2. Pay your fine on time
Question & Answer
What is the victim fine surcharge?If you're ordered to pay a victim fine surcharge (VFS), you also get a deadline to pay it by. The judge should give you enough time to pay it. The amount of time should be based on your financial situation.
If you can't pay the full fine by the due date, you can ask for more time. But you must ask for more time before the due date.
The Notice of Fine and Due Date form that you received from the court when you were sentenced has instructions on how to ask for more time.
You can go to the clerk's office at the court you were sentenced at, and ask for the form to apply for more time to pay your VFS. You can apply yourself or with the help of a lawyer.
It's a good idea to include supporting documents with your application. For example, you could include pay stubs, or a letter explaining how your financial situation has changed and why it's difficult for you to pay the VFS by the due date.
A judge at the same level of court that sentenced you, will decide whether or not you get more time. For example, if you were sentenced in the , a judge at that court will decide. Or, if you were sentenced in the Superior Court of justice, a judge at that court will decide.
In most cases you don't have to go into a courtroom. The judge decides based on your application and supporting documents. So it's important to include enough information about your situation in your application.
