My wife’s tax disc ran out yesterday, and she didn’t renew the tax disc. I just paid for the renewal online a couple of minutes ago – will she get an automatic fine or is there a day’s grace?

While the DVLA say everyone gets fined regardless, does this happen in practice?

Never happened to me.

I’ve been late a few times.

Thanks – exactly what I wanted to hear!

my father inlaw has gone months in the past and only had to pay back tax for the months he didn’t pay I think as long as you pay up you’ll be fine

If the Police check the car tomorrow for arguments sake the computer system should say it is valid for tax

If yesterday was last month and you get snapped this month you are in big trouble.

Only kidding.

I’ve taxed lots of cars / vans a few days late and as you have to back date the tax anyway (1st of the month) I dont think they can do you morally or legally.

Unless you declare SORN. Then one day on the road is a rash of litigation right there. I never did that – honest.

You’ll be fine.

You’ll get fined when the police catch you. Don’t believe the crap the DVLA tell you. It’s cheaper to threaten you with a fine and hope you do it than actually implement a system that sends out fines when you don’t pay and then investigate every query they get.

Park it off road tonight or they will come and crush it

<edit, I lie>

It’s insurance they give you a break with, not sure about tax. Though do have friends who’ve just paid the extra time.

You’ll be fine. I’m often paying on the last day of the month and not displaying a valid tax disc for a few days. Technically you can be done for not displaying but I think the rules on that changed now that e-payments are more popular. You’d be bloody unlucky. ANPR should now have you recorded as taxed.

valleydaddy- link not working?

fixed 🙂

mmmm- no? Give us a clue?

#Edit – 20 secs later – fixed.

I’ve been a couple of weeks late every year for as long as I can remember. The first time, it was nearly a month over and I sweated in the Post Office queue, wondering if they’d call the police…. But no, she just back-dated it without blinking.

Just don’t get done for DUI before tomorrow 🙂

I got fined once for being drastically late, but every other time I’ve been fine.

Which reminds me, car ran out yesterday!

If the Police check the car tomorrow for arguments sake the computer system should say it is valid for tax

But you will still be smacked £200 for “failing to display”

It won’t be seized though, so it’s not all bad.

I’m always a couple or 3 weeks late with mine

Makes no difference, I’m paying from the beginning of the month anyway

My son was sent a £60 fine after around 2 weeks, last time he forgot, they’e got a lot tighter in the last couple of years.

But you will still be smacked £200 for “failing to display”

I think they’ve largely stopped issuing those now with ANPR linked to the computer system so they can sit in their nice warm car and check everybody driving past, rather than having to get out and check individual discs in cars (and also dead easy to check whether a car is taxed even if the disc isn’t on display).

CharlieMungus – Member
Park it off road tonight or they will come and crush it

Doesn’t work anymore, the old system of buying a disk and displaying it with minimal central recording of who or what was taxed has been replaced with a big computer. Now the car has to be either taxed or SORN, on the driveway with no tax isn’t an option.

ScottChegg – Member

But you will still be smacked £200 for “failing to display”

Not strictly true, plenty of cars legitimately drive arround without tax disks (SORN going for an MOT, to/from SVA test, etc), yes theyc an fine you, but I’ve never heard of someone with tax or a valid reason for not having it beeing fined, see plenty of motorbikes and convertibles not displaying it as scrotes still think they can get a refund of a nicked disk at the post office.

after 2 weeks … dont believe it

if you tax it online before the end of the month which it expires you get 5 days grace where you dont have to display a tax disk but it will show as paid in the anpr system

if you tax it on the first or after you must wait till it arrives or you will be done for failure to display

i turned up at the post office a month after mines went out of date – she got all “your a criminal” on my arse and i just told her id been out the country on business and that the car had been stored on my private land for the previous 9 weeks and if she had an address and a name i could send a complaint too.

oh and i never got fined !- looking through my mail they threatened me with one after 3 weeks if i didnt pay soon but never actually sent one

it would assume that if you buy a disc online on the 1st of the month and it take 5 days to turn up in the post – the computer updates straight away so ANPR will know you are taxed

I wonder if they will drop the failure to display rule soon – for this instance

I think a copper would have to be having a bad day / be a complete knob to do you for failure to display when they can see youve paid tax

There is a period of grace that they give you. Not sure how long it is though.

There is a period of grace that they give you. Not sure how long it is though.

Might it be 5 days?

Don’t think so- I think this is the first time in Northwind history that I’ve taxed a vehicle within 5 days of the disc expiring tbh, that’s 12 lots of late tax and only 1 fine.

Not strictly true, plenty of cars legitimately drive arround without tax disks (SORN going for an MOT, to/from SVA test, etc), yes theyc an fine you, but I’ve never heard of someone with tax or a valid reason for not having it beeing fined, see plenty of motorbikes and convertibles not displaying it as scrotes still think they can get a refund of a nicked disk at the post office.

You have now. Its an £80 fixed penalty if I remember rightly, I had a disk but forgot to fit to the car, traffic warden issued fine for failing to display disk when parked at side of road. Not interested in excuses, or copies of receipts showing payment made – the offence is failing to display and I was guilty.