Your ticket
How long do I have to pay or challenge a parking fine?
Independent site, not a council, operator or appeals service. You pay or appeal only through the channel printed on your notice.
Enter the date on your notice and how it arrived: the countdown lists every deadline with the amount due, and saves them to your calendar.
Next: Last day for the reduced rate
8 November 2026
13 days left · £35
| Last day for the reduced rate14 days beginning with the day the notice was served. Pay £35 instead of £70. | 8 November 2026£35 |
| Informal challenge, to keep the reduced rateWrite to the council before this date: if it rejects the challenge it may offer the reduced rate again. | 8 November 2026 |
| Notice to Owner can be posted (earliest)Sent to the registered keeper if nothing is paid in 28 days. From then on the full £70 is due. | 23 November 2026£70 |
| Formal representations (earliest)28 days beginning with the day the Notice to Owner is served. The date counts from your Notice to Owner: this is the earliest it can fall. | 22 December 2026 |
| Charge certificate (earliest)If nothing is paid or challenged, the charge rises by 50% to £105. | 23 December 2026£105 |
| Order for recovery (earliest)14 days after the charge certificate the council can register the debt at the county court; you then have 21 days for a witness statement. | 6 January 2027£105 |
The Notice to Owner must be served within 6 months of the notice (SI 2022/71 reg 20).
A council parking fine runs on a strict clock set by regulations. In England the reduced rate, half the penalty, lasts 14 days beginning with the day the notice is served, or 21 days when a camera notice comes by post. A notice fixed to the car is served that day; a posted one counts as served on the second working day after posting, with weekends and bank holidays left out. If nothing is paid within 28 days, the council can post a Notice to Owner, which opens 28 days to pay the full amount or make formal representations; the council then has 56 days to decide. When the Notice to Owner period passes without payment or challenge, a charge certificate adds 50%, and 14 days later the debt can be registered at the county court, after which you have 21 days to file a witness statement. A rejected challenge gives 28 days to pay or appeal to the adjudicator. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland use similar steps with their own amounts.
Last day for the reduced rate
Reduced rate until
15 November 2026
| Notice served on | 2 November 2026 |
| Period | 14 days beginning with service |
England: SI 2022/71 reg 10. A postal notice is served on the second working day after posting.
Rules, amounts and dates read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
A worked example, step by step
Here is a windscreen notice issued outside London on 14 December 2026, at band 2 higher rate (£70). The dates show why the end of the year needs care.
| Step | Date | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Notice fixed to the car | 14 December 2026 | £70 |
| Last day at the reduced rate | 27 December 2026 | £35 |
| Notice to Owner can be posted | 11 January 2027 | £70 |
| Formal representations, earliest end | 28 days after the Notice to Owner is served | £70 |
| Charge certificate, at the earliest | 28 days after the Notice to Owner is served | £105 |
The reduced-rate period ends on 27 December 2026, just as many people are away. If the notice had been posted by camera on 23 December 2026, service would be presumed only on 29 December 2026, because the 24th is a working day and the 25th to the 28th are not (GOV.UK bank holidays). The countdown above applies the bank holidays of each nation for 2025 to 2027.
Why "beginning with" matters
The regulations use the phrase "the period of 14 days beginning with the date on which the penalty charge notice is served" (SI 2022/71, regulation 10). The day of service is day one, so the last day is thirteen days later. Some councils print a date on the notice; where they do, that is the one to follow, and if it is later than ours, so much the better. Our tools always count the cautious way.
Deadlines after you challenge
| You have done | The next deadline |
|---|---|
| Informal challenge within the reduced-rate period | the date in the council reply; reduced rate may be offered again |
| Formal representations after a Notice to Owner | council decides within 56 days |
| Representations rejected | 28 days to pay or appeal to the adjudicator |
| Charge certificate received | 14 days before an order for recovery |
| Order for recovery received | 21 days for a witness statement |
Each of these has its own page: Notice to Owner, formal representations, tribunal appeal and charge certificate.
Outside England
In Wales the reduced rate also lasts 14 days. In Scotland it lasts 14 days and appeals to the First-tier Tribunal must be made within 28 days of the notice of rejection. In Northern Ireland the reduced rate lasts 14 days, the Notice to Owner can follow after 28 days and the charge certificate a further 28 days later. Choose the nation in the countdown to see them as dates.
Keep a record
Whatever you decide, write down the day you received each letter, keep envelopes, and send challenges in a way that leaves a trace: the council's online form with a confirmation, or email. A one-day dispute about service is far easier to win with evidence. The calendar file from the countdown puts every date in your diary without anything leaving your device.