Can you pay a traffic ticket online? How do you pay a traffic infraction online? Before you pay a ticket online you might want to know how much that traffic ticket is really going to cost you.
The short answer is “yes.” You CAN pay online in almost all courts in Washington State. If you look up the particular court online you can usually find a portal to pay with. Many WA courts (but not municipal courts) are listed in the WA State court directory.
You might be looking for the answer to a more specific question like: Should I go ahead and pay my ticket online without appearing in court. My answer to that question would be “no, you should go to court or have someone go for you.” Here is the reason why:
When you have a moving traffic infraction, such as speeding, electronic device while driving (cell phone), speed too fast for conditions, fail to yield, among others, WA courts will report your ticket to the Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL). Your insurance company can now see that infraction on your driving history. That will increase your car insurance rates, sometimes very drastically. A few tickets in a short span may make car insurance extremely expensive. Beyond the costs involved, it is also possible to lose your license based on an accumulation of moving violations.
What Will It Cost Me to Pay a WA Traffic Ticket Online
The real cost of paying a ticket online is built into increased car insurance payments. These are increased payments in addition to any fine when you pay a ticket online. How much will your insurance go up if you commit a moving infraction? Not many people know the answer to this question because different insurance companies have different policies. The exact amount of the insurance increase depends on your car insurance carrier and your previous history with traffic infractions. You can expect your rates to increase by around 10% to 15% over three years. If you had a moving infraction, you will probably be paying 10-15% more in insurance over the next few years. Most people pay their insurance every six months.
- If you pay $500 for car insurance every six months, on the low end, you will end up paying around $300 more in that 3 year time period.
- If you pay $1000 for car insurance over six months, on the low end, you will end up paying around $600 more in that 3 year time period.
Non-moving infractions will NOT affect your insurance rates but they can still be very expensive. Non-moving infractions CAN still affect your ability to get any reduction in future traffic infraction cases.
Additionally, if you were receiving a “good driver discount” through your insurance company, you may end up losing that good driver discount. The amount of a “good driver discount” and similar programs depends on your insurance provider. The good driver discount can account for up to 25% savings on your insurance premium. Therefore, the loss of that 25% discount will significantly increase the amount you pay in car insurance. These insurance costs are the real cost of a moving violation.
Some drivers could face even more significant consequences if they are on deferred/probation for a traffic ticket or criminal offense or if they have a commercial driver’s license or intermediate license. See our questions section for a more in-depth look at those issues.
If you want to contest a traffic ticket you can request a contested hearing. A judge will hear your case. A judge will hear the prosecutor’s case against you. The judge will then decide whether you committed the traffic infraction or not. The judge or prosecutor case also dismiss your traffic ticket outright.
It is possible to beat a traffic ticket in WA. There are a number of reason why a traffic ticket can get dismissed. The reasons vary on a case by case basis. Getting a “no insurance” ticket dismissed may require a different process than getting an “expired registration” ticket dismissed. While getting a ticket dismissed is great, avoiding getting a speeding ticket in the first place will ensure your insurance rates do not skyrocket.
If you get a speeding ticket, an HOV ticket, a work zone or construction zone ticket, no insurance ticket, speed too fast for conditions, cell phone ticket, school bus camera ticket, fail to obey traffic signal or traffic control device, or other infraction, you should contact an attorney to try to get that ticket off your record.
A traffic ticket is not a criminal offense.
You can get on a payment plan for a traffic ticket. In most cases you can pay that traffic ticket online.
Can I Pay a Traffic Ticket Online in Installments?
When it comes to court fines, courts should allow you to get on an agreement to pay over a period of time in a series of installments. WA court fines are called legal financial obligations. Most courts will charge you a small fee in order to enter into this agreement. This “time to pay fee” of around $10 to $30 is usually added to the total amount. Installments are paid in an amount determined by the court – usually between $30 and $60. The first installment is due usually within 30 days. Again, the specific numbers vary by Court. If you are facing financial hardship because of court fines, you may be able to petition the court for lower or reduced payments.
In some counties, you may qualify for a single payment on several different tickets. This will limit the amount you need to pay each month. In some cases, you may be able to pay tickets across many different counties and cities with a single payment. Check with the court to see whether you qualify to consolidate your tickets into a single lower payment. The court should take into account your existing financial situation when levying fines.
Getting Tickets Pulled from Collections
If you are trying to get your license back, you can ask if there are traffic tickets that you did not appear on to be pulled from collections, mitigated down, and ask for the opportunity to pay your community service, work crew, or be put on a time to pay agreement. You might even be able to get a ticket pulled from FTA status and dismissed, although that is less likely. Clearing all your tickets from collections and getting on a payment plan for traffic tickets will give you the eligibility to get your license back as long as you continue to make payments on time to those courts.
Many people ask this question because they are trying to get their license back. Yes, you can get a payment plan for traffic tickets. An attorney can help you with the process of getting tickets out of collections and onto a payment plan if need be. If you are going through that process on your own you can check with the Washington Department of Licensing which should give you the information you need to get your license back. The Washington Department of Licensing website has a section designed to help you get your license back.
Can I Get on a Payment Plan for Traffic Tickets?
Yes. You can get on a payment plan for traffic tickets in Washington. You may need to pay an additional fee to get on a time to pay agreement. Usually that fee is around $10 but that amount can vary by court.
Can I Get on a Payment Plan for Multiple Traffic Tickets?
Maybe. In Washington, you may be able to consolidate your payments for outstanding traffic tickets. The court should take your ability to pay into consideration when making a decision about fine payments. Your current and future ability to pay fines includes existing payments of legal financial obligations like traffic tickets. Some counties and cities will let you consolidate your payments if you make that request at the court where you owe money.
How Do I Get My Tickets Out of Collections?
In Washington, you may be able to get your tickets out of collections by writing to the court. You may need a hearing in front of a judge to explain why the ticket fell into collections – or a judge may grant your request to pull the tickets from collections. An attorney can help you with this request which could save you a lot of money in collections fees and other fines.
Getting your tickets out of collections in not the same as getting you case dismissed, but it will help you if you are trying to save money on fines and work toward getting your license back.
Paying a Ticket Online vs. Paying a Ticket with Community Service or Work Crew
You might also consider requesting to pay the court through community service in lieu of the fines. Some, but not all courts will allow you to pay your court fines through community service. By law, Washington courts need to offer you at least minimum wage to pay off your fines. Different courts will give you different value for your community service work, but most will apply each community service hour at a rate of between $10 and $15 an hour. In some courts, if you’re lucky, the court will apply your community service or work crew hours at a little more than $15. This depends on the court policy and the local wage rules. In Seattle, for example, where the minimum wage is above $15 an hour, the court is bound to respect the higher wage requirements for the purposes of paying off fines.
Community Service to Pay Traffic Tickets
If you choose to do community service for fines and the court approves your request make sure you do community service at an approved place. Community service needs to be done through a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. You probably are familiar with a non-profit agency but you can check an organizations tax status on the IRS non-profit search website. You need authorization from the court before you can go out and start completing community service hours to pay off fines. The court needs to approve your request to pay through community service hours. Some courts may approve you to do community service through a religious organization – this really depends on the judge.
Work Crew to Pay Traffic Tickets
As an alternative, the court may allow you to pay through a different service called “community work crew.” You can usually arrange a time to complete work crew through the local court or the probation office. The court should have information about how you can get signed up. Again, you need authorization from the court to pay your fines in this way. Often, “community work crew” is used as an alternative to jail – it can be more rigorous than community service. In my experience, most people prefer community service to work crew. People may choose this option if they are struggling to find a community service organization that they can use or simply want to get a large chunk of their fines paid in one day.
If you are trying to get your license back, you can ask if there are traffic tickets that you did not appear on. You can request those tickets be pulled from collections, mitigated down, and ask for the opportunity to pay your community service, work crew, or be put on a time to pay agreement. You can make a request to have your tickets pulled from collections even if you DID appear for a ticket. Clearing all of your tickets from collections and getting on a payment plan should give you the eligibility to get your license back – as long as you continue to make payments on time to those courts.
Suspension for Traffic Tickets
Make sure you keep up to date on any tickets you still are waiting to appear on. Even one ticket that you failed to appear on can lead to license suspension. If you moved recently you may have even missed a ticket. Washington state law requires you to update your address with the WA Department of Licensing within 10 days of moving. Of course, you might have gotten a ticket in that short time period even if you updated your address in that 10 day period. Forward your mail and check the DOL website when you move. If you can show that you moved and updated your address as required by law, you may be able to get a ticket that was “fail to appear” pulled back.
Can I Pay a Traffic Ticket Online?
Yes. You can pay a traffic ticket online in Washington in almost all courts.
Can I Pay a Traffic Infraction Online?
Yes. You can pay a traffic infraction online in Washington in almost all courts.
Can I Beat a Traffic Ticket?
Yes. It is possible to get a traffic ticket dismissed or found not committed. Some cases and infractions can be more difficult to get dismissed. A cell phone ticket in Washington requires only that the driver be holding their phone, although this rule has some exceptions. You can beat a cell phone ticket, a speeding ticket, and other traffic tickets.
Can I Get a Traffic Ticket Without Being Pulled Over?
Yes. In Washington, it is possible to get a traffic ticket without being pulled over. A county or city can mail you a notice of infraction. There is no requirement that law enforcement disclose to you a speed, show you the speed measuring device, show you other evidence, or present you with the notice of infraction immediately.