Federal Sentencing Guidelines Calculator

(a) The court shall impose a fine in all cases, except where the defendant establishes that he is unable to pay and is not likely to become able to pay any fine.

(b) The applicable fine guideline range is that specified in subsection (c) below. If, however, the guideline for the offense in Chapter Two provides a specific rule for imposing a fine, that rule takes precedence over subsection (c) of this section.

(c)(1) The minimum of the fine guideline range is the amount shown in column A of the table below.

(c)(2) Except as specified in paragraph (4) below, the maximum of the fine guideline range is the amount shown in column B of the table below.

The Federal Sentencing Guidelines are rules that set out a uniform policy for sentencing individuals and organizations convicted of felonies and serious misdemeanors in the United States federal courts system.

The guidelines are the product of the United States Sentencing Commission, established by the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984. Since United States v. Booker (2005), the guidelines are advisory, not mandatory.

Effective November 1, 2023, Amendment 821 introduced §4C1.1, providing a 2-level decrease in offense level for "zero-point offenders" — defendants with zero criminal history points who meet specific eligibility criteria.

Eligibility requirements: The defendant must have zero criminal history points (not merely Category I), and the offense must not involve violence, firearms, sexual abuse, terrorism, or result in death. The offense level before this adjustment must be 32 or less.

This amendment was made retroactive by the Sentencing Commission, meaning eligible defendants already sentenced may seek a reduced sentence under 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(2).

Amendment 821 also reformed status points under §4A1.1. Previously, defendants who committed their offense while under a criminal justice sentence (probation, parole, supervised release, etc.) automatically received +2 criminal history points.

Under the new rule: Status points are reduced to +1 point, and only apply if the defendant already has 7 or more criminal history points. Defendants with fewer than 7 points receive no status points at all.

This change can lower a defendant's Criminal History Category, which may significantly reduce the guideline sentencing range. Like Part B, this provision was made retroactive.

Note: This calculator takes Criminal History Category as a direct input. When calculating your category, be sure to apply the updated status points rule.