You did the hard part already: you finished your sentence, moved on with your life and stayed out of trouble. However, because you still owe restitution or other court-ordered payments, you are being told you don’t qualify for relief. In Washington, that used to be true. Now, the law gives you another path forward. Here’s how it works, and what it means if you are ready to move forward but not quite finished paying.
Understand what a certificate of discharge does for you
Before you can clear most felony convictions in Washington, you need a certificate of discharge. This isn’t just a formality. It’s the legal proof that your sentence has ended, which is a necessary condition before you can ask the court to vacate your conviction or apply for a Certificate of Restoration of Opportunity (CROP). Without it, those next steps stay out of reach, no matter how long ago your case closed. In short, the certificate doesn’t erase your record, but it opens the door to relief that can.
Know what the law used to require for a discharge
For years, the rules were strict: if you had not finished paying every dollar of restitution, the court would not grant a discharge. Even if you finished probation or prison and turned your life around, unpaid LFOs meant the court considered your sentence incomplete. That left many people stuck, especially those who couldn’t pay off large restitution amounts decades after the fact, even when everything else was behind them.
Learn how the New Hope Act changed the rules
Under Washington’s New Hope Act, the law now gives judges discretion to issue a certificate of discharge even if you haven’t fully paid restitution, as long as you meet certain conditions. If you have completed all other parts of your sentence and shown a good-faith effort to repay what you can, the court can waive the outstanding balance and still approve your discharge. This doesn’t happen automatically, and it doesn’t apply in every case, but it gives you a shot, especially if money is the only reason you’re still stuck.
Show that you’ve done the work
You don’t need to be perfect, but you do need to be able to demonstrate progress. If you’ve made consistent payments, looked for work, completed treatment or supported your family, those efforts matter. Collect whatever proof you can: court receipts, pay stubs, letters from counselors or supervisors, anything that shows you didn’t give up just because restitution felt out of reach. Judges look for responsibility, not perfection.
Take the next step toward clearing your record
If restitution or LFOs are the only things left on your record, and you’ve done the work to meet the rest of your sentence, it’s worth finding out whether the New Hope Act could apply to you. A discharge could be the key that finally unlocks the second chance you’ve earned. You don’t have to figure it out alone, but you do need to take the next step toward it.