In Indiana, points stay on your license for two years from the date of conviction, then shift to inactive and stop counting toward a suspension. The conviction itself stays on your driving record permanently, which is why insurance companies can keep charging you for a ticket long after the points are gone.1Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Driver Record Points
The Two-Year Clock Starts at Conviction, Not the Ticket
The date that matters is when the court enters your conviction. Not when the officer handed you the ticket. Not when you paid the fine. If you were convicted of speeding on March 15, 2025, those points drop off on March 15, 2027.1Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Driver Record Points
That distinction matters more than it sounds. A traffic case can take weeks or months to resolve, so your two-year window may end later than the stop date on the ticket. If you want to know exactly when your active points will drop, look up the conviction date, not the citation date.
What “Expiring” Actually Means
Expiration is a technical status change inside the BMV’s system. After 24 months, points go inactive and no longer count toward the thresholds that trigger a license suspension. That is the full extent of what expiration does.
The underlying conviction does not come off your record. It stays there permanently, visible to insurers reviewing your rates and to courts weighing future charges. People sometimes assume that when the points go, the ticket goes with them. It doesn’t.
When Points Lead to a Suspension
Indiana suspends your license when you accumulate 20 or more active points inside a rolling 24-month window. The suspension starts at one month at 20 points and grows by one month for every additional two points. At 42 points, it maxes out at 12 months.2Justia. Traffic Ticket Points Laws: 50-State Survey
- 20 points: 1-month suspension
- 22 points: 2 months
- 24 points: 3 months
- 30 points: 6 months
- 38 points: 10 months
- 42 or more points: 12 months
Point values are set by the Indiana Administrative Code and range from zero to ten per violation. Speeding 1 to 15 mph over on a regular road is 2 points, but the same speed in a school or work zone is 4. Going 16 to 25 mph over in those zones is 6 points, and more than 25 mph over is 8. Reckless driving is 6 points on its own, 8 with property damage, and 10 with injury. A single serious conviction can put you nearly halfway to a suspension in one incident.3Legal Information Institute (LII). Indiana Administrative Code 140 IAC 1-4.5-10 – Point Value Table
The suspensions are automatic. Once your active total crosses 20, the BMV sends the notice. There is no hearing and no discretion to work around.
Cutting Points Early With the Driver Safety Program
You don’t have to wait the full two years to reduce an active point total. Indiana gives a four-point credit for completing a BMV-approved Driver Safety Program, which can be the difference between keeping your license and losing it if you are close to the suspension threshold.4Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Driver Safety Program
The rules to know before you sign up:
- You can receive the four-point credit only once every three years. Completing another course before the three years are up extends the credit period three years from the new completion date.
- Courses are offered in classroom, DVD, and online formats.
- The maximum fee for a BMV-approved course is $55.
- Only courses from BMV-approved providers count. The current list is on the BMV’s Driver Safety Program page.
- Proof of completion is submitted to the BMV electronically, so you aren’t responsible for delivering paperwork.
Because the credit resets only every three years, it is worth thinking about whether to use it on a minor ticket. Burning the credit on a 2-point violation leaves you without it if a 6-point conviction comes along the following year.4Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Driver Safety Program
Insurance Companies Don’t Follow the Two-Year Clock
Points expiring from your BMV record does nothing to your insurance rate. Most insurers review convictions for three to five years after the offense, and major violations like reckless driving or DUI can affect your rates for five to ten. A minor speeding conviction typically raises premiums by around 25 percent, which on a $2,000 annual policy is roughly $500 extra per year.
That gap between the BMV’s clock and the insurer’s clock is often the most expensive part of a ticket. A 2-point speeding citation might carry a $150 fine, but the premium increase over three to five years can easily add up to $1,500 or more. The conviction date on your permanent record is what insurers look at, and that date doesn’t move.
Out-of-State Tickets Still Count Here
If you pick up a ticket in another state, don’t assume it stays there. Indiana is a member of the Driver License Compact, an agreement among most states to share conviction data. When another member state reports a conviction, the BMV treats it as though it happened on Indiana roads and applies Indiana’s own point values.5National Center for Interstate Compacts / The Council of State Governments. Driver License Compact
Those points count toward the 20-point suspension threshold just like an in-state conviction. The compact covers moving violations and generally excludes non-moving offenses like parking tickets or equipment violations. Ignoring an out-of-state ticket makes things worse: under the Nonresident Violator Compact, if you fail to respond to a citation from another member state, Indiana can suspend your license until you resolve it with the issuing court.6AAMVA. Nonresident Violators Compact Procedures Manual
How to Check What’s Actually on Your Record
You can view your Indiana driving record online for free through the BMV’s website. The Viewable Driver Record shows current and resolved suspensions, citations, violations, and other entries. If you need a certified copy for a court, an employer, or an out-of-state transfer, the Official Driver Record is $4 and can be downloaded online.7Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Driver Record
Checking once in a while is worth the few minutes it takes. Convictions occasionally get attributed to the wrong date, and out-of-state violations can be applied incorrectly. Catching an error before it pushes your active total over 20 is far easier than unwinding a suspension after the notice arrives.