In the ACT, demerit points are managed by Access Canberra. On a full licence you’re suspended once you reach 12 points; learners and provisional drivers have much lower limits. Points last three years from your most recent offence. Here’s how the limit, the suspension periods and the good behaviour option work, and how you get your licence and points back.
The ACT tests your points over a rolling three-year period, counted from your most recent offence. Points become inactive once three years pass or once you go over your limit.
Your limit before a suspension depends on your licence type:
| Licence type | Limit before suspension |
|---|---|
| Full licence | 12 points |
| Provisional | 4 points |
| Learner (issued/renewed after 1 Jan 2020) | 4 points |
| Learner (issued before 1 Jan 2020) | 12 points |
| Probationary | 2 points (licence cancelled) |
Once you reach your limit, Access Canberra suspends your licence. For a full licence the time off the road steps up with the number of points:
| Points | Off the road for |
|---|---|
| 12–15 points | 3 months |
| 16–19 points | 4 months |
| 20 or more points | 5 months |
Provisional and post-2020 learner drivers are suspended for 3 months at 4 points; a probationary licence is cancelled at 2 points.
Full ACT licence holders can elect a 12-month good behaviour period after being served the suspension notice. Your balance resets to zero when it starts, but your limit drops to 2 points, reach 2 or more and you’re suspended for double the original period. Learner, provisional and probationary holders can’t use it.
When the suspension ends, your active demerit points reset to zero, the ACT states this explicitly. Any points you picked up during or just before the suspension carry over and apply once it ends. Points also reset when you move from a learner to a provisional licence, but carry across from provisional to full.
Provisional and newer learner licences (issued or renewed after 1 January 2020) hit the limit at 4 points; a probationary licence has the lowest limit at 2 points and is cancelled rather than suspended. Points carry across when you upgrade from provisional to full.
These limits and suspensions are about your licence, but the points themselves come from a fine, so there is a separate path worth remembering. You can request a review of the underlying fine through the issuing authority, and if the fine is withdrawn the demerit points that came with it are removed too, which can stop you reaching your limit in the first place. Fight My Fine helps you draft that review letter.
Official sources: Access Canberra, demerit points and suspensions.
On a full licence, 12 points. Learners and provisional drivers reach their limit much sooner (4 points).
They generally stay on your record for three years, from the date of the offence.
Learners and provisional drivers have a much lower limit (4 points), so a single serious offence can be enough to lose the licence.
Yes, when the suspension ends your active points reset to zero.
If the fine that added the points looks wrong, Fight My Fine helps you draft a review or leniency letter, structured around what the reviewing officer looks for. You get a free case-strength check first, and if your grounds are weak we tell you before you pay. Flat price: $10 for parking and toll fines, $15 for all other fines.
Fight My Fine is a self-help tool, not a law firm, and this page is general information, not legal advice. You are the author and sender of every letter. The issuing authority makes the final decision on any review. For serious matters or court, speak with a qualified lawyer or a free service such as LawAccess NSW.