For council Penalty Charge Notices in England. Enter how the PCN reached you and the date on it to see the last day to pay at half price.
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An estimate under the 2022 regulations for England. Always check the dates printed on your notice and pay through the council's own website. London bus lane and moving traffic PCNs, Wales and Scotland follow separate rules.
This PCN discount deadline calculator shows drivers in England the last day they can pay a council Penalty Charge Notice at the 50% discount, for tickets handed over or fixed to the car and for camera PCNs sent by post. It counts the days the way the 2022 regulations do, then shows when the full charge, the Notice to Owner and a charge certificate can follow, so you are never caught out by a weekend or bank holiday.
Quick answer: you can pay a council PCN at 50% within 14 days, counting the day it was served as day 1, so a ticket issued on 1 October 2026 must be paid by 14 October. Camera PCNs sent by post get 21 days from deemed service. The PCN discount deadline calculator gives the exact date.
In This Guide
What Is a PCN Discount Deadline Calculator?
A PCN discount deadline calculator is a date tool that finds the last day you can pay a Penalty Charge Notice at the reduced rate. The formula in plain words: take the date the notice was served, count that day as day 1, and add 13 more days for a 14 day discount or 20 more days for a 21 day discount. For a posted notice, service is the second working day after posting.
The discount date is set by law in England. It is the last day of the period of 14 days, or 21 days for a camera PCN sent by post, beginning with the date of service, as defined in the Civil Enforcement of Road Traffic Contraventions Regulations 2022 for England and their rules on service by post. A working day excludes weekends and bank holidays in England and Wales.
How to Use the PCN Discount Deadline Calculator
Step 1: Choose How You Got the PCN
Pick the first option if a civil enforcement officer fixed the ticket to your windscreen or handed it to you. Pick the second if it arrived in the post with camera evidence, such as a bus lane, yellow box or CCTV parking notice.
Step 2: Enter the Date on the Notice
For a windscreen ticket, enter the date of issue. For a postal PCN, enter the date of posting, which some councils label as the date of the notice; the tool adds two working days to find the date of service.
Step 3: Enter the Penalty Charge
Type the full amount printed on the notice. Charges vary by council and contravention, so £70 is only an example. The tool halves it for the discount and adds 50% for the charge certificate figure.
Step 4: Read Your Deadlines
The large date is the last day to pay at 50%. The tiles show the discounted, full and increased amounts and how many days you have left. The table lists the date of service, the end of the 28 day period and the earliest Notice to Owner and charge certificate dates.
When Is the Last Day to Pay a PCN at 50%?
The last day is the 14th day counting the day of service as day 1, or the 21st day for a camera PCN sent by post. Worked example: Dan gets a £70 ticket on his windscreen in Bath on Thursday 1 October 2026. The PCN discount deadline calculator shows he can pay £35 until the end of Wednesday 14 October. If he ignores it, a Notice to Owner can be served from Monday 2 November and a charge certificate for £105 from Monday 30 November at the earliest.
| PCN type | Date served | Discount period | Example: date on notice 1 Oct 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed to car or handed over | The day it is issued | 14 days | Pay by Wed 14 Oct 2026 |
| Camera PCN by post | Second working day after posting | 21 days | Served Mon 5 Oct, pay by Sun 25 Oct 2026 |
| Rejected informal challenge | Date of the rejection letter | Often 14 more days (recommended, not required) | Check the letter |
Does the PCN 14 Day Discount Include Weekends?
Yes, the PCN 14 day discount counts calendar days, so weekends and bank holidays are included. Working days only matter for postal notices, which are treated as served on the second working day after posting. A camera PCN posted on Thursday 24 December 2026 is not served until Wednesday 30 December, because Christmas Day, the weekend and the 28 December bank holiday are skipped, which pushes the 21 day deadline to 19 January 2027.
To count working days for anything else, such as a reply deadline from your employer, the working days calculator uses the same bank holiday dates for England and Wales.
What Happens If I Miss the PCN Discount?
If you miss the discount, the full penalty charge is due, and if you still do nothing the council can send a Notice to Owner after 28 days. The GOV.UK statutory guidance on parking enforcement says representations must be made within 28 days of the Notice to Owner, and an unpaid charge then rises by a 50% surcharge on a charge certificate. A £70 charge becomes £105 and the right to challenge is lost.
Can I Challenge a PCN and Keep the Discount?
Often yes, if you challenge within the discount period. The statutory guidance recommends that if a council rejects a challenge received inside the discount period, it should consider offering the discount again for a further 14 days. It is a recommendation, not a legal right, so read the rejection letter for the new date.
- Pay a day early: online card payments usually go through the same day, but a posted cheque counts when it arrives, not when you send it.
- Keep the registration handy: the PCN number and vehicle registration are needed to pay, and the number plate age identifier helps confirm which car a notice refers to if you run several.
- Selling the car: if a PCN arrives after a sale, the registered keeper on the date of the contravention is responsible, so keep proof of the date you told DVLA.
- MOT and tax: unpaid PCNs do not affect your MOT, but the first MOT due date calculator helps you keep other car deadlines in one place.
Results are an estimate based on the rules for England; check the dates on your notice and contact your council if anything differs. Figures checked October 2026 against legislation.gov.uk and the GOV.UK statutory guidance.
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How we checked this tool: the Tools Veria Editorial Team built this tool by hand, checked it against the official rules or published standards where they apply, and tested it against worked examples. Results are estimates for planning, not personal financial or tax advice. Read our editorial policy and disclaimer, or report an error.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to pay a PCN at the reduced rate?
You have 14 days to pay a council PCN at 50%, counting the day it was served as day 1. A camera PCN sent by post gives 21 days, starting from the second working day after posting. A £70 charge falls to £35 within the period.
Does the 14 days start from the date on the PCN?
For a ticket fixed to the car or handed to you, yes: the date of issue is day 1. For a postal PCN, the 21 days start on the date of service, which is the second working day after the date of posting shown on the notice.
Can I pay a PCN at 50% after 14 days?
Not normally. After the discount period the full charge is due. The exception is when you challenged within the discount period and the council rejected it: statutory guidance recommends it considers offering the discount again for 14 more days.
What is a charge certificate?
A charge certificate is a notice the council can send when a PCN is not paid or challenged within 28 days of the Notice to Owner, or of a postal PCN. It increases the penalty by 50%, so a £70 charge becomes £105.
Do weekends count in the 14 day PCN discount?
Yes. The 14 and 21 day discount periods are counted in calendar days, so weekends and bank holidays count. Only the deemed service of a posted notice uses working days, skipping weekends and bank holidays in England and Wales.
Does this calculator work for London or Scotland?
It follows the 2022 regulations for England, which cover parking PCNs, including in London, and bus lane and moving traffic PCNs outside London. London bus lane and moving traffic PCNs, Wales and Scotland follow separate rules, so check your notice.