NSW Double Demerit Dates 2026: Every Holiday Period + What a Single Speeding Fine Costs You Across the Long Weekend
NSW runs double demerits over six holiday periods in 2026 — Australia Day, Easter, Anzac Day, King's Birthday, Labour Day and Christmas/New Year. During each window your demerit points double (the fine amount stays the same), and it only applies to speeding, mobile-phone, seatbelt and motorcycle-helmet offences. Get caught 15 km/h over the limit during the Easter period and your usual 3 points becomes 6 — enough to suspend a P-plater on the spot.
The full 2026 NSW double-demerit calendar
Double demerits in NSW run from 12:01am on the first day to 11:59pm on the last day of each period. The dates below are the ones set by Transport for NSW and enforced by NSW Police for 2026. Times are NSW local time.
| Holiday period | Starts | Ends | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia Day | Fri 23 Jan 2026, 12:01am | Mon 26 Jan 2026, 11:59pm | 4 |
| Easter | Thu 2 Apr 2026, 12:01am | Mon 6 Apr 2026, 11:59pm | 5 |
| Anzac Day | Fri 24 Apr 2026, 12:01am | Mon 27 Apr 2026, 11:59pm | 4 |
| King's Birthday | Fri 5 Jun 2026, 12:01am | Mon 8 Jun 2026, 11:59pm | 4 |
| Labour Day | Fri 2 Oct 2026, 12:01am | Mon 5 Oct 2026, 11:59pm | 4 |
| Christmas / New Year | Thu 24 Dec 2026, 12:01am | Sun 3 Jan 2027, 11:59pm | 11 |
Two things people get wrong every year. First, unlike 2025, the 2026 Easter and Anzac windows do not run together — Easter ends Monday 6 April and Anzac doesn't start until Friday 24 April, so there's a clear gap between them. Second, the Christmas period is the long one: 11 straight days from Christmas Eve into the new year. Always confirm the current dates on the Transport for NSW demerit points page before a trip, because the department publishes the official list each year.
Double demerits double the points, not the dollars. A speeding fine costs exactly the same during a double-demerit period as it does any other day of the year. What changes is the number of demerit points recorded against your licence — and that's what actually costs you your licence.
Which offences double — and which don't
This is the part most drivers assume covers everything. It doesn't. In NSW, double demerits apply to just four categories of offence:
| Doubles during the period | Does NOT double |
|---|---|
| Speeding (all bands) | Running a red light |
| Illegal mobile phone use | Negligent / dangerous driving |
| Not wearing / incorrectly wearing a seatbelt | Not stopping at a stop sign |
| Riding without an approved motorcycle helmet | Failing to give way |
So a red-light camera fine over Easter carries its normal points; a speed camera fine 100 metres later carries double. The Transport for NSW rule is deliberately narrow — it targets the behaviours most linked to holiday road deaths.
The NSW speeding fine table (2026)
These are the standard penalty-notice amounts and demerit points for a car or light vehicle. The dollar figure is fixed; the "double-demerit points" column shows what lands on your licence during one of the six periods above. Figures verified against the NSW Government speeding offences page and Service NSW penalty data.
| Speed over limit | Fine | Normal points | Double-demerit points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 10 km/h | $137 | 1 | 2 |
| Over 10 to 20 km/h | $316 | 3 | 6 |
| Over 20 to 30 km/h | $542 | 4 | 8 |
| Over 30 to 45 km/h | $1,036 | 5 | 10 |
| Over 45 km/h | $2,794 | 6 | 12 |
Note: exceeding the limit by more than 45 km/h also triggers an automatic minimum 6-month licence suspension on the spot, on top of the fine and points. School-zone speeding carries higher fines and more points again, and school zones can still be active on the first weekday of a period (for example Thursday 2 April during Easter).
Worked example: 15 km/h over during the Easter period
Meet Priya. She's driving from Sydney to the Central Coast on Saturday 4 April 2026 — mid-Easter double demerits. A fixed speed camera clocks her at 75 km/h in a 60 km/h zone: 15 km/h over the limit. She holds a full (unrestricted) NSW licence.
Step 1 — Find the band. 15 km/h over falls in the "over 10 to 20 km/h" band.
Step 2 — The fine. That band is a $316 penalty notice. Double demerits do not change this — she pays $316 whether it's Easter or a random Tuesday.
Step 3 — The points. Normally this band is 3 points. Because the offence happened inside a double-demerit period, the points double to 6 points.
Step 4 — What it costs her licence. A full NSW licence is suspended once you reach 13 or more points in a 3-year period. This one offence uses up 6 of those 13 — nearly half her buffer — from a single Saturday drive. If she'd been on a P1 licence (4-point cap), those same 6 points would have exceeded her limit outright and triggered an automatic 3-month suspension.
Bottom line: $316 out of pocket, and 6 demerit points that sit on her record for 3 years from the offence date — double what the same camera flash would have cost her the week before.
How the points stack against your licence threshold
Doubling only matters relative to your point limit. NSW licence-suspension thresholds are:
| Licence type | Point limit before suspension | What a doubled "15 over" (6 pts) does |
|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted (full) | 13 points / 3 years | Uses 6 of 13 — nearly half |
| Provisional P2 | 7 points | Uses 6 of 7 — one more offence and you're gone |
| Provisional P1 | 4 points | 6 > 4 → instant suspension from one offence |
| Learner | 4 points | 6 > 4 → instant suspension from one offence |
This is why double demerits are brutal for new drivers. A P1 or learner licence has only a 4-point cap, so a single doubled speeding or phone offence over a long weekend can end the licence outright — where the same offence would have left a full-licence holder with 7 points of headroom still remaining. Thresholds and the 4/7/13-point structure are set by Transport for NSW; check the current figures on the official demerit points page.
- Six periods in 2026: Australia Day, Easter (2–6 Apr), Anzac Day, King's Birthday, Labour Day and the 11-day Christmas/New Year window.
- Points double, fines don't. The dollar penalty is identical — only the demerit points double.
- Only four offence types double: speeding, mobile phone, seatbelt and motorcycle helmet. Red-light and give-way offences keep their normal points.
- 15 km/h over during Easter = $316 + 6 points for a full licence; the same 6 points instantly suspends a P1 or learner (4-point cap).
- Interstate drivers aren't exempt: NSW doubling applies to the location of the offence, so a Queensland-plated driver caught in NSW cops the doubled NSW points.
Interstate drivers: does NSW double demerits catch a Queensland driver?
Yes. NSW double demerits apply based on where the offence happens, not where the car or licence is registered. If you hold a Queensland licence and get pinged by a NSW speed camera during a NSW double-demerit period, the doubled NSW points are recorded and then transferred to your home licence through the national demerit-point exchange. Your home state (QLD) then applies its own suspension threshold to the total.
Queensland runs its own double-demerit scheme too, but it works completely differently: it's not calendar-based. In QLD, double points apply to certain repeat offences (like speeding more than 20 km/h over, or mobile-phone use) committed twice or more within a 12-month window, all year round. So a NSW-based driver in QLD is judged by QLD's repeat rule — and a QLD driver in NSW is judged by NSW's calendar rule. You can be exposed to both systems on the same road trip. Always check the rules for the state you're actually driving in.
Do double demerits double the fine as well as the points?
No. In NSW the fine amount is exactly the same during a double-demerit period as any other day. Only the demerit points double. A 15 km/h-over offence is $316 either way; the difference is 3 points normally versus 6 points during the period.
What exact times do NSW double demerits start and finish?
Each period runs from 12:01am on the first listed day to 11:59pm on the last listed day, in NSW local time. For Easter 2026 that's 12:01am Thursday 2 April to 11:59pm Monday 6 April.
Does running a red light attract double demerits in NSW?
No. Only speeding, illegal mobile phone use, seatbelt offences and riding without an approved motorcycle helmet double in NSW. Red-light, give-way and stop-sign offences keep their normal demerit points even during a double-demerit period.
How many points suspend a P-plater during double demerits?
A P1 or learner licence is suspended at 4 or more points; a P2 licence at 7 or more. Because a single 15 km/h-over offence becomes 6 points during a double-demerit period, it can suspend a P1 or learner driver from one offence, and leaves a P2 driver with just 1 point of headroom.
I'm from another state — do NSW double demerits still apply to me?
Yes. NSW doubling applies to offences committed in NSW regardless of where your licence or vehicle is registered. The doubled points are transferred to your home-state licence, and your home state applies its own suspension threshold to the total.
How long do the doubled points stay on my licence?
Demerit points in NSW remain on your record for 3 years from the date of the offence (not the date you pay). Doubled points are counted the same way — they simply add up faster toward your threshold.
Heading into a long weekend?
Get our free one-page NSW long-weekend checklist — every 2026 double-demerit date, the point cost of each offence, and the numbers that suspend each licence type.
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