Free Online Tool
Spent Conviction Calculator
Enter your disposal type and the date it was imposed — get the exact date your Blue Badge caution or conviction becomes spent, and when it will filter off your DBS certificate.
England & Wales · Adults (18+) · No personal data stored · Instant result
Step 1 — The outcome
What outcome did you receive?
Dates are calculated under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 for adults (18+) in England and Wales. This tool is for guidance only and is not legal advice.
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Your answers are not stored
Instant
Exact dates calculated
About this tool
This calculator applies the rehabilitation periods set out in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, as amended by the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO). It is designed for adults (18 or over at the time of conviction) in England and Wales.
The calculator also applies the DBS filtering rules under the Police Act 1997 (Criminal Records) Regulations 2002, as amended following the P v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2019] Supreme Court judgment. The key distinction for Blue Badge cases is between Section 117 RTRA 1984 offences (filterable after 6 or 11 years) and Fraud Act 2006 offences (on the prescribed never-filter list — always disclosed on standard and enhanced DBS certificates regardless of time elapsed).
Note that the “spent” date and the “DBS filter” date are two different things. A conviction can be spent (and therefore protected from disclosure on standard job applications) long before it disappears from a DBS certificate — and for Fraud Act offences, it never disappears from enhanced or standard DBS checks.
This tool is for guidance only and does not constitute legal advice. Dates shown are approximate and based on the information entered. For advice specific to your situation, please request a free discovery call.
Spent vs filtered — what's the difference?
Spent (ROA 1974)
Once a conviction is spent, you do not have to disclose it on most standard job applications. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 protects you from having to declare it. However, it may still appear on DBS certificates.
Filtered (DBS)
Once a conviction or caution is filtered, it no longer appears on standard or enhanced DBS certificates. The filtering thresholds are 6 years for cautions and 11 years for convictions. Some offences (including Fraud Act) are on a prescribed list and are never filtered.
Excepted position
If you work in a regulated profession (nurse, teacher, doctor, etc.), you are in an "excepted position" under the ROA 1974. This means you must disclose spent convictions to your employer and regulator — the ROA protection does not apply to you in that context.
Basic DBS
Shows only unspent convictions. Once a conviction is spent, it will not appear on a basic DBS certificate.
Standard / Enhanced DBS
Shows both spent and unspent convictions — unless the conviction has been filtered (reached the 6/11-year threshold and is not on the never-filter list).
Book Your Free Discovery Call
A specialist solicitor can confirm your exact spent date, DBS position, and any professional obligations in one call.