Photo: Q8682, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In Queensland, learner and P plate drivers can only have 4 demerit points in any 1-year period, compared with 12 in 3 years for open licence holders. Reach 4 and a learner’s licence is suspended for 3 months. A P plater gets a choice: 3 months off the road, or a 1-year good driving behaviour period where 2 more points doubles the suspension. This guide explains each sanction, the offences that trigger them and the extra rules for drivers under 25.
Demerit point limits in Queensland
| Licence | Limit | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Learner | 4 or more points in any 1 year | 3-month suspension. No choice of good behaviour period. |
| P1 or P2 provisional | 4 or more points in any 1 year | Notice to choose: 3-month suspension or a 1-year good driving behaviour period |
| Open | 12 or more points in any 3 years | Notice to choose: suspension of 3 to 5 months, or good behaviour |
Points count from the date of the offence, and they appear on TMR’s free “Check my demerit points” service once the fine is paid, sent to the State Penalties Enforcement Registry or dealt with in court.
Common offences and their points
| Offence | Points |
|---|---|
| Speeding less than 11 km/h over | 1 |
| Speeding 11 to 20 km/h over | 3 |
| Speeding more than 20, up to 30 km/h over | 4 |
| Speeding more than 30, up to 40 km/h over | 6 |
| Speeding more than 40 km/h over | 8, plus a 6-month suspension |
| Learner or P1 (under 25) using a phone | 4 |
| Learner driving unsupervised | 4 |
| Seatbelt offences | 4 |
| Breaking the P1 peer passenger, late-night or high-powered vehicle rules | 3 each |
| Not displaying L or P plates | 2 |
A single speeding offence of more than 20 km/h over the limit, a phone offence or a seatbelt offence takes a learner or P plater straight to 4 points.
Queensland also doubles the points for a repeat speeding (more than 20 km/h over), phone, seatbelt or helmet offence within 12 months of an earlier one. See double demerit points in Australia.
Learners: automatic 3-month suspension
If you hold only a learner licence and reach 4 points in a year, TMR sends a notice suspending your licence for 3 months, starting on a date at least 21 days after the notice. Time while suspended does not count towards your 1 year minimum on Ls, so your test date moves back.
P platers: the notice to choose
If you are on a P1 or P2 licence and reach 4 points in a year, TMR sends a notice to choose. You have at least 21 days to pick one option.
- Suspension: your licence is suspended for 3 months. If you do not reply, this is what happens.
- Good driving behaviour period: you keep driving for 1 year, but if you get 2 or more points in that year your licence is suspended for double the period, which is 6 months.
Which option is better?
Choose the good driving behaviour year only if you are confident of a clean year. One more 2-point offence (such as not displaying P plates) means 6 months off the road instead of 3.
Extra rule for drivers under 25: the late-night ban
If you were under 25 and on a P1, P2 or probationary licence when you committed the offence, then after choosing a good driving behaviour period, or after a demerit point or excessive speed suspension ends, you cannot drive between 11pm and 5am for 1 year. The year starts on the day your good behaviour period starts, or the day after your suspension ends. You can apply for an exemption to drive to, from or for work if refusing would cause you or your family severe hardship; you need your employer’s signed support. Breaking the ban carries 3 demerit points.
Excessive speeding: more than 40 km/h over
Any driver caught more than 40 km/h over the limit gets 8 points and a 6-month suspension, whatever their total. For a learner or P plater, that alone is well over the 4 point limit.
Special hardship orders and restricted licences
- Special hardship order: a court can let some drivers with a suspended provisional or open licence keep driving in stated circumstances. You are not eligible if you have had a suspension, cancellation or disqualification in the previous 5 years, and learner licences are not covered.
- Restricted licence: often called a work licence. After a drink or drug driving conviction, a court can grant one if you need to drive to earn a living and are not a risk to others, but you must apply before the disqualification is imposed. You must have held a Queensland open licence when you offended, so learners and P platers cannot get one. Eligibility is narrow, so get legal advice (for example from Legal Aid Queensland) before assuming you qualify.
How the rules are enforced
Your keys to driving in Queensland and TMR’s current pages describe the main ways offences are detected:
- Cameras: fixed and mobile speed cameras, point-to-point (average speed) cameras, red light cameras (some also detect speeding), and fixed or portable cameras that detect phone use and seatbelt offences.
- Number plate recognition: cameras that check registration and licence records, helping police find unregistered vehicles and vehicles of interest.
- Random breath tests: expect to be stopped at any time. Refusing the roadside test is an offence. Learners and P platers must have a zero alcohol reading.
- Roadside drug tests: saliva tests for cannabis, methylamphetamine, ecstasy and cocaine. A positive second test means a 24-hour licence suspension while the sample goes to a laboratory.
New laws start on 1 December 2026. The Queensland Government says drug driving penalties double, with higher fines and longer licence disqualifications, and combined drink and drug driving offences get stronger penalties. Changes to roadside drug testing and a mandatory drug driving education program follow in 2027. Check TMR’s Drugs and driving page for the penalties that apply on the day.
A camera fine can be transferred if someone else was driving the vehicle registered to you. TMR says you must do this within 28 days of the issue date on the notice, online or by statutory declaration, or the fine and any demerit points stay with the person it was issued to. Never transfer a fine to someone who was not driving: a false nomination is a criminal offence.
Disqualified and unlicensed driving
After a court disqualification, you come back on a probationary licence for at least 1 year instead of a provisional one. If you held a P1 or P2 before, you get a P1 or P2 probationary licence and must keep following that licence’s conditions, including P plates and zero alcohol. If you were also under 25 when you offended, the high-powered vehicle restrictions apply for the whole probationary period whatever your age, and a late-night driving ban may apply too.
Driving while disqualified by a court means a further disqualification of 2 to 5 years, a large fine and possible jail. If a court finds you guilty of driving while your licence is suspended, it will disqualify you and may fine or jail you. Check your licence status before driving if you are unsure.
Common questions
How many demerit points can a Queensland P plater have?
Fewer than 4 in any 1-year period.
What is a good driving behaviour period?
A 1-year period you can choose instead of a 3-month suspension. Two or more points during it means a 6-month suspension.
Do interstate points count in Queensland?
Yes. Offences in other states that match Queensland demerit offences are recorded on your Queensland traffic history.
Can I check my points online?
Yes, free, through TMR’s “Check my demerit points” service, if you hold a Queensland licence and are not on a good behaviour period or special hardship order.
Do my points reset when I move from P1 to P2?
No. The limit is any 1-year period, so points from late in your P1 still count early in your P2.
Related: Queensland learner rules, Queensland P1 and P2 rules and learning to drive in Queensland.
Sources
- Queensland Government, “Transport Operations (Road Use Management: Driver Licensing) Regulation 2021”, chapters 6 to 10 and schedule 5, current as at 21 September 2026 (legislation.qld.gov.au)
- Department of Transport and Main Roads, “Check my demerit points” (service.transport.qld.gov.au)
- Department of Transport and Main Roads, “Bookings online: book a driving test” (service.transport.qld.gov.au)
- Department of Transport and Main Roads, “Your keys to driving in Queensland”, No. 19, November 2022, complete PDF: Probationary and restricted licences (pp. 40 to 41), Enforcement (pp. 161 to 164), Licence sanctions (pp. 165 to 171), Disqualified and unlicensed driving (pp. 172 to 173) (publications.qld.gov.au)
- Queensland Government, “Double demerit points” (qld.gov.au)
- Queensland Government, “Drugs and driving”, Department of Transport and Main Roads, last updated 31 August 2026 (qld.gov.au)
- Queensland Government, “New laws passed to crack down on dangerous driving”, joint ministerial statement, 17 September 2026 (statements.qld.gov.au)
- Queensland Government, “Transfer a fine”, Department of Transport and Main Roads, last updated 6 November 2026 (qld.gov.au, Fines and enforcement)