Frequently Asked Questions

The National Fine Recovery Program (NFRP) is not a scam. We are a program within the Public Prosecution Service of Canada and we are responsible for administering the recovery of outstanding federal fines, under the terms of an assignment issued by the Attorney General of Canada on September 2007. Our mandate is to recover all unpaid federal fines, regardless of the outstanding amount or the age of the fine.

The National Fine Recovery Program does not communicate directly with individuals via text messages. Do not click any links provided via text messages seeking payment for an unpaid fine. Our private collection agencies may reach out to individuals via text messages, but messages approved by the NFRP never include a direct link to visit a website for more information. Approved messages from our collection agencies always contain the full name of the individual they are trying to reach and a phone number to call back. A list of all our private and federal collection partners can be found below.

If you receive a text message regarding an unpaid fine and are unsure if it is from a legitimate source, please reach out to the NFRP at PPSCNFRD@ppsc-sppc.gc.ca. Do not click any hyperlinks or provide financial information to anyone reaching out via an unverified text message.

1. Online credit card payments (Visa or MasterCard), by clicking the Pay a Fine button on this page. For fines ordered in the province of Québec, online payments can also be made through the Bureau des infractions et amendes at amendes.qc.ca.
2. In person at the nearest courthouse in your region (please note that in Manitoba, New Brunswick, and Saskatchewan, the fine must be paid at the courthouse where the sentencing took place). Please make sure to have your court file number on hand, to ensure the payment is applied to the correct file.
3. By post-dated cheque, money order or bank draft. Payments must be made out based on the information below and mailed to the address indicated under “Contact us” on this page. Please ensure to clearly indicate the court file number on all payments.

   Province	Payments must be made payable to
   Alberta	Government of Alberta
   British Columbia	Minister of Finance
   Manitoba	Minister of Finance
   Maritimes (NB, NL, NS, and PEI)	Provincial Court
   Ontario	Minister of Finance
   Québec	Ministre des Finances
   Saskatchewan	Provincial Court of Saskatchewan

When you make a payment directly at a provincial courthouse, or provide the NFRP with a cheque, money order, or bank draft, there is a payment processing delay before the information is updated and reflected in our system. For in-person, cheque, money order, or bank draft payments, please allow 10 business days before following up with our team to confirm the updated status of your file.

Alternatively, you may have paid one fine in full, but have other outstanding federal fines registered in a provincial court registry. Please contact us via email at PPSCNFRD@ppsc-sppc.gc.ca to request information about your outstanding fine.

If you decide to appeal to a third-party for assistance (ex: family member or lawyer) to negotiate payment of your outstanding fine with the NFRP, we will require you to confirm your identify and provide written confirmation, such as a power of attorney document or letter of authorization signed by you, indicating that you wish to have someone else speak to us on your behalf. Please contact us by email at PPSCNFRD@ppsc-sppc.gc.ca or toll-free at 1-855-861-0133 to discuss this with one of our recovery officers or paralegals.

Please reach out to our team by email at PPSCNFRD@ppsc-sppc.gc.ca or toll-free at 1-855-861-0133 to discuss payment plan options.

If you have been notified by the NFRP that we can no longer accept personal cheques toward payment of your fine, it is because we have received two previous non-sufficient funds (NSF) cheques and the courthouse will not process any more personal cheques toward payment of the fine. Please see above for alternate payment methods.

Please contact the National Fine Recovery Program at PPSCNFRD@ppsc-sppc.gc.ca to request the court file number that corresponds to your federal fine. Please include your full name, date of birth, and any other information you have related to the fine (province where the fine was ordered, fine amount, etc.) to assist our officers in pulling up the correct file in our system.

The National Fine Recovery Program (NFRP) has an official arrangement with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) for use of the CRA’s Refund Set-off (RSO) program, under which tax refunds and eligible credits payable to individuals can be applied against debts these individuals owe to the Crown. The letter you have received is to notify you that we (the NFRP) have registered an outstanding fine with the CRA, which may result in your tax refunds or certain tax credits being redirected to us for payment of the fine.

The purpose of the letter from the CRA is simply to inform you that our program has registered an outstanding debt owed to the Crown with their Refund Set-off (RSO) program, which may result in your tax refunds and certain tax credits being applied against the amount owed. Detailed information about the outstanding fine can be obtained by contacting our Program (PPSCNFRD@ppsc-sppc.gc.ca or 1-855-861-0133), or a criminal court in the province where the fine was ordered.

The National Fine Recovery Program (NFRP) has an official partnership with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) for the recovery of outstanding fines for offences under laws and regulations administered by DFO (ex: Fisheries Act). Failure to pay a DFO-related fine can result in the refusal to issue a new fishing licence, or the suspension or cancellation of an existing licence. Please see above for alternate payment methods and make sure to inform us at PPSCNFRD@ppsc-sppc.gc.ca when the fine is paid, so we can update your file and notify DFO of payment.

The National Fine Recovery Program (NFRP) works with private collection agencies to assist with the recovery of unpaid fines. These are authorized agents acting on behalf of our program and it is standard practice for them to reach out to individuals through notification letters and by phone (text messaging or direct phone calls). Please see below for a full list of our private and federal partners.

Should you not pay your fine, civil legal proceedings can be initiated against you for the recovery of the fine by virtue of section 734.6 of the Criminal Code and, if necessary, a Warrant of committal pursuant to section 734.7 of the Criminal Code can be sought.

No, it does not liberate them from their outstanding fine. The new organization after the merger is liable for any debts, liabilities and other obligations.

Yes, an individual is always accountable for their federal fine. The fine remains registered on the court registries until it is paid in full.

No. While bankruptcy relieves many kinds of debt, as per the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, any fine imposed by a court in respect of an offence is not dischargeable by bankruptcy.

Top 10 federal statutes:

1. Criminal Code
2. Controlled Drugs and Substances Act
3. Cannabis Act
4. Fisheries Act
5. Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
6. Quarantine Act
7. Employment Insurance Act
8. Customs Act
9. Income Tax Act
10. Excise Act, 2001

The Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC) is collecting and using your personal information to enforce payment of outstanding federal fines ordered by Canadian courts. The PPSC is responsible for enforcement under the terms of an assignment issued by the Attorney General of Canada in 2007.

The PPSC will retain this information for the time identified in the National Fine Recovery Program personal information bank (PPSC PPU 001). This information may only be shared with other organizations in accordance with subsection 8(2) of the Privacy Act. At the PPSC, it will be available to only those employees who require it for tracking payments made for outstanding fines. The PPSC will not use or disclose your information for any purpose other than the administration of the program. These uses and disclosures are listed in the personal information bank.

Under the Privacy Act, you have the right to request access to your personal information at the PPSC or to request corrections, should you believe there are errors or omissions. To make a request, or for further information on how the PPSC protects your personal information, you may contact the PPSC ATIP Office.

For further information on fine recovery, you may contact the National Fine Recovery Program at PPSCNFRD@ppsc-sppc.gc.ca.