By the Ticket Dismissal HQ editorial teamReviewed Oct 20, 2026Sources cited at the endNot legal advice
New Jersey gives you three ways to get points off your license, and they stack. The defensive driving course removes 2 points once every five years. One full year with no violations or suspensions removes 3 points, automatically. And if the MVC orders you into the Driver Improvement Program, completing it removes 3 more. Here’s how each works, in the order most drivers should use them.
Quick answer
- Defensive driving course: −2 points, once per 5 years, about $20–$40 online. Our pick.
- Clean year: −3 points for every 12 months without a moving violation or suspension. Free, automatic.
- Driver Improvement Program (DIP): −3 points, only when MVC requires it (12–14 points), $75 plus a day-long class.
- Probationary Driver Program (PDP): −3 points for probationary drivers ordered into it.
- Points never fully disappear from the record; they stop counting toward suspension and surcharges as they’re reduced.
1. Take the defensive driving course (−2 points)
Any MVC-approved 6-hour course qualifies. You must already have points on your record; the provider reports completion to MVC and the reduction posts within a few weeks. You can use this once every five years, so time it: if you have 2 points and a clean year coming, let the year erase them and save the course. If you’re at 6 or more and facing a surcharge, take it now. The same course earns the mandated insurance discount. Course guide.
DefensiveDriving.com Our pick
$20 + state fee- NJ MVC-approved 6-hour Defensive Driving Program course
- $20 course price plus the state processing fee
- Removes 2 points and earns the state-mandated insurance discount (up to 10% for 3 years)
- Instant certificate download plus free mail or FedEx delivery; completion reported to MVC
- Online since 2000; 114,000+ reviews averaging 4.7/5
We may earn a commission if you enroll through this link, at no extra cost to you. How we make money.
2. Go a year without a violation (−3 points)
Under N.J.S.A. 39:5-30.9, the MVC subtracts 3 points for each full year you go without a moving-violation conviction or a suspension, counted from your last violation date (or restoration date). This is automatic. It’s also why a pending ticket matters so much: a conviction resets the clock as well as adding points.
3. Driver Improvement Program (−3 points, when ordered)
Accumulate 12–14 points and the MVC sends a notice requiring the Driver Improvement Program, a classroom course run by MVC, as the alternative to suspension. Complete it and 3 points come off, but you’re then on a one-year probation: another violation in that year means suspension. You can’t volunteer for DIP; it’s assigned. At 15+ points, suspension is proposed outright.
What doesn’t remove points
- Paying the surcharge. The $150 + $25/point annual surcharge is a fee, not a point removal.
- Time alone beyond the clean-year credit. There’s no expiry; points reduce only through the credits above.
- Out-of-state courses. Only MVC-approved NJ courses count.
- Taking the defensive driving course twice. Once per five years, period.
Better than removing points: not getting them
New Jersey municipal courts routinely allow a plea to unsafe driving (N.J.S.A. 39:4-97.2), a no-point offense, in place of a points violation like speeding or careless driving. It carries a higher fine and a $250 surcharge, and can be used only twice in five years before it starts carrying points, but it keeps the points off entirely. If you have a pending ticket, plead not guilty through NJMCDirect and ask the prosecutor about it before you pay anything.
Frequently asked questions
How long do points stay on your license in NJ?
Indefinitely on the record, but they stop counting as they’re reduced: 3 per clean year, 2 for the defensive driving course, 3 for DIP.
How many points can you have in NJ before suspension?
12 or more points triggers a suspension notice. At 12–14 the MVC usually offers the Driver Improvement Program instead.
Can I check my NJ points online?
Order a driver history abstract from the MVC online for $15; it shows current points and violations.
Do points from another state count in NJ?
Yes. Out-of-state moving violations are recorded as 2 points each regardless of the offense.
Sources: N.J.S.A. 39:5-30.5 to 30.9, 39:4-97.2, 17:29A-35 (surcharges); N.J.A.C. 13:19-10 (point schedule); New Jersey MVC Driver Improvement and Defensive Driving programs.