Driving Course to Reduce Points in Virginia: How It Works

Updated October 2026 · Reviewed by Billy Forte

Yes, a driving course to reduce points works in Virginia, but only in one way. The Driver Improvement Clinic (DIC) credits your demerit point total by 5 points, once every 24 months, while the conviction stays on your record. This guide shows how that credit is counted and where it stops.

Key Facts

The credit: an eligible clinic lowers your point total by 5. See how the credit works.
The words: “remove a ticket” is no; “reduce your point total” is yes. See three words explained.
The cap: your safe driving point balance can never go above +5. See the cap.
Timing: one credit per 24 months, and points still count 2 years from the offense. See timing rules.
No double benefit: taking the clinic for insurance earns no points. See the insurance choice.

Remove, Reduce and Offset

Three words come up when people ask about points. They do not mean the same thing in Virginia:

“Remove a ticket”: no. The conviction stays on your DMV record for the period DMV lists for that violation.
“Reduce your point total”: yes, by up to 5. Code of Virginia § 46.2-498 says a completer “shall have five demerit points subtracted from his total accumulation of demerit points.”
“Offset”: yes. Safe driving points are applied against demerit points. Code § 46.2-494 lets DMV “apply these points to offset an equivalent number of demerit points.”

So the course lowers a number. It does not change your history. Our pillar guide on what a clinic does to points and tickets covers the bigger picture.

How the 5-Point Credit Works

DMV describes the credit as safe driving points. Its Driver Improvement page says a finished clinic may earn you 5 safe driving points. You can get that award once every 24 months.

The Code describes the same credit as a subtraction. Either way, the result is a point total that is 5 points lower than before.

Simple Point Math

Here is how the credit plays out in a few plain cases. Each one follows the Code’s wording.

Your points before the clinic	What the Code says happens
10 demerit points	5 demerit points are subtracted from the total
3 demerit points	A reduction in demerit points and/or safe driving points
No demerit points	You may earn 5 safe driving points
Already +5 in safe driving points	No more can be added past the +5 cap

The second row comes from the Code’s rule for drivers with fewer than five points. In that case, “a reduction in demerit points and/or the award of safe driving points will be made.”

The Plus-5 Cap

Safe driving points stop at 5. DMV sets the highest balance at 5 points. The Code puts it this way: “No person shall be allowed to accumulate more than five safe driving points.”

This cap matters if you already have safe driving points. A driver with a +5 balance and no demerit points cannot raise that balance with a clinic. The credit adds nothing only when you already hold 5 safe driving points and have no demerit points.

To see what a balance means, read our guide on the safe driving points balance.

Timing Rules for the Credit

Two separate clocks apply. Keep them apart when you plan.

The credit clock. The Code says the benefit can be given “no more than once in a two-year period.” DMV says once every 24 months. A second clinic inside that time does not earn a second credit.

The demerit point clock. Code § 46.2-493 says points are “valid for a period of two years from the date the offense was committed.” So demerit points still count for 2 years from the offense date, unless the clinic credit lowers the total first.

There is one more timing rule. If DMV used points for a suspension, probation or other action, those points stay valid until that action ends.

What the Credit Does Not Change

The credit works on one number only. Several other parts of your record stay the same:

The conviction. DMV keeps it for the period listed for that violation. Speeding stays 5 years, and reckless driving stays 11 years.
Out-of-state convictions. DMV still assigns Virginia demerit points for traffic convictions in other states.
Insurance company points. DMV says these are set by each company and are not related to DMV demerit points.
A CDL holder’s conviction. A court cannot use a clinic to reduce, dismiss or defer it.

DMV’s Moving Violations and Point Assessments page says point dates and conviction dates are not related. That is why the credit can lower your total while the conviction stays listed.

Points From a New Ticket Still Count

The credit is applied once. It does not protect you from future points. A new conviction adds its own 3, 4 or 6 demerit points to the total.

For example, a driver lowers a total from 10 to 5 with a clinic. A later 4-point conviction brings the total back up to 9. The next credit is not available until 24 months have passed.

Yearly Safe Driving Points Also Help

The clinic is not the only way to earn safe driving points. DMV’s Points System page says you earn one point “for each full calendar year that you hold a valid Virginia driver’s license and drive without any violations or suspensions.”

DMV adds yearly points in early April for the year before. Yearly points and clinic points share the same +5 cap. Our guide on earning safe driving points explains both paths.

Who Gets the Credit

Not every completion earns the 5-point credit. Your reason for attending decides it. At sign-up you tell the provider your reason, as DMV’s reasons page explains.

Voluntary attendance: you can earn the credit.
DMV-ordered, age 18 or over: you earn the credit.
Court-ordered: the court decides under Code § 46.2-505.
Required by DMV or a court, under 18: no points. A parent may attend and get the benefit.
Insurance discount: no points.

The Insurance Choice

You pick one benefit: points or an insurance discount. You cannot get both from the same clinic in 2 years. DMV says that if you take a clinic for an insurance discount, “you will not be eligible to receive safe driving points.”

The discount itself is not certain. Under Code § 38.2-2217, an insurer may give a 2-year discount.

It applies only to drivers 54 or younger who attend voluntarily. No amount is set by law.

So decide first what you need. If your goal is a lower point total, tell the provider you are attending for safe driving points.

Is There a Class to Remove Points From a License?

Not in the sense of wiping out a ticket. The only class Virginia uses for points is the Driver Improvement Clinic.

It credits 5 points against your total. It does not remove the conviction.

The clinic is an 8-hour course that costs no more than $100. Online, you must use a DMV-licensed online provider, and the 8 hours include the final test. The provider reports your completion to DMV within 24 hours.

Steps to use the Virginia 5-point clinic credit, from checking your balance to confirming the credit on your DMV record

When the Credit Matters

DMV acts on demerit points earned in 12 or 24 months. For drivers 18 and over, the main levels are:

8 in 12 months or 12 in 24: DMV may send an advisory letter.
12 in 12 or 18 in 24: DMV orders a clinic, to be finished within 90 days.
18 in 12 or 24 in 24: a 90-day suspension plus the clinic, or the clinic plus 9 months in the Intelligent Speed Assistance Program.

The Code says the clinic credit is subtracted from your “total accumulation of demerit points.” Our points system guide shows the full adult ladder.

A DMV clinic order also starts 6 months of probation. A point violation during probation brings a 45-, 60- or 90-day suspension, based on 3, 4 or 6 points. After probation comes an 18-month control period.

Check Your Balance First

Look at your points before you sign up. DMV’s online record request page offers a “Points Balance” link. A driving record costs $9, or $8 online.

Your balance shows whether a credit would help. Keep your own record of the date you last finished a clinic.

What We Found on the Official Pages

On the official pages we checked on October 27, 2026, the Points System page still said, “You may earn five safe driving points by completing a driver improvement clinic.” It also said yearly points are added in early April.

Code § 46.2-494 still let DMV use safe driving points to offset demerit points. Its text had no change since 1989.

Code § 46.2-498 still used the word “subtracted” for the clinic credit. Its last change was in 1998. We found no official page that calls the credit a ticket removal.

Virginia point credit key numbers: 5 points per eligible clinic, once every 24 months, a +5 cap and points that count 2 years

Common Mistakes

Each item below comes from a Virginia DMV page or the Code:

Calling the credit a ticket removal. The conviction stays on the record.
Planning on 10 points from two clinics. The credit comes once every 24 months.
Expecting a balance above +5. The Code caps safe driving points at 5.
Choosing insurance and expecting points. You get one benefit, not both.
Forgetting the court’s paper. For a court-ordered clinic, DMV needs the court’s notice to award points.
Mixing up the clocks. Points count 2 years from the offense, apart from the 24-month credit rule.

How Requirements Can Vary

Virginia’s point rules, safe driving points and DMV clinic orders come from the Code of Virginia and DMV rules, and they apply statewide. What you must do still depends on whether you take the clinic by choice, because of a DMV notice, or under a court order. A court order sets its own deadline and proof steps.

Laws, fees and court practice can change. Check your DMV notice, your court order and the Virginia DMV website for current rules before you enroll or file anything.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many points does a driving course take off in Virginia?

Five points. DMV labels the credit as safe driving points, while Code § 46.2-498 uses the word “subtracted” for the same 5 points. Either way, an eligible Driver Improvement Clinic lowers your total by that amount.

Can I reduce points by more than 5?

Not with one clinic. The credit is 5 points, once every 24 months. Your safe driving point balance also cannot go above +5.

What if I have only 2 demerit points?

The Code covers drivers with fewer than five points. You get a reduction in demerit points and/or safe driving points. The +5 cap still applies.

Does the credit help with insurance company points?

No. DMV says insurance company points are set by each company and are not related to DMV demerit points. Ask your insurer how it treats your record.

When does the credit show up?

The provider must report your completion to DMV within 24 hours. DMV does not say how soon the credit posts, so check your balance afterward.

Does a driving course to reduce points work for out-of-state tickets?

DMV assigns Virginia demerit points for traffic convictions in other states. The clinic credit lowers your Virginia point total. It does not change the conviction itself.

Do I still need to wait 2 years for points to expire?

Demerit points count for 2 years from the offense date. The clinic credit lowers your total before then. Both rules apply at the same time.

Conclusion

A Virginia Driver Improvement Clinic can reduce your point total by 5, once every 24 months, but it leaves the conviction in place. Check your balance and your reason for attending before you sign up.

When you are ready, take the Virginia Driver Improvement Course and tell the provider you want safe driving points. Under a court order, first ask the court whether an online course is accepted.

Sources

Billy Forte is the owner of Driving Logic, a state-approved driver improvement course provider serving Virginia and other U.S. states.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Virginia DMV rules, court orders, fines and penalties depend on your notice, summons, court and case facts, and they can change. Use official Virginia DMV and court sources, and consult a qualified Virginia attorney for advice about your own case.