What are bonus points in FPL and how has the system changed for 2026/27

What are bonus points in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), how does the system work and how has it changed for 2026/27?

We answer these questions below as part of our FPL Training Academy series, covering all the basics of the game.

Our How to Play FPL page covers everything you need to know, with guides for complete beginners and managers who want to gain an edge over the competition and win their mini-leagues.

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What are bonus points in FPL?

FPL awards extra points at the end of each match based on how players have performed.

There’s a complicated system behind the scenes to decide how these bonus points are awarded, based on lots of different metrics.

Bonus points are usually earned by three players per match, who earn one, two or three extra points per game.

They can soon add up – Erling Haaland earned 43 in the 2025/26 season.

How are bonus points in FPL scored?

The Bonus Points System (BPS) uses a range of statistics from OPTA that record actions on the pitch.

Everything from minutes played to successful tackles, goalline clearances and pass completion rates are all taken into account.

Players then end up with an overall score and the best three totals earn the bonus points. There are rules for dealing with ties, depending on how many players can’t be split.

The system was tweaked in 2024/25, with the result being that it favoured attacking players more than defensive ones.

It was further changed in 2025/26, which arguably achieved the opposite, so more adjustments are being made for 2026/27.

What’s changing in 2026/27 and why?

Last season, FPL introduced the separate defensive contribution points system, with players earning up to two extra points for completing a certain number of actions, such as clearances and tackles.

But with these actions also playing a part in a players’ bonus potential, FPL has decided to make changes to the bonus system.

Centre-backs generally became better FPL picks than full-backs in 2025/26 because of their defensive contribution and bonus potential.

But FPL is now seeking to balance this out a bit. They said:

“The intention is to limit any crossover in players earning both defensive contribution (DC) points and bonus points in the same match, and to boost the potential of attacking players instead.”

What exactly is changing with the bonus points system?

Players will not be punished for being tackled

Previously, players were given a bonus point system (BPS) reduction of -1 every time they were tackled.

This has been removed to stop ‘flair players’ who dribble often being punished for their style of play.

Morgan Rogers was the most tackled in 2025/26, having been dispossessed 156 times. Antoine Semenyo and Jeremy Doku were other players who were sometimes disadvantaged.

This doesn’t mean that Rogers will score 156 more points overall – but he was a relatively poor performer for bonus last season, scoring 17 points.

Rogers, Doku and others are now more likely to earn bonus points as well as being rewarded for their goals and assists.

This could be good news for full-backs and wing-backs too. Michael Kayode was the most tackled defender (97), with Nico O’Reilly another popular pick affected (69).

Defensive contributions downgraded for bonus purposes

A total of 112 defenders earned both defensive contributions and bonus points in a match last season.

So a player will now earn 1 BPS for every three clearances, blocks and interceptions, instead of getting 1 BPS for every two.

FPL said this should ‘slightly lessen’ the likelihood of centre-backs picking up bonus points, given they are the players who make the most of these defensive actions.

Goalkeepers to benefit

Goalkeepers used to earn 3 BPS for saving a shot from inside the box and 2 BPS for one taken outside the box.

This prevented them being rewarded for saves made without their opponent taking a shot, such as a cross deflected off a teammate.

Any save will now earn 2 BPS, as well as continuing to earn 1 BPS for saving a shot taken from inside the box.

Keepers will earn an extra 1 BPS for saving a ‘big chance’.

But penalties are counted as big chances, so to reduce the double counting, shot-stoppers will get 7 BPS for a saved spot-kick, one less than before.

These changes could most benefit Jordan Pickford, Caoimhin Kelleher and Dean Henderson, who saved 28, 27 and 26 big chances respectively in 2025/26.

How can I work out who will get FPL bonus points?

If you really want to know the full list of actions that earns bonus points in FPL, you can check out the rules.

But here at Fantasy Football Hub, we like to make fantasy managers’ lives a lot easier.

Our app for the 2026/27 season features a brand new live mode, calculating realtime bonus as it happens.

You can then see who is set to earn bonus and their total BPS in an intuitive way, as well as accessing a whole host of handy information for your own FPL team.