Checking your AARTO demerit points will cost R60. Every new fee listed

Once AARTO's demerit points system is running, checking how many points are on your driving licence will cost R60 a time. The fee is set in Schedule 2 of the AARTO Regulations, 2026, published in Government Gazette 54922 on 30 June 2026, and it has drawn fresh criticism this week (MyBroadband).

How much will a demerit points check cost?

For one person or one vehicle, the regulations list three options: R60 once-off, R120 for six months or R240 for 12 months (AARTO Regulations, Schedule 2, item 5.3). The schedule does not spell out what the six- and 12-month options include, so it is not yet clear whether they give you repeat checks over that period.

Companies checking a fleet pay more:

Source: AARTO Regulations, 2026, Schedule 2, item 5.4.

What other AARTO fees could you pay?

The same schedule sets the fees the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) can charge on top of the fine itself:

Source: AARTO Regulations, 2026, Schedule 2, item 5.

Fines themselves are worked out in penalty units of R100 each, and you get a 50% discount if you pay within 32 days of the notice (AARTO Regulations, Schedule 2).

How do you check your points?

You apply on form AARTO 27, and the RTIA must reply electronically within five days with form AARTO 28, which shows your points status (regulation 21). Enquiries can be made through the AARTO online portal.

An employer that wants to check a staff member's points needs that person's written permission, given on the same AARTO 27 form (regulation 21(3)).

Why are motorists unhappy about the R60?

Rob Handfield-Jones, managing director of Driving.co.za, told MyBroadband that a points check costs the RTIA "essentially zero" and should be free. He expects companies to make staff who drive for work prove their points regularly. Four checks a year at R60 come to R240, which MyBroadband worked out as about 4.5% of a month's pay for a full-time worker on the R30.20 hourly minimum wage.

He also criticised the Department of Transport for publishing the regulations as poor-quality scans, saying most of Schedule 3, the list of offences and points, is illegible (MyBroadband).

When do demerit points actually start?

Not yet. Transport Minister Barbara Creecy told Parliament on 15 October 2026 that the points demerit system is phase 4 of the rollout, after phase 3 extends AARTO to the remaining municipalities (PMG). Phase 3 has no start date. The RTIA's 2026/27 annual performance plan targets demerit notices from 2027/28.

When it starts, you lose your licence if you go over 15 points. Points drop by one for every three months, or by four once you complete a rehabilitation programme (regulation 20).