Fines for your motorbike

Fines for your motorbike are not a business expense

Were you speeding on your motorbike, or did you park it where you shouldn’t have? Then the answer is unfortunately clear: traffic fines are not tax-deductible. That actually goes for fines in general: for your motorbike, your car, or any other offence.

Even if you got a speeding fine during a professional trip, for example on your way to a client, it remains entirely at your own expense. The legislator explicitly excludes fines as a business expense: a penalty doesn’t belong in your bookkeeping as a deduction.

And the VAT? Since no VAT is charged on fines, there’s nothing to reclaim either.

The exception: a parking retribution is not a fine

Didn’t take a parking ticket and later found a “fine” on your motorbike or behind your windscreen wiper? Good news: that’s usually not a real fine, but a parking retribution (fee). The city or municipality simply charges you the rate for half a day or a full day of parking. So it’s really just an (expensive) parking ticket, not a penalty.

And that makes a world of difference for your taxes: a parking retribution is indeed fully deductible, just like your other parking costs for your motorbike. Provided, of course, that you parked in the context of your business, for example at a client’s or supplier’s.

So always check what exactly is written on the document: a retribution is booked as a parking cost, while a real fine (for example for obstructive or dangerous parking) comes out of your own pocket.

💡 Curious which motorbike costs you can deduct? From depreciation to gear: read all about it in our article on the motorbike as a business expense.