How Long Do Points Stay on Your License in Massachusetts?

Massachusetts doesn’t use a traditional points system, so the real answer to how long points stay on your license in Massachusetts has two parts: the surchargeable events that drive your insurance rates stay in your rating for six years from the date of the incident, and they remain on your Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) driving history permanently.

Two Records, Two Different Clocks

The Safe Driver Insurance Plan (SDIP) uses a rolling six-year “policy experience period.” Once a surchargeable event falls outside that window, it stops generating surcharge points and stops blocking your clean-record discount.¹

Your RMV driving history is different. Surchargeable events never roll off. That permanent history is what employers, courts, and the RMV itself look at when they review your driving privileges. The six-year clock only controls what your insurance company can use to price your policy.

So if someone tells you a ticket “comes off” after six years, they mean for insurance. The underlying record of the violation is there for good.

What Counts as a Surchargeable Event

A surchargeable event is either an at-fault accident or a traffic law violation that can trigger an insurance premium increase. For accidents, your insurer decides whether you were more than 50 percent responsible. If so, the insurer reports it to the Merit Rating Board (MRB), which adds it to your driving history.²

Not every accident counts. The claim payment has to exceed $1,000 (after any deductible) for property damage or bodily injury. Below that, the incident stays off your surcharge record even if you were at fault.²

Moving violations are reported differently. Civil infractions like speeding or running a red light, and minor criminal violations like driving without a license, go to the MRB when you pay the fine, are found responsible, or are convicted. You don’t need to cause an accident for a ticket to land on your record.

Out-of-state incidents follow you. When you apply for a Massachusetts policy, your insurer can pull your out-of-state record and forward it to the MRB, and those violations are factored into your SDIP rating alongside your Massachusetts history. They also count toward the suspension thresholds below.²³

What Each Event Costs You

Under the SDIP, each surchargeable event carries a set number of surcharge points based on severity:

Minor traffic law violation: 2 points
Minor at-fault accident: 3 points
Major at-fault accident: 4 points
Major traffic law violation: 5 points

Minor traffic violations include civil infractions like speeding and signal violations plus minor criminal offenses like operating without a license. Major traffic violations cover OUI (operating under the influence), reckless driving, and leaving the scene of an accident.¹

Each surcharge point translates directly into a percentage increase on your compulsory coverages (bodily injury, personal injury protection, and property damage) and collision coverage. For experienced operators, every point adds 15 percent. For inexperienced operators, it’s 7.5 percent per point.⁴

A single major traffic violation (5 points) means a 75 percent increase on those coverages for an experienced driver, every year, for six years. One minor at-fault accident on top of that compounds the hit.

When Multiple Events Can Cost You Your License

Surchargeable events don’t only raise premiums. Accumulate enough of them in a short window and the RMV takes action under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 175, Section 113B:

Three surchargeable events in 24 months: the RMV requires you to complete a driver education program. If you don’t provide proof of completion within 90 days after the RMV mails you notice, your license is suspended until you finish it.⁵
Seven at-fault accidents or moving violations in three years: after a hearing on the accuracy of the MRB’s records, the RMV suspends your license for 60 days.³

The three-in-24-months rule catches a lot of drivers off guard. Three ordinary speeding tickets inside two years is enough to trigger the retraining requirement, and the 90-day clock starts when the RMV mails the notice, not when it reaches you. If your RMV address is out of date and the letter goes to an old home, the clock still runs. The approved courses include the National Safety Council’s Driver Attitudinal Retraining Course and the Massachusetts Driver Retraining Program, at roughly $110.³⁵

Habitual Traffic Offender

The worst-case tier is Habitual Traffic Offender (HTO) status under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 90, Section 22F, which carries a four-year license revocation. You qualify for HTO status if, within any five-year period, you accumulate either three convictions for serious offenses like OUI, reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident, or driving on a suspended license, or twelve convictions for offenses that carry a suspension or revocation of 30 days or more. After one year of the revocation you can apply for a hardship hearing for a limited-use license, but the registrar has full discretion to deny it.⁶

Getting an At-Fault Finding Removed

If your insurer finds you more than 50 percent at fault for an accident, you can appeal to the Board of Appeal on Motor Vehicle Liability Policies and Bonds. The hearing is informal, lasts around 15 minutes, and is open to the public. Your insurer sends a representative to explain the fault determination, then you present your side.⁷

You can bring witnesses or written witness statements. The burden is on you to overcome the presumption of fault, so photos, police reports, and dashcam footage help. The hearing officer takes the appeal under advisement, and you get a written decision by mail within two to four weeks.⁷

If the decision reads “VACATE,” the at-fault finding is reversed and the surcharge points come off your record. The Board notifies the MRB and your insurer directly. If it reads “UPHELD,” the points stand. Given that a minor at-fault accident alone is three points at 15 percent each for six years, appealing is worth the time when you have credible evidence the determination was wrong.

Checking Your Record

You can request a copy of your Massachusetts driving record online, by mail, or in person through the RMV. An unattested copy for personal use costs $8. A true and attested copy, stamped with the Registrar’s signature and typically required by courts and employers, costs $20 and is mailed to the address on file.⁸

Pulling your record every so often is the easiest way to catch mistakes before they compound. An at-fault finding you want to appeal, or a violation you already resolved that still shows as open, is far cheaper to fix early than to leave sitting on your record for the full six years.

1
Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles. Safe Driver Insurance Plan (SDIP)
2
Mass.gov. Surchargeable Incidents
3
Mass.gov. Suspensions from Multiple Offenses
4
Mass.gov. Safe Driver Insurance Plan (SDIP) and Your Auto Insurance Policy
5
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 175, Section 113B
6
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 90, Section 22F – Habitual Traffic Offender; Revocation of License; Reinstatement
7
Mass.gov. Frequently Asked Questions about Appealing an Insurer’s At-Fault Accident Determination
8
Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Request a Driving Record