20km/h Over the Limit in Queensland (2026): $777 Fine + 4 Demerit Points Worked Through for Full and P-Plate Drivers
If a Queensland camera or officer clocks you more than 20km/h but not more than 30km/h over the limit, the 2026 penalty is a $777 fine and 4 demerit points. That $777 isn't a random number — it's exactly 4.5 penalty units at Queensland's 1 July 2026 penalty-unit value of $172.70. Below I work the same offence through for a full (open) licence and a P-plate driver, bust the double-demerit myth that trips up most Queenslanders, and show what happens when the points stack up.
The exact 2026 penalty for 20–30km/h over in Queensland
Queensland groups speeding into five bands. The band you land in is set by how far over the posted limit you were travelling — not by how "dangerous" a magistrate thinks it was. For the more than 20km/h but not more than 30km/h band, the fixed infringement penalty in 2026 is:
| Item | 2026 figure |
|---|---|
| Speed band | More than 20km/h but not more than 30km/h over |
| Penalty units | 4.5 penalty units |
| Penalty-unit value (from 1 Jul 2026) | $172.70 |
| Fine | $777 (4.5 × $172.70 = $777.15, shown as whole dollars) |
| Demerit points | 4 |
The demerit points and the penalty-unit multiplier are set in Queensland's road rules regulation; the dollar figure moves every 1 July when the state re-indexes the penalty unit. That's why last year's article quoting a different dollar amount isn't "wrong" — it's just last year's penalty unit. See the sections below for how the conversion works and how the same offence lands very differently depending on your licence.
How Queensland turns "penalty units" into a dollar fine
Queensland doesn't hard-code speeding fines as dollar amounts. It expresses them in penalty units, then multiplies by whatever the penalty unit is worth that year. The value is set under the Penalties and Sentences Act 1992 and re-indexed each 1 July. Recent values:
| Effective date | Value of 1 penalty unit | 20–30km/h fine (4.5 units) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Jul 2023 | $154.80 | $696 |
| 1 Jul 2024 | $161.30 | $725 |
| 1 Jul 2025 | $166.90 | $751 |
| 1 Jul 2026 | $172.70 | $777 |
You can prove any Queensland speeding fine to yourself the same way: find the penalty-unit multiplier for the band, multiply by the current penalty-unit value, and drop the cents. For the full band ladder in 2026:
| How far over the limit | Penalty units | 2026 fine | Demerit points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 11km/h over | 2 | $345 | 1 |
| 11–20km/h over | 3 | $518 | 3 |
| More than 20 – 30km/h over | 4.5 | $777 | 4 |
| More than 30 – 40km/h over | 7.5 | $1,295 | 6 |
| More than 40km/h over | 11.5 | $1,986 | 8 + 6-month suspension |
Figures computed from Queensland's confirmed penalty-unit multipliers (which reproduce the official published dollar amounts exactly for 2023–2025) and the 1 July 2026 penalty-unit value of $172.70. Always confirm the exact cents on the infringement notice you receive.
Worked example — a full (open) licence, 79 in a 60
Meet Bianca. She holds a Queensland open licence and a clean record — 0 demerit points. On the Bruce Highway feeder road she's clocked at 79km/h in a signposted 60 zone.
Step 1 — Find the band. 79 − 60 = 19km/h over? No — the camera and the officer work off the vehicle's measured speed against the limit: 79 − 60 = 19km/h. That's the 11–20km/h band. To be squarely in the 20–30km/h band Bianca would need to be 81–90km/h in a 60. Say the reading is 83km/h → 83 − 60 = 23km/h over → the "more than 20 – 30km/h" band.
Step 2 — Apply the penalty. That band = 4.5 penalty units and 4 demerit points.
Step 3 — Convert to dollars. 4.5 × $172.70 = $777.15 → $777 fine.
Step 4 — Points after. Bianca had 0, now she has 4 of her 12-point (3-year) open-licence allowance used. No suspension — but she's a third of the way there, and those 4 points sit on her record for 3 years from the offence date.
Bianca's total: $777, 4 demerit points, licence intact.
Same offence on a P-plate — why 4 points is the whole allowance
Here's where Queensland drivers get caught out. There's a common belief that P-platers "can only get 1 point in their first year." That rule does not exist in Queensland. Queensland does not run a first-year single-point cap. What it actually runs is a much lower total allowance:
| Licence type | Demerit-point limit | Period measured |
|---|---|---|
| Open (full) licence | 12 points | Any 3-year period |
| Provisional P1 & P2 | 4 points | Any 1-year period |
| Learner | 4 points | Any 1-year period |
Meet Josh. He's 18, on a P1 provisional licence, clean record. Same offence as Bianca — 83km/h in a 60, i.e. 23km/h over.
The fine is identical: 4.5 penalty units → $777. Queensland does not charge P-platers a different fine for the same speed.
The points are the problem. The offence carries 4 demerit points — and a provisional driver's entire allowance is 4 points in 12 months. So this single ticket takes Josh from 0 straight to his limit. He'll be sent a Notice to Choose: either accept a 3-month licence suspension, or agree to a 1-year good behaviour period (during which just 2 more points = double the suspension, i.e. 6 months off the road).
Josh's total: $777, and his licence is now on the line — off one offence that cost a full-licence holder only a third of their buffer.
That's the real headline for new drivers: on a P-plate, a 20–30km/h-over ticket isn't "a few points" — it's your whole 12-month allowance in one hit.
Double demerit points in Queensland — the myth vs the real rule
Plenty of Queenslanders brace for "double demerits over the Easter and Christmas long weekends." That's a New South Wales, ACT and Western Australia thing — not Queensland. Queensland has no holiday-period double demerits. Your $777 / 4-point ticket does not become 8 points because you were booked on a public holiday.
What Queensland does have is double demerits for repeat offences, year-round. If you commit a second offence of the same type within 12 months of an earlier one, the second offence's points are doubled. This applies to speeding, mobile-phone, seatbelt and motorcycle-helmet offences.
Back to Bianca. Eight months after her 23km/h-over ticket (4 points already on record), she's clocked again — this time 32km/h over, which is the 30–40km/h band worth 6 demerit points and a $1,295 fine.
Because it's a second speeding offence within 12 months, Queensland doubles the second offence's points: 6 → 12 points for this ticket alone. The fine is not doubled — only the demerit points.
Bianca's running total: 4 (first offence) + 12 (doubled second offence) = 16 demerit points — well past the 12-point open-licence threshold. She's now facing a suspension, not a warning.
What happens at accumulation — 12 points in 3 years on a full licence
An open (full) Queensland licence is suspended when you reach 12 or more demerit points within any 3-year period. It doesn't happen silently:
The Notice to Choose
Transport and Main Roads sends a Notice to Choose. You have 21 days to pick one of two options:
- Option A — Accept the suspension. Your licence is suspended for a set period based on how many points you racked up:
Points in the 3-year window Suspension 12–15 points 3 months 16–19 points 4 months 20+ points 5 months - Option B — Elect a 1-year good behaviour period. You keep driving, but you're capped at 1 demerit point over 12 months. Get 2 or more points in that year and your licence is suspended for double the period you would have served under Option A.
If you make no choice within 21 days, the suspension option applies automatically. So for a full-licence holder, the 20–30km/h ticket's 4 points matter most as accumulation — one $777 ticket won't suspend you, but three of them inside three years will put you right on the 12-point line.
- 2026 penalty for 20–30km/h over in QLD: $777 + 4 demerit points. The $777 is 4.5 penalty units × $172.70 (the value from 1 July 2026).
- The fine is the same for a P-plater — but 4 points is a full licence holder's third and a provisional driver's entire 12-month allowance.
- A single 20–30 ticket suspends a P1/P2/learner via a Notice to Choose (3-month suspension or a strict 1-year good behaviour period).
- Queensland has NO holiday double demerits. Doubling only applies to a repeat same-type offence within 12 months — and it doubles points, not the dollar fine.
- Open licence suspends at 12 points in 3 years. Roughly three 20–30km/h tickets inside three years reaches the line.
Official sources
- Demerit points schedule — Queensland Government (qld.gov.au)
- Double demerit points — Queensland Government
- About demerit points & accumulation limits — Queensland Government
- Speeding fines and demerit points — Transport and Main Roads
- Penalties and Sentences (Penalty Unit Value) Amendment Regulation 2025 — penalty unit $172.70
Frequently asked questions
Is the Queensland speeding fine for 20km/h over really $777 in 2026?
Yes. The "more than 20km/h but not more than 30km/h over" band is 4.5 penalty units. From 1 July 2026 a penalty unit is worth $172.70, so 4.5 × $172.70 = $777.15, shown as $777 on the notice. It also carries 4 demerit points. Confirm the exact cents on your own infringement notice.
Does Queensland have double demerit points on public holidays?
No. Holiday-period double demerits are a NSW, ACT and WA rule. Queensland only doubles the demerit points for a repeat offence of the same type committed within 12 months of an earlier one — and it doubles points, not the dollar fine. The time of year doesn't matter.
What happens to a P-plater who gets caught 20–30km/h over in QLD?
Same $777 fine, but the 4 demerit points equal a provisional (P1/P2) or learner driver's entire 4-point, 12-month allowance. So one ticket triggers a Notice to Choose: accept a 3-month suspension, or take a 1-year good behaviour period where just 2 more points doubles the suspension.
How many demerit points before I lose a full Queensland licence?
An open (full) licence is suspended at 12 or more demerit points in any 3-year period. Transport and Main Roads sends a Notice to Choose giving you 21 days to accept a suspension (3 months for 12–15 points, longer above that) or elect a 1-year good behaviour period.
Why is the fine amount different from what I read last year?
The demerit points and the penalty-unit multiplier don't change, but the dollar value of a penalty unit is re-indexed every 1 July. It was $154.80 in 2023, $161.30 in 2024, $166.90 in 2025 and $172.70 from July 2026 — so the same 4.5-unit band reads as $696, $725, $751 and $777 respectively.
Do the demerit points fall off my record?
Demerit points are counted over a rolling window — 3 years for an open licence, 1 year for provisional and learner licences — measured back from the date of each new offence. Points from a 20–30km/h ticket stop counting toward suspension once they age out of that window.
Driving-money surprises, minus the surprise
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