Does paying a Fixed Penalty Notice give me a criminal record?

No. An FPN is offered as an alternative to prosecution, and paying it disposes of the matter without a conviction. A conviction only becomes possible if you decline to pay, the case goes to the Magistrates’ Court, and you lose there.

Can I appeal a Fixed Penalty Notice?

There is no formal appeal. If you dispute an FPN you decline to pay and elect to be heard in the Magistrates’ Court, where the matter is prosecuted in the ordinary way. That carries the risk of a conviction and higher costs if the case goes against you, which is why the choice deserves thought rather than reflex.

Is a Penalty Charge Notice a criminal matter?

No. A PCN issued by a council or TfL under the Traffic Management Act 2004 is civil. It creates no criminal record and no licence points, and the appeal to an independent adjudicator is free.

What about a ticket from a private parking company?

That is a Parking Charge Notice and it is neither an FPN nor a PCN. It is a contractual claim rather than a penalty, with its own rules about when the registered keeper can be held liable, and its own appeal schemes run by the operator’s trade body.

FPN or PCN — which one have I got, and what is the difference?

The short answer

A PCN is a civil penalty from a council or TfL, and it has a formal appeal to an independent tribunal. An FPN comes from the police and is an alternative to prosecution: there is no appeal, so disputing it means declining to pay and being heard in the Magistrates’ Court.

Side by side

	PCN — council or TfL	FPN — police
What it is	PCN:A civil penalty	FPN:An alternative to being prosecuted
Who issues it	PCN:A council or Transport for London	FPN:The police, and some councils
Legal basis	PCN:Traffic Management Act 2004	FPN:The statute creating the particular offence
Who is liable	PCN:The registered keeper	FPN:The person given the notice
Challenging it	PCN:Formal representations, then an appeal to an independent adjudicator	FPN:No formal appeal. Decline to pay and elect to be heard in the Magistrates’ Court
Criminal record	PCN:None	FPN:Paying it is not a conviction. Contesting it and losing can produce one
Licence points	PCN:None	FPN:None for the non-motoring notices covered here
Risk of contesting	PCN:Free, and the discount is normally preserved if you challenge early	FPN:A court hearing, with a possible conviction and higher costs if you lose

How to tell which one you have

Start with the name printed at the top, then check it against the issuer, because the names are close enough to be confusing on purpose.

A Penalty Charge Notice comes from a council or from Transport for London. It will usually reference the Traffic Management Act 2004, give a 28-day payment period with a discount for early payment, and name a tribunal as the appeal route — the Traffic Penalty Tribunal or London Tribunals.

A Fixed Penalty Notice comes from the police, or in some cases from a council enforcement officer. It sets out an offence rather than a contravention, offers a fixed sum as a way of disposing of the matter, and tells you that if you do not pay you may be prosecuted. It will not name a tribunal, because there isn’t one.

There is a third document people mix in here: a Parking Charge Notice from a private company. That is neither of the above — it is an invoice under contract law, and it is covered on the parking page linked below.

If the notice names an appeal body, it is almost certainly a PCN. If it offers you a choice between paying and going to court, it is an FPN.

What happens next in each case

If it is a PCN

The route is fixed and every step has a deadline. You normally have 28 days to pay, with a 50% discount inside the first 14 days. You can make an informal challenge, and after a Notice to Owner you have 28 days to make formal representations.

If those are rejected, you get a Notice of Rejection and then 28 days to appeal to the independent adjudicator — the Traffic Penalty Tribunal for England outside London and for Wales, or London Tribunals for London. The appeal is free, and losing it does not create a criminal record or add costs beyond the penalty.

That combination is what makes a PCN challenge low-risk: the worst realistic outcome is paying what you were already being asked to pay.

If it is an FPN

There is no appeal, and that is the single most important difference. An FPN is an offer: pay the fixed sum and the matter is disposed of without a prosecution and without a conviction.

If you dispute it, you do not appeal — you decline to pay and elect to be heard in the Magistrates’ Court. The case is then prosecuted in the ordinary way. If you are acquitted, that is the end of it. If you are convicted, you can face a conviction, a larger fine and costs.

So the decision is genuinely different in character from a PCN challenge. With a PCN you are asking a tribunal to review a penalty. With an FPN you are giving up a settlement and taking on the risk of a worse outcome. That is not a reason to pay something you did not do — it is a reason to understand what you are choosing before you choose it.

The window for making that choice is printed on the notice — the period for paying, and the point by which you have to say you want the matter heard in court. Do not rely on a general figure, because it varies with the offence and the issuing force. If the deadline passes without either happening, you can end up in the worst of both positions: prosecuted anyway, without having had the settlement.

Common questions

Does paying a Fixed Penalty Notice give me a criminal record?: No. An FPN is offered as an alternative to prosecution, and paying it disposes of the matter without a conviction. A conviction only becomes possible if you decline to pay, the case goes to the Magistrates’ Court, and you lose there.
Can I appeal a Fixed Penalty Notice?: There is no formal appeal. If you dispute an FPN you decline to pay and elect to be heard in the Magistrates’ Court, where the matter is prosecuted in the ordinary way. That carries the risk of a conviction and higher costs if the case goes against you, which is why the choice deserves thought rather than reflex.
Is a Penalty Charge Notice a criminal matter?: No. A PCN issued by a council or TfL under the Traffic Management Act 2004 is civil. It creates no criminal record and no licence points, and the appeal to an independent adjudicator is free.
What about a ticket from a private parking company?: That is a Parking Charge Notice and it is neither an FPN nor a PCN. It is a contractual claim rather than a penalty, with its own rules about when the registered keeper can be held liable, and its own appeal schemes run by the operator’s trade body.

Official sources and review date

Every figure on this page was checked against these pages. If anything here disagrees with them, they are right and this page is out of date.

Last reviewed: 31 August 2026
Applies to: England and Wales

This site provides general information about UK penalty and enforcement letters. It is not legal advice. For your specific situation, contact the issuing authority, Citizens Advice, or a qualified adviser. Always check the official GOV.UK guidance linked on this page.

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