Council PCN discount & deadline calculator
Every council Penalty Charge Notice runs on the same statutory clock. Enter the date on yours to see exactly when the 50% discount ends and when the charge can rise by 50% — so you can challenge without losing money.
The contravention date printed on the ticket.
The full amount printed on the PCN.
Already had a Notice to Owner?
The date it was posted, as printed on it.
Rules read at legislation.gov.uk on . The dates on your notice always take precedence. Your dates never leave your browser.
How the clock works
- Discount period — 14 days beginning with the day the PCN is served (21 for a PCN posted on camera evidence). Pay half, or challenge now.
- Payment period — 28 days. After it, an unpaid PCN left on the car can be followed by a Notice to Owner sent to the registered keeper.
- Formal representations — 28 days beginning with the day the Notice to Owner (or a posted PCN) is served. This is your formal challenge.
- Charge certificate — if nothing is paid or challenged in time, the penalty increases by 50%.
- Tribunal — if your representations are rejected, appeal free to the tribunal within 28 days of the rejection.
Not sure your notice is from a council at all? Private companies issue “Parking Charge Notices” with a different process — check with the BPA or IPC lookup.
Where these rules come from
- Civil Enforcement of Road Traffic Contraventions (Approved Devices, Charging Guidelines and General Provisions) (England) Regulations 2022, regulation 2 ("the applicable date")
“in the case of a penalty charge notice served by virtue of regulation 10(2)(a), the last day of the period of 21 days beginning with the date on which the notice is served; in the case of any other notice, the last day of the period of 14 days”
- SI 2022/71, Schedule 2, paragraphs 2(d) and 3(1)(d); regulation 20(1)
“that the penalty charge must be paid within the period of 28 days beginning with the date on which the alleged contravention occurred”
- Civil Enforcement of Road Traffic Contraventions (Representations and Appeals) (England) Regulations 2022, regulation 3(2)(a)
“any such representations made outside the period of 28 days beginning with the date on which the notice is served (“the payment period”) may be disregarded”
- SI 2022/71, regulation 21(2)(b) and 21(3)(a); Schedule 3, Table 1 (surcharged level)
“in any other case, the period of 28 days beginning with the specified date … where P does not make any representations …, the date on which the enforcement notice is served”
- SI 2022/576, regulation 7(2)
“An appeal under this regulation must be made within— (a) the period of 28 days beginning with the date of service of the decision notice”
- SI 2022/71, regulation 3(3)
“Service of such a notice or charge certificate contained in a letter sent by first class post … is to be taken to have been effected on the second working day after the day of posting.”
Challenge it inside the discount window
AppealIQ writes a formal challenge to the council in seconds — grounded in the Traffic Management Act 2004 and the grounds that fit your ticket.
1 free letter every month, then £2.99 per extra letter — no subscription. See pricing
Frequently asked questions
- How long do I have to pay a council PCN at the discounted rate?
- 14 days beginning with the day the PCN was served — the day it was put on the car counts as day one. If the PCN was sent by post on camera evidence (a bus lane or moving-traffic camera, for example), you get 21 days instead. Paying within the window halves the charge.
- Do I lose the discount if I challenge the PCN?
- Not usually, if you challenge early. Most councils freeze the discount while they consider an informal challenge made within the discount period, and re-offer it if they reject you. A formal challenge after a Notice to Owner normally means the full amount is due if you lose.
- What happens if I ignore a council PCN?
- After 28 days the council can send a Notice to Owner to the registered keeper, which gives 28 days to pay or make formal representations. If that passes without payment or a challenge, a charge certificate can increase the penalty by 50%, and the council can then register the debt and use enforcement agents.
- Can I appeal to a tribunal if the council rejects my challenge?
- Yes. If the council rejects your formal representations, you can appeal free to London Tribunals (London boroughs) or the Traffic Penalty Tribunal (elsewhere in England and Wales) within 28 days of the rejection notice being served.
- Does this apply in Wales, Scotland or London?
- The dates are calculated under the regulations for England, which include London parking. Wales has its own regulations with similar periods, and some London moving-traffic PCNs are issued under separate London legislation. Scotland is different again. Whatever this calculator says, the dates printed on your notice take precedence.
More free tools
BPA or IPC lookupType the company on your parking charge to see whether it is a BPA or IPC member — and so whether a rejected appeal goes to POPLA (28 days) or the IAS (21 days).Notice to Keeper checkerCheck whether a private parking company’s Notice to Keeper arrived in time under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 — if it was late, the registered keeper can’t be made liable.
General information, not legal advice. See also council PCN appeal guides.