How much off for a guilty plea? (England & Wales)

In England and Wales a guilty plea earns a reduction in sentence under section 73 of the Sentencing Act 2020 and the Sentencing Council's definitive guideline 'Reduction in sentence for a guilty plea' (for first hearings on or after 1 June 2017). The earlier the plea, the bigger the reduction: up to one-third at the first stage of proceedings, falling to one-quarter after that and to one-tenth by the first day of trial. The reduction reflects the time, cost and stress saved, not remorse or the strength of the evidence, and the guideline says nothing in it should be used to pressure anyone into pleading guilty.

Law checked as at 25 September 2026. General information only, not legal advice.

The reduction depends on when you plead

For example, a 2-year prison sentence reduced by one third at the first stage becomes 16 months, while the same plea on the first day of trial would take off no more than about 2 months.

What the reduction applies to

The reduction applies only to the substantive sentence, such as the length of a prison sentence, the amount of a fine or the requirements of a community order. The guideline says it has no impact on ancillary orders, including disqualification from driving, so for example an obligatory driving ban is not shortened because of a guilty plea. Under-18s are covered by the separate 'Sentencing children and young people' guideline.

Exceptions and limits

• Further information, assistance or advice needed: if particular circumstances significantly reduced the defendant's ability to understand what was alleged, or otherwise made it unreasonable to expect an earlier plea, the court can still give the full one-third, but not where the delay was only to see how strong the prosecution evidence was (guideline section F1).
• Newton hearings and special reasons hearings: if the defendant pleads guilty but their version of the facts is rejected after a hearing, the reduction that would have been available at that stage should normally be halved, and it may be reduced further if witnesses had to give evidence (section F2).
• Plea to a lesser or different offence: if the defendant is convicted of a lesser or different offence that they had offered to plead guilty to earlier, the reduction reflects the stage at which that offer was made (section F3).
• Firearms minimum sentences: there can be no reduction for a guilty plea if it would take the sentence below the required minimum term for certain prohibited firearms offences under section 311 of the Sentencing Code (section F4).
• Other minimum sentences for adults aged 18 or over: for a third Class A drug trafficking offence, a third domestic burglary, a repeat knife or offensive weapon possession offence or threatening someone with a knife or offensive weapon, and the minimum term of a serious terrorism sentence, a guilty plea can reduce the sentence but not below 80 per cent of the minimum that would otherwise be required (section 73 Sentencing Act 2020 and section F5).
• Offenders aged 16 or 17 facing a knife or offensive weapon minimum sentence: section 73 allows the court to impose any sentence it considers appropriate to reflect a guilty plea.
• Murder: the life sentence is mandatory, but a guilty plea can reduce the minimum term by no more than one-sixth and never by more than five years, with a maximum of one-twentieth for a plea on the first day of trial; there is no reduction where a whole life order is made.
• Changing the type of sentence: the court may reflect the plea by imposing a less severe type of sentence (for example a community order instead of custody), and if it does so there should normally be no further reduction for the plea (section E1).
• Admissions in police interview, co-operation and remorse do not affect the size of the guilty plea reduction, but can be taken into account separately as personal mitigation; the strength of the evidence is irrelevant to the reduction.