Penalty points calculator
Enter the offence date and points for each endorsement on your licence. You’ll see how many points count towards a totting-up ban today, and the date each set drops off.
- Rules for Great Britain
- Figures checked 25 October 2026
- You’ll need the offence dates and codes from View driving licence or your paper counterpart
Your result
Add an offence date and its points.
How points count towards a ban
There are two clocks for every endorsement. The first decides whether the points count towards a totting-up ban: 3 years from the offence date. The second decides how long the endorsement stays on your driving record, where insurers and employers can see it: 4 years for most offences, or 11 years from conviction for the most serious drink and drug codes.
If the points from offences committed within any 3-year period add up to 12 or more, the court will usually ban you for at least 6 months. That rises to 12 months if you have had one ban of 56 days or more in the 3 years before, and 2 years if you have had more than one. A court can decide not to ban you if the ban would cause exceptional hardship, but that argument rarely works twice.
New drivers have a stricter limit. Reach 6 points within 2 years of passing your first test and the licence is revoked. Points picked up on a provisional licence count if they are still valid when you pass.
Worked example
A driver has 3 points from 12 February 2024, 3 from 3 July 2025 and 3 from 20 May 2026. On 25 October 2026 they have 9 points counting, so another 3 would reach 12. On 12 February 2027 the first set stops counting and the total falls to 6. That endorsement stays on their record until 12 February 2028.
What this doesn’t cover
Northern Ireland has its own records, held by DVA. If you hold a GB licence the points rules are the same, but check NI endorsements with DVA. The calculator also uses the offence date for 11-year endorsements, so if you were convicted much later than the offence, the real end date will be later.
Questions people ask
How long do penalty points last?
For totting up, points count for 3 years from the date of the offence. They stay on your driving record for longer: 4 years for most offences, and 11 years from the date of conviction for drink-driving and drug-driving offences such as DR10.
How many points before a ban?
12 or more points within 3 years can lead to a ban. The minimum is 6 months, rising to 1 year if you have had one ban of 56 days or more in the previous 3 years, and 2 years if you have had more than one.
What happens if a new driver gets 6 points?
If you reach 6 or more points within 2 years of passing your first test, your licence is revoked. You go back to a provisional licence and have to pass the theory and practical tests again. Points you had before passing count if they are still valid.
Do points come off automatically?
Yes. You don’t need to apply. DVLA removes endorsements once their 4 or 11 years are up. You can check what is on your record with the View driving licence service on GOV.UK.
Is it the offence date or the conviction date that counts?
For totting up, the offence date. Most endorsements also run 4 years from the offence date, but some, including drink-driving codes, run from the conviction date.