licence can accumulate up to 12 demerit points before facing a suspension, and this total is tracked over a rolling 3-year window measured back from the date of the most recent offence. Because the window is 3 years, a point recorded more than 3 years before the current offence date drops out of the running total. This gives an experienced, full-licence driver considerably more room to absorb an isolated infringement than a novice driver has, reflecting Transport Tasmania's general approach of applying a lighter compliance regime as a driver's experience and licence class advance from learner to provisional to full.
The novice threshold: 4 points over 12 months, not 3 years
Learner and provisional licence holders in Tasmania face a materially different regime. Both classes are subject to a 4 demerit point threshold, but that threshold is measured over a much shorter 12-month accrual window rather than the 3-year window that applies to a full licence. The shorter window is a deliberate feature of Tasmania's graduated licensing approach: because a novice driver has less experience, a lower tolerance is paired with a tighter timeframe in which offending is assessed, so repeated infringements are more likely to trigger licence action within the novice period itself rather than being diluted across several years. A learner or provisional driver should treat any infringement notice as materially closer to a suspension risk than a full licence holder would.
What happens when a driver reaches the threshold
Reaching or exceeding the applicable demerit points threshold, whether 12 points for a full licence or 4 points for a learner or provisional licence, results in a licence suspension administered by Transport Tasmania, together with a period of ineligibility during which a new licence cannot be obtained. Full licence holders who are suspended on this basis may be able to apply for a Period of Good Behaviour as an alternative to serving the suspension immediately; this arrangement is completed through Service Tasmania rather than through the courts. Because the exact administrative process, required forms and any conditions attached to a Period of Good Behaviour can change, and because it is described as available to full licence holders specifically, a driver approaching their threshold, whatever their licence class, should contact Transport Tasmania or Service Tasmania directly to confirm the current process rather than relying on a general description.
A learner or provisional licence carries additional consequences beyond the ordinary demerit points count. Provisional (P1) licence holders who commit certain offences, including failing to wear a seatbelt, using a mobile phone (including hands-free) while driving, or exceeding the speed restrictions that apply to their licence, can be required to restart their 12-month P1 period entirely, separately from any demerit points and fine that also apply. Learner licence holders who fail to comply with their licence conditions, such as driving without an appropriate supervisory driver or failing to display L-plates, can also face a disqualification of several months in addition to demerit points and a fine. These novice-specific consequences apply on top of, not instead of, the general 4-point threshold described above.
Checking your points and disputing an infringement
A driver can check the number of demerit points recorded against their Tasmanian licence by calling Service Tasmania on 1300 13 55 13. This figure only reflects points already finalised; it will not show an infringement that has not yet been paid or that is still awaiting a court hearing, so a driver's true position can be worse than what Service Tasmania currently shows. If a driver believes demerit points were wrongly awarded, for example because of a vehicle identification error, they can contact Traffic Liaison Services at Tasmania Police rather than Transport Tasmania, since the underlying infringement notice is a Tasmania Police matter even though the resulting licence action is administered by Transport Tasmania.
Mobile phone and speeding penalties: how they are structured
Tasmania calculates its traffic infringement fines using a statutory penalty unit, which was re-indexed to $213 per unit for the 2026-27 financial year. Both mobile phone offences and speeding offences in Tasmania are expressed as a number of penalty units, and both carry demerit points in addition to the fine. This is the same structural approach used across most Australian jurisdictions, where the dollar fine is a multiple of a periodically re-indexed penalty unit and the demerit point count is set separately for each offence.
The precise number of penalty units and demerit points attached to Tasmania's mobile phone offence, and the current speeding fine bands by kilometres over the limit, could not be independently confirmed from a reliable primary source at the time of writing. Rather than publish an estimate, this page directs readers to Transport Tasmania's own published schedules at transport.tas.gov.au, and to speedcameras.tas.gov.au for camera-detected speeding enforcement, for the exact current figures. Readers should treat any mobile phone or speeding fine figure for Tasmania quoted elsewhere with caution unless it links back to one of those two sources.
BAC categories in Tasmania
Tasmania's drink-driving framework is built around blood alcohol concentration categories tied to licence class. A full licence holder is subject to the general 0.05 BAC limit. Learner and provisional licence holders are subject to a zero-alcohol limit of 0.00 BAC, meaning any detectable alcohol is an offence regardless of the general 0.05 limit that applies to full licence holders. Detailed penalty amounts, disqualification periods and interlock requirements for drink-driving offences in Tasmania are addressed in this site's drink-driving limits across Australia spoke; for the current Tasmanian penalty schedule specifically, consult transport.tas.gov.au directly.
How Tasmania compares with other Australian states
Tasmania's 12-point full-licence threshold matches Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory, all of which also set the full-licence threshold at 12 points. Where Tasmania stands out is its treatment of novice drivers: pairing a 4-point threshold with a 12-month accrual window mirrors Queensland's structure (also 4 points in 1 year for both learner and provisional licences) and South Australia's flat 4-point novice threshold, but is stricter in timeframe terms than jurisdictions such as New South Wales, where novice thresholds are tiered by P1 and P2 stage but are still measured against the same 3-year window used for a full licence. A Tasmanian novice driver therefore has less time for an early infringement to fall outside the counting period than a novice driver in a state that uses a single 3-year window for every licence class.
Tasmania demerit points at a glance
| Licence type | Demerit point threshold | Accrual window |
|---|---|---|
| Full licence | 12 points | 3 years |
| Provisional licence | 4 points | 12 months |
| Learner licence | 4 points | 12 months |
Current fine schedules for mobile phone, speeding and other infringement notice offences should always be confirmed directly at transport.tas.gov.au, since penalty unit values and offence-specific fine and demerit figures are periodically re-indexed and were not able to be fully confirmed for this page.
This article provides general legal information about Tasmanian driving law as verified on 20 July 2026. It is not legal advice and does not account for your individual circumstances. For advice on a specific situation, consult a legal practitioner admitted in the relevant Australian state or territory. For current fine amounts, demerit point counts for specific offences, and the current process for a licence suspension or a Period of Good Behaviour application, contact Transport Tasmania directly.
Related reading: the Australia driving laws hub, how demerit points work across Australia, drink-driving limits across Australia, and demerit points pages for Victoria, Queensland and South Australia.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many demerit points before I lose my licence in Tasmania?
It depends on your licence class. A full Tasmanian licence holder can accumulate up to 12 demerit points before facing a suspension, tracked over a rolling 3-year window. A learner or provisional licence holder faces suspension at a much lower threshold of 4 demerit points, tracked over a shorter 12-month window. Points are awarded under the Vehicle and Traffic Act 1999 (Tas) once a traffic infringement notice is served or a court convicts you of a demerit points offence.
How long do demerit points last in Tasmania?
The accrual window differs by licence class. For a full licence, demerit points are counted over a rolling 3-year period. For learner and provisional licences, the window is much shorter at 12 months. Once a point passes outside the relevant window it no longer counts toward the threshold, though older infringements may still appear on a driving record for other purposes.
Why do learner and provisional drivers in Tasmania have a shorter demerit window than full licence holders?
Transport Tasmania applies a stricter demerit regime to novice drivers, pairing a lower 4-point threshold with a shorter 12-month accrual window rather than the 3-year window that applies to full licence holders. The shorter window means points accumulated by a learner or provisional driver are assessed over a tighter period, so repeated offending is more likely to trigger a suspension sooner than it would for an experienced full-licence driver.
What happens when a Tasmanian driver reaches their demerit points threshold?
Reaching or exceeding the applicable demerit points threshold results in a licence suspension and a period of ineligibility administered by Transport Tasmania. The exact process, including whether any alternative arrangement is available, depends on your licence class and history. Contact Transport Tasmania or Service Tasmania directly for the current process that applies to your situation.
Does Tasmania offer a good behaviour option instead of a demerit points suspension?
Full licence holders who are suspended for accumulating too many demerit points may be able to apply for a Period of Good Behaviour as an alternative to serving the suspension immediately. This is administered by Transport Tasmania and Service Tasmania. Whether this option applies to a learner or provisional licence is not addressed on the same basis, so a novice driver should confirm their options directly with Transport Tasmania.
How much is a mobile phone fine in Tasmania?
Tasmania’s traffic infringement fines are calculated using a statutory penalty unit, which was re-indexed to $213 per unit for the 2026-27 financial year. Mobile phone offences are set out in penalty units and carry demerit points. The precise number of penalty units and demerit points that apply to a given mobile phone offence could not be independently confirmed from a reliable primary source at the time of writing. Check transport.tas.gov.au for the current figures before relying on any number you see elsewhere.
What are Tasmania’s speeding fines?
Tasmania’s speeding penalty schedule could not be independently confirmed from a reliable primary source at the time of writing. Speeding fines in Tasmania are set out in penalty units and generally increase with the amount by which a driver exceeds the speed limit, and higher-range speeding offences typically carry more demerit points and a greater risk of licence action. For the current bands, consult transport.tas.gov.au or speedcameras.tas.gov.au directly.
How can I check my demerit points balance in Tasmania?
You can check the number of demerit points recorded against your Tasmanian licence by calling Service Tasmania on 1300 13 55 13. This will show demerit points already recorded, but not offences that have not yet been paid or that are still before a court. If you believe you were wrongly awarded demerit points, you can contact Traffic Liaison Services at Tasmania Police.
Sources and References
- Transport Tasmania: Demerit points(transport.tas.gov.au).gov
- Vehicle and Traffic Act 1999 (Tas), s 22 (Award of demerit points on traffic infringement notice)(legislation.tas.gov.au).gov
- Traffic Act 1925 (Tas)(legislation.tas.gov.au).gov
- Transport Tasmania: Applying for a Period of Good Behaviour (full licence holders only)(transport.tas.gov.au).gov
- Transport Tasmania: Demerit points and driving offences(transport.tas.gov.au).gov