Virginia courts must let you work off fines, including prison jobs

If you owe fines and court costs in Virginia, the court that imposed them must now let you earn credit through community service instead of paying all of it in cash. Courts already had community service programs, but judges did not have to offer the option. Since July 1, 2026, the court must tell you it is available, give you the terms in writing, and credit the work at the rate its program sets. Ask the court clerk how to use the program; procedures differ by court.

The law also counts qualifying work done in a local or regional jail or a state prison. If you were paid less than Virginia minimum wage for work on or after July 1, 2023, each hour earns the community service rate minus the wages you received. State prison base jobs pay as little as 27 cents an hour under Department of Corrections policy. To claim prison-work credit, submit Virginia court form DC-212 or follow your court’s procedure, with confirmation of your hours and pay from the facility. The facility must provide that confirmation when you or your designated representative asks.

Del. Cia Price of Newport News sponsored the bill. A similar bill passed in 2024, but Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed it. This time it passed the House 72–25 and the Senate 21–19. Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed it on April 13, 2026. The Department of Corrections estimated it would need about $151,000 to start processing the new claims.