If you can't afford to pay your traffic ticket
If you can’t afford to pay your traffic ticket fine, you can ask the court for help. The court may:
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Lower the fine
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Give you more time to pay
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Set up a payment plan
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Let you do community service instead of paying
This is called an ability to pay determination.
How to get help if you can’t afford your fine
Once the court decides that you owe a fine, you can ask them to look at your financial situation. You’ll need to share information about your income and expenses.
You can ask for this if you got a traffic ticket or a ticket for another infraction, like fishing without a license.
Option 1: Ask online using MyCitations
Courts let you make your request online using a program called MyCitations.
With this program, you can:
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Ask for a lower fine
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Upload proof of your financial situation
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Track your request online
Option 2: Use a court form
If you can’t use MyCitations, you can fill out a paper form:
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Can’t Afford to Pay Fine: Traffic and Other Infractions (form TR-320)
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You can mail or take the form to the court
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Some courts let you file the form online (called e-filing)
A judge will review your request and send you a decision by mail.
You can ask again if things change
If your money situation changes, you can ask again. Just fill out the same form or use MyCitations.