NCP Forgot To Pay - What to do next

Have you received an NCP parking fine and aren’t sure whether you should pay it or appeal it? You’ve come to the right place. Every month, over 130,000 people visit our website for advice on fines and parking tickets.

In this easy-to-read guide, we will cover:

How NCP parking fines work.
The fastest way to pay your NCP fine after leaving the car park.
How to appeal against an NCP Parking Charge Notice.
What to do if you forget to pay your NCP parking fee.

Churchill Motor Insurance reports that in 2022, UK councils issued an average of 19,631 daily parking fines. That’s an increase of 12% from the previous year!¹ So, rest assured, you’re not alone

Don’t worry, we’re here to help. This guide will give you clear steps to follow, so you can make the best choice for you.

Most Appeals Succeed

In some circumstances, you might have a legitimate reason not to pay your fine.

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Not only did I save £50 on solicitor fees, I also won my case and didn’t have to pay my £271 fine.

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*Around 35,000 people dispute their tickets each year with the Traffic Penalty Tribunal, and a striking 64% of those appeals are successful, so it’s well worth a try.

What Happens If I Forget?

Pay and Display sites have a mobile payment option that can make paying fast and efficient.

If you do not see the mobile payment option and forget to pay for a ticket using a machine, you can still pay within 24 hours of leaving the car park.

If the car park you are in is Pay and Display, and you did not pay for a ticket before you left and failed to pay online within 24 hours, you may be issued a PCN.

Will they remind you to pay for your parking?

Unfortunately, NCP will not remind you to pay for parking if you choose the NCP Pay Later option or forget to pay.

If you have unpaid NCP parking charges after 24 hours, NCP will issue a Parking Charge Notice.

If you are wondering how to avoid NCP fines in the future, then in my experience, the best way is to avoid forgetting to pay in the first place.

Setting a reminder on your phone and having a set parking routine can help you to avoid forgetting.

Successful Appeal Case Study

Situation

Initial Fine	£100
Additional Fees	£171
Total Fine	£271

The Appeal Process

Scott used JustAnswer, online legal service to enhance his appeal. The trial of this cost him just £5.

Total Fine	£271
Cost of legal advice	£5

JustAnswer helped Scott craft the best appeal possible and he was able to win his case.

Scott’s fine was cancelled and he only paid £5 for the legal help.

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What is a PCN?

After failure to pay within 24 hours, NCP will issue a PCN or Parking Charge Notice.

The Parking Charge Notice will start with two letters, or it may be a combination of letters and numbers for those with 3.

For example, you might see CC, EM or PC, but you might also see BIA or C2C.

The letters or numbers start your PCN reference number and will help you navigate to payment or appeals on the website.

When a PCN is issued from NCP, it will be available to view online within 48 hours.

You can pay your NCP PCN online once it is available.

A PCN and a Fixed Penalty Notice aren’t the same things. Police issue a Fixed Penalty Notice, and you will need to take different action.

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How much is it?

Outside London, the maximum PCN fine you can get is £50. Inside the capital, it can be more expensive.

Paying your PCN within 14 days means private car parking companies should offer you a 40% discount as a minimum.

So if your NCP PCN was £40, paying within 14 days should reduce it to £24.

Can you pay in instalments?

You won’t typically be allowed to pay for your PCN in instalments.

However, if you are experiencing financial difficulty, you may want to contact them and raise the possibility of a payment plan.

What will they do if you don’t pay?

If you ignore your Parking Charge Notice, several things may happen:

NCP might issue reminders to pay the PCN (note: these are not reminders to pay for the parking, NCP don’t give reminders for forgotten tickets, but they do issue reminders for the parking charge notice)
NCP may add extra fees
NCP may threaten court action for unpaid PCN
Debt collection companies might be involved.
You might not receive anything.

Can you challenge it?

The NCP appeals process can be started on their website.

You will be offered the option to pay or appeal using your car registration and your PCN reference number.

You can appeal your NCP Parking Charge Notice if you believe you have a good reason not to pay.

As part of the appeal, you might need to show evidence supporting your reason not to pay the NCP PCN.

NCP aims to reply to your appeal within 28 days of receiving your appeal. Your notice will be placed on hold until a response is provided.

Appeal Process Steps

I’ve put together this table to help you better understand the appeal process. If you want to learn more about the steps you should take, please read our detailed guide.

Process:	Steps you should take:
When you receive the ticket…	You should gather as much evidence as you can to support your appeal claim and prove that the ticket was unfairly issued.
If you were given the ticket in person/attached to your car…	You must make an informal appeal (sent to the local authority/council that issued the PCN) within 14 days. This should be a letter with the evidence proving why the ticket was incorrectly given.
If it was posted to you…	You will be given 21 days to submit an informal appeal (from the day you received the letter). Your informal appeal should be a letter with the evidence proving why the ticket was incorrectly given.
If the informal appeal is rejected…	You will receive a Notice to Owner and will have 28 days to respond to this with a formal appeal. You can conduct the formal appeal online or via paper form. The Traffic Penalty Tribunal can send you one of these forms.
If the formal appeal is rejected…	You will receive a Notice of Rejection. From here, you are free to challenge the council’s verdict at an independent tribunal.
If the independent tribunal disagrees with your appeal…	You should pay the ticket within 28 days of the tribunal rejecting your appeal. If you don’t, the fine will be increased by 50%. If you don’t have the money to pay the fine, you should contact Citizens Advice or another debt charity.

If your appeal is successful and NCP agrees you do not have to pay, you will receive notification via a letter to your home or email address.

NCP does not issue appeal responses over the phone.

If you do not hear from them within 28 days, then you should contact them via [email protected].

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What if they reject it?

NCP appeals can be escalated to an unbiased independent service free of charge.

If your NCP appeal is rejected, you can contact the POPLA, Parking On Private Land Appeals.

The Parking On Private Land Appeals has guidance on their website about the process. They offer their service free of charge for those appealing against a Parking Charge Notice.

What is the fastest way to pay after you leave the car park?

Pay Later is available on the NCP website. You can use this payment option if the following applies:

You’re still within 24 hours of leaving the car park
You’ve driven out of the car park.
You‘ve forgotten or have yet to pay the NCP car park charges.
You’ve used an ANPR ticketless car park.

NCP cameras will capture your vehicle registration as you leave the car park, so while they don’t have your details, they do have the details of your car.

How can you tell if it is a fraud?

Scam emails get sent to motorists who may be impersonating the NCP.

From my experience, spotting NCP scams is not always easy; a fraudulent NCP PCN might have the logo and some of the same language used on the website, but look out for bad grammar and email addresses that don’t look official.

NCP never issue the initial Parking Charge Notice by email.

If you suspect you have received a fraudulent NCP email about a PCN, contact the NCP.