Didn't Renew NSW Rego

Zackyis on 05/05/2025 - 22:31

Found out today that I never renewed my rego in August 2024 - CTP and Comprehensive insurance were paid and active until September 2025 but somehow missed my rego! I've always paid these together every year so not sure how that happened.

Pretty glad that I have not been pulled over and received any massive fines during this period - have seen in forums where someone's has received over $1000 in fines.

Now I admit I am at fault here for missing payment, but I just find it weird how E-tolls, Service NSW did not pick it up when issuing fines and charging me for tolls. I have accrued tolls, 1x demerit notice, a few speeding warning letters all after the 3 month grace period and have paid them accordingly, but if my rego expired post November 2024 wouldn't someone or some system have picked it up in this process?

We were talking about pink slips at work today and I was asking how they worked as my car just went past the 5 year mark, hence my colleague offered to check it for me - ended up finding about my expired rego.

I never saw the reminder for the expired rego - may have been misplaced in wrong mailbox, i picked have accidently skipped it when opening mails - I don't know.

I'm thinking Service NSW doesn't take rego numbers out of system when past expiry dates and tolls just assume all rego numbers are valid. Obviously the chances of my situation happening are slim and its not something Service NSW worries about.

Lesson learnt - check you rego!

Automotive Vehicle Registration

Comments

  • Wiadro on 05/05/2025 - 22:34
    +15

    ok cool

  • Benoffie on 05/05/2025 - 22:37
    +2

    How supposedly fancy states like NSW cant punish people and rob you of all your money in one go like SA is beyond me 🤷

  • jv on 05/05/2025 - 22:40
    +17

    What an awesome story.

    Can I please share it on Facebook?

    • Poor Ass on 06/05/2025 - 11:56

      bikies

      • jv on 06/05/2025 - 15:25

        @Murkymerv ate them all…

        • Poor Ass on 06/05/2025 - 15:36

          what did they write ?

          • jv on 06/05/2025 - 15:45
            +1

            @Poor Ass: No idea.

            Sounds Murky though… 🤣

    • AddNinja on 06/05/2025 - 22:25

      Are you a kind person JV?

  • pegaxs on 05/05/2025 - 22:56
    +3

    Holy shit! Is it time to check the clocks already… can’t believe a week has already gone by…

    InB4 OP starts picking fights with everyone.

    Anyway… “speed warnings” sound like bullshit. The police either fine you, or they don’t. They don’t send out “warnings”.

    Forget the pink, you’re going to need a blue slip.

    Ring the insurance company you had your CTP with and get a refund since you didn’t actually “register” your vehicle.

    • randomusername2017 on 05/05/2025 - 23:16
      +1

      “speed warnings”

      Trialling new speed cameras, changes to speed zones etc…

      • DingoBilly on 06/05/2025 - 09:14
        -1

        Those are some generous cops. In my experience they like changing speed zones and then immediately catching people and fining them.

    • Zackyis on 06/05/2025 - 09:19

      I'm not sure how else to frame it - got sent a letter saying you have been speeding on 'xx street', but we'll give you a warning this time.

      Don't see what there is to fight about - I screwed up with my rego. I'm just surprised how my rego is still "in-use" receiving tolls/fines in its expired state.

      • pegaxs on 06/05/2025 - 10:13

        a few speeding warning letters

        A "few", meaning "more than one".

        "letters" pluralised, meaning "more than one".

        got sent a letter

        Now it's "a" letter, as in singular? Get your story straight.

        got sent a letter saying you have been speeding on 'xx street', but we'll give you a warning this time.

        Unless, like @random said above, it's a brand new speed camera install, it is HIGHLY unlikely that you just copped multiple "warnings" for speeding offences, especially in NSW.

        Anyway, outside that, you were caught speeding (possibly multiple times), driving unregistered/uninsured, using toll roads (possibly without a tag or an account) and accruing demerit points. The only message I have taken away from your post is "don't drive like a (fropanity)".

        I'm just surprised how my rego is still "in-use" receiving tolls/fines in its expired state.

        Because, that plate is allocated to that vehicle and to you as the owner of the plate, until such time that the plate is handed in or cancelled. Even without valid rego, the plate is still allocated to you and that vehicle, for obvious reasons (so the police still know who to go to, even after the rego has expired).

        Toll companies do not/may not have access to your registration status (and they probably don't care for it), and possibly neither does traffic fines (don't have/don't care). These places are just looking for the registered owners address attached to the plate so they can send out the fines and nothing more. The whole system would be automated.

    • brad1-8tsi on 06/05/2025 - 14:39

      Anyway… “speed warnings” sound like bullshit. The police either fine you, or they don’t. They don’t send out “warnings”.

      They do send warning letters. I've had 2 so far. I'm reasonably law abiding too. They aren't specific so I don't know if it's 1% over or 9% over.

      Never had fines with all the quick cars I've owned but this slug of a 4WD keeps getting me into trouble.

      edit: One was a standard speed camera in the hinterland behind Byron Bay and I didn't see it despite all the warning signs. According to my friend that lives there "It's been there for years". The other was a standard speed camera too

  • cashless on 05/05/2025 - 23:40
    +6

    They walk amongst us

  • theHMASfriendship on 06/05/2025 - 06:18
    +11

    9 months free rego? Don’t be shy post it as a bargain

  • djones145 on 06/05/2025 - 07:06

    go buy lotto!

  • CodeXD on 06/05/2025 - 08:18

    Have you renewed it now? I think previous post said they had to back pay start date from when it ended, was that the same case for you?

    • Zackyis on 06/05/2025 - 09:02

      Nah, cant renew now. Will have to go through the blue slip and get new number plate

    • pegaxs on 06/05/2025 - 09:03

      They didn't have to "back pay" anything. They had been using the roads that whole time as if their car was registered… What they did wasn't "back paying" so much as it was "late paying…". It only feels like they are getting "9 months" worth of rego, but paying for 12, but the fact is, they used it for 3 months without paying, so this portion has to be paid as well… because they used it.

  • kerfuffle on 06/05/2025 - 08:39

    Did you opt into digital rego papers, hence why you missed the notice in the mail?

    • Zackyis on 06/05/2025 - 09:05

      All physical. I remember the original renewal mail, but didnt see the reminder mail. Would have probably been better if it was digital, as i check my email many times a day.

  • swiggity123 on 06/05/2025 - 11:31

    Side note - what is the actual purpose of the $400 something NSW charges for rego, cant it just be incorporated into the CTP

    • Godric on 06/05/2025 - 11:36

      $$

    • Ryanek on 06/05/2025 - 13:05

      The $400 goes towards maintenance and upgrade of state roads. That has nothing to do with CTP.

  • turbochris on 06/05/2025 - 12:58
    +3

    Your CTP and comprehensive were actually no longer active as soon as your rego was expired. Check the T & C for details.

    • salmon123 on 06/05/2025 - 19:30

      I'm 99% certain you can get a refund on the unused CTP. Especially if you're getting a blue slip + new rego, rather than backdating the rego.

      Comprehensive will be a tougher fight, but yeah, you're entitled to a refund on a policy you could ever claim on.

  • ReaperX22 on 06/05/2025 - 16:55

    My mate got done Easter long weekend. Same issue. His expired Nov. Paid ctp. Just.. Apparently forgot to do the rest. 2.5k fine, excluding the remainder required for rego, blueslip and all. New plates of course as well. Expensive lesson.

    Honestly just setup your own calendar reminders for all the things
    Car. House. Bills. Whatever. Spend an hour doing it then you'll never miss it/need to rely on external systems. (well, excluding your own calendar app lol).

    • Nebargains on 07/05/2025 - 06:49
      +2

      Such a scam. We are a nanny state that looks for any opportunity to revenue raise.

      Ridiculous fine for the crime of missing a bill. Don't pay other bills and you might get a small late fee and people lose their minds, forget your rego is due because you didn't get the reminder and $1000+ fine and if you say it's silly everyone says it's cool, you broke the rules.

  • salmon123 on 06/05/2025 - 19:28

    tolls just assume all rego numbers are valid

    If you have a valid toll pass, I don't think there's any reason for them to validate a rego. They would only do it for a missed toll payment. I also suspect they send the notice to the last registered address rather than worrying about rego enforcement. Afterall, they're a private for-profit enterprise - no money for them in enforcing tolls.

    • smartazz104 on 07/05/2025 - 07:32

      If you have a valid toll pass, I don't think there's any reason for them to validate a rego.

      I'm surprised the states haven't found a way to scan regos with toll cameras, imagine how much revenue they might be missing out on…

  • airtime on 07/05/2025 - 07:44

    I recently had a similar issue occur but with my NSW driver licence. Luckily, I had to pre-poll for the federal election and used my driver licence as ID. When handing it over I noticed it was going to expire in 2 days. I didn't receive any warning communications from the NSW Department of Customer Service who manages licences. When I asked them at a service centre they said they do not send out emails or electronic warnings for driver licences. Only communications via post. Why? I receive emailed and in app (NSW Service app) reminders for my vehicle rego. Why can't they use the same system for driver licences? They didn't know. I also had not received any postal reminders and my address had not changed.

    I was lucky - spotted it 2 days before expiry. It was a 10 year licence so I hadn't renewed it since 2015.

    While I am for personal responsibility in these areas, the fines imposed are disproportionate and don't make sense. Fining someone $1,000+ is stupid and unjust. The fine should be proportionate to the failure. E.g. if CTP and greenslip was done, it should be significantly reduced - $100 max. The risk to the community in that case is no more than a full registered vehicle. If the owner forgets greenslip but it passes, then a slightly larger fine makes sense. But again, there hasn't been a significant risk to the community. All the state is missing out here is a small amount of revenue from the registration fee.

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