Florida Probation Fees: Costs, Payment, and Nonpayment

Florida probation fees start with a monthly cost of supervision and grow from there: court costs and fines set at sentencing, restitution to any victim, and charges for special conditions like GPS monitoring or drug testing. Felony supervision runs roughly $103.72 per month at the state’s published rate, misdemeanor supervision starts at $40 per month, and everything else stacks on top. If you genuinely cannot pay, the law provides exemptions and alternatives; if you simply stop paying, you risk a violation.

The Monthly Supervision Fee

The recurring charge every probationer pays is the cost of supervision fee under Florida Statute 948.09. It applies to felony probation, misdemeanor probation, community control, and pretrial intervention. The sentencing judge sets the monthly amount, capped at the actual daily cost of supervising you calculated across the month.¹

For felony probation, payment goes to the Florida Department of Corrections. The published state rate is about $103.72 per month, with a reduced rate of $50 per month for people found indigent.² For misdemeanor probation supervised through county court, the statute sets a floor of at least $40 per month, paid to whichever public or private entity handles the supervision.¹

Every felony supervision fee carries an extra $2 monthly surcharge that funds probation officer training and equipment. The surcharge only counts as paid after your full monthly supervision payment clears, so a partial payment does not satisfy it.¹

Court Costs, Fines, and Restitution

Separate from supervision fees, the court imposes costs and fines tied to the conviction itself at sentencing. Many are mandatory. Florida law directs the clerk of court to include all statutorily required costs and fines in the written judgment whether or not the judge specifically announced them from the bench.³

Restitution is separate again. Under Florida Statute 775.089, the court must order restitution whenever a victim suffered a loss, unless it finds clear and compelling reasons not to. The amount is based on the victim’s actual losses, usually measured by fair market value unless replacement or repair cost is more equitable. Disputes over the amount are decided by a preponderance of the evidence.⁴ While you’re on probation, the Department of Corrections collects restitution and passes it along to the victim, as long as the victim keeps a current address on file.⁵

Special Conditions That Add Costs

A judge can attach special conditions that carry their own price tags. GPS electronic monitoring is usually the most expensive. When the court orders it, you pay the department for the service on top of your regular supervision fee, up to the full cost of monitoring.¹ Daily rates for GPS ankle monitors generally range from $5 to $25, which can add $150 to $750 per month to your total.

Other common special-condition costs include substance abuse treatment, anger management classes, and random drug testing scheduled by your probation officer, with each screen billed to you. These accumulate quickly over a long supervision term, and inpatient or outpatient treatment programs bring their own program fees.

How to Pay

As of May 2024, the Florida Department of Corrections uses CorrectPay as its payment processor, replacing the former JPay system. For felony probation, you have three options:⁶

Online at CorrectPay.com/Florida with a debit or credit card. The platform charges a service fee per transaction.
By mail using money orders, cashier’s checks, or certified bank drafts made payable to CorrectPay, sent with a CorrectPay deposit slip. Put your name and DC number on the front.
In person through your probation officer’s office, depending on local procedures.

Personal checks are not accepted. Misdemeanor payments go to the county agency or private entity providing supervision, and each county sets its own accepted methods. Keep receipts and transaction confirmations for every payment. If your compliance is ever questioned, that paper trail is your defense.

If You Cannot Afford Your Fees

Florida law builds in several relief valves. Under Florida Statute 948.09, the Department of Corrections can exempt you from all or part of your cost of supervision if any of these circumstances apply:⁷

You’ve been actively trying to find or keep work but cannot earn enough to pay.
You’re enrolled in school or a career training program that leads to employment, certified by your school to your probation officer.
A physical, psychological, or psychiatric condition prevents you from working, confirmed by examination.
Your age makes it unrealistic to find employment.
You’re supporting dependents and paying would create undue hardship.
You’ve been transferred out of state under an interstate compact.

These same hardship factors let the department waive some or all of your electronic monitoring costs.¹

You can also petition the court to modify your obligations, whether that means lower monthly payments or a temporary suspension. Bring documentation: pay stubs, termination letters, benefit statements, and bank records. Vague hardship claims rarely move a judge. Specific evidence does.

Community Service as an Alternative

If you truly cannot pay, a judge can convert your financial obligations into community service hours. Under Florida Statute 938.30, the judge must examine you under oath and find that you lack the ability to pay before ordering the conversion.⁸ This applies to statutory obligations like court costs and fines. It does not erase restitution owed to a victim.

What Happens If You Do Not Pay

Falling behind can trigger a Violation of Probation. Your probation officer files an affidavit alleging you violated your terms, and a judge decides whether to revoke. Possible outcomes include stricter conditions, extended probation, or incarceration.

The critical protection: the court cannot revoke your probation just because you are broke. Florida Statute 948.06 codifies the U.S. Supreme Court’s holding in Bearden v. Georgia that imprisoning someone solely for inability to pay is unconstitutional.⁹ If you claim you cannot pay, you carry the burden of proving by clear and convincing evidence that you lack the resources despite genuine efforts to earn the money legally. If the court believes your efforts were real, it must consider alternatives to incarceration.¹⁰

Willfulness is the dividing line. If you had money and spent it elsewhere instead of on your probation obligations, the court can treat that as a willful refusal and revoke. If you genuinely could not pay despite looking for work and trying, the court must explore other options first.

Cutting Your Total Cost With Early Termination

Ending probation early ends the monthly supervision fee, and Florida Statute 948.04 creates a near-automatic path for people sentenced on or after October 1, 2019. The court must terminate your supervision or convert it to administrative probation if you meet all of these conditions:¹¹

You’ve completed at least half your probation term.
You’ve completed all other conditions of probation.
You’ve never been found in violation during your current term.
Your plea deal didn’t specifically exclude early termination.
You don’t qualify as a violent felony offender of special concern.

All conditions must be completed, and that includes financial obligations. The Department of Corrections can recommend early termination at any time once you have met all financial sanctions imposed by the court, including fines, court costs, and restitution.¹² Paying off obligations faster can shorten your term and eliminate months of future supervision fees. Florida Statute 948.09 also allows the Department of Corrections to adopt rules giving a reduction in the total amount owed to anyone who pays in full before supervision ends.¹

The court retains discretion. A judge can deny early termination with written findings that continued supervision is necessary to protect the community. But the statute uses “shall” for granting it when all conditions are met, making early termination the default.

Unpaid Fees After Probation Ends

Probation ending does not erase unpaid financial obligations. Under Florida Statute 938.30, if you still owe court-imposed costs or fines, the court can enter a judgment that operates as a civil lien on any real or personal property you own or later acquire. Unlike most Florida civil judgments, this one is not subject to the standard 10-year re-recording rule, so it can follow you indefinitely.⁸

The clerk of court is also required to refer any obligation that remains unpaid after 90 days to a private attorney or collection agent. The collection fee added to your balance can reach 40 percent of what you owed when the account was referred.¹³ Staying current during probation, or communicating early about hardship, costs far less than facing that surcharge later.

1
Online Sunshine. Florida Code 948.09 – Payment for Cost of Supervision and Other Monetary Obligations
2
Interstate Commission for Adult Offender Supervision. Fees
3
Twelfth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida. Administrative Order 2007-13.3 – Mandatory Costs, Assessments, Surcharges and Fines
4
FindLaw. Florida Code 775.089 – Restitution
5
Florida Department of Corrections. Victims Rights
6
Florida Department of Corrections. Court Ordered Payments
7
Florida Senate. Florida Code 948.09 – Payment for Cost of Supervision and Other Monetary Obligations
8
Online Sunshine. Florida Code 938.30 – Payment of Fines, Fees, and Court Costs
9
Justia. Bearden v Georgia, 461 US 660 (1983)
10
Online Sunshine. Florida Code 948.06 – Violation of Probation or Community Control
11
Online Sunshine. Florida Code 948.04 – Period of Probation
12
Florida Senate. Florida Code 948.04 – Period of Probation
13
Online Sunshine. Florida Code 28.246 – Payment of Court-Related Fines or Other Monetary Penalties, Fees, Charges, and Costs