Maximum fines on summary conviction
Information
Fine classes
A summary offence is one which can only be dealt with by a judge sitting without a jury, that is, the District Court. Under the Fines Act 2010, since January 2011 there are 5 categories or classes of maximum fine applying to summary convictions. If someone is liable on summary conviction to a particular class of fine, the maximum fine is as given below. For example, the maximum fine for class B is €4,000.
| Fine Class | A | B | C | D | E |
| Maximum fine | €5,000 | €4,000 | €2,500 | €1,000 | €500 |
Maximum fines enacted before 2011
If the maximum fine on summary conviction for a particular offence was enacted or set before January 2011, it will now fit into one of the fine classes. Which fine class it belongs to depends on when the fine was set and the amount the maximum fine was set at. For example, if legislation (an act or statutory instrument) set the maximum fine on summary conviction for a particular offence at €500 in 1992, a class D fine now applies. See table below.
| Fine Class | A | B | C | D | E |
| Set in period | Fine (€) | Fine (€) | Fine (€) | Fine (€) | Fine (€) |
| 1997 - 2010 | 4,001 - 5,000 | 2,501 - 4,000 | 1,001 - 2,500 | 501 – 1,000 | 1 - 500 |
| 1990 - 1996 | 2,770 - 5,000 | 1,732 - 2,769 | 693 - 1,731 | 347 - 692 | 1 - 346 |
| 1980 - 1989 | 2,329 - 5,000 | 1,456 - 2,328 | 583 - 1,455 | 292 - 582 | 1 - 291 |
| 1975 - 1979 | 971 - 5,000 | 607 - 970 | 243 - 606 | 122 - 242 | 1 - 121 |
| 1965 - 1974 | 492 - 5,000 | 308 - 491 | 124 - 307 | 62 - 123 | 1 - 61 |
| 1945 - 1964 | 235 - 5,000 | 148 - 234 | 60 - 147 | 30 - 59 | 1 - 29 |
| 1915 - 1944 | 128 - 5,000 | 80 - 127 | 33 – 79 | 17 - 32 | 1 - 16 |
| Up to 1914 | 101 - 5,000 | 51 - 100 | 26 - 50 | 7 - 25 | 1 - 6 |
Indictable offences tried summarily
An indictable offence is one which may be or must be tried before a judge and jury, that is, in the Circuit Court or the Central Criminal Court. Where an indictable offence is tried summarily the maximum fine that applies is a class A fine.
Maximum fines if convicted on indictment
If the maximum fine for conviction on indictment for a particular offence was set on or after 1997, it is still the maximum fine for that offence.
If the maximum fine was set before then, the value it was set at is multiplied by the appropriate multiplier, as given in the table below, to find the current value of the maximum fine. For example, if the maximum fine was set at €5,000 in 1984, you multiply by 2 to obtain the current value of €10,000.
| Set in period | Multiplier |
| 1990 - 1996 | 1.75 |
| 1980 - 1989 | 2 |
| 1975 - 1979 | 5 |
| 1965 - 1974 | 10 |
| 1945 - 1964 | 21 |
| 1915 - 1944 | 39 |
| Up to 1914 | 50 |
Language
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