Bonus points decide more Fantasy Premier League mini-leagues than people realise. One or two extra bonus points a week, compounded across 38 gameweeks, is the difference between a green arrow and a red one. Yet the system behind them — the Bonus Points System, or BPS — is the part of FPL most managers never fully learn.

This guide explains exactly how the Bonus Points System works, which stats drive it, and how to predict bonus before it's confirmed.

What Are FPL Bonus Points?

After every Premier League match, FPL awards extra points to the three best-performing players in that game: 3 points to the top performer, 2 to the second, and 1 to the third. These are bonus points, added on top of a player's normal score for goals, assists, clean sheets and appearances.

A striker who scores a goal (4 points), plays 90 minutes (2 points) and tops the bonus table walks away with 9 points instead of 6. Over a season, the managers who own the right players also collect a meaningful slice of bonus.

What Is the Bonus Points System (BPS)?

The three bonus points are not awarded by opinion. They're decided by the Bonus Points System (BPS) — a separate, hidden scoring system that runs in the background of every match.

The BPS tracks dozens of on-field actions and assigns each one a positive or negative value. Every pass, tackle, shot, save, recovery and error feeds into a running BPS total for each player. When the match ends, the three players with the highest BPS scores receive the 3, 2 and 1 bonus points.

The key point: BPS is a different number from your FPL score. A player can have a modest FPL score but a high BPS, or vice versa. BPS is purely the mechanism for ranking who gets bonus.

Which Stats Earn the Most BPS

Not all actions are weighted equally. The BPS rewards the things that win football matches, so attacking output and clean defending dominate. The heavily weighted positive actions include:

Scoring a goal — the single biggest BPS driver, with forwards, midfielders and defenders all rewarded (defenders slightly more).
Assisting a goal — a large BPS award for the creator.
Goalkeeper or defender clean sheet — significant BPS for keeping the opposition out.
Saves — goalkeepers accumulate BPS for each save made.
Key passes and big chances created — passes that lead to shots and clear scoring chances.
Successful tackles, recoveries, clearances, blocks and interceptions — defensive volume work that adds up.
Completed passes — a small per-pass award above a minimum accuracy threshold, which is why deep-lying playmakers quietly climb the table.

And the negative actions that drag a BPS score down:

Yellow and red cards.
Missing a penalty, missing a big chance, and own goals.
Errors leading to a goal or to an opposition shot.
Being dribbled past and conceding fouls or penalties.

Because goals and assists carry the most weight, attackers who return usually win the bonus — but on a quiet 0-0, a defender or holding midfielder racking up tackles, recoveries and accurate passes can top the table instead.

How the 3/2/1 Split Is Decided

At full time, FPL ranks every player who appeared by their final BPS score. The highest gets 3 bonus, the next gets 2, and the third gets 1. That's the whole mechanic — there's no cap on which positions can win it and no minimum minutes beyond actually featuring.

Tie-Break Rules

When two or more players finish on the same BPS score, FPL awards them the same bonus rather than splitting it. The exact handling depends on where the tie falls:

Tie for top (1st): both players get 3 bonus points, and the next-best player gets 1 (the 2-point slot is skipped).
Tie for second: both tied players get 2 bonus points, and no player gets 1.
Tie for third: all players tied for third each get 1 bonus point.

So a single match can hand out more than the usual six total bonus points when ties occur — good news if you own multiple players in the same game.

How to Predict Bonus From the Live BPS Table

During and immediately after matches, FPL and third-party sites display a live BPS leaderboard. This is the most useful tool for managers, because it shows the provisional standings before bonus is officially confirmed (confirmation usually comes a few hours after the final whistle).

To use it well:

Check it right after your players' matches to see who is in the top three and by how much.
Watch the margins. A player leading by 5+ BPS is fairly safe; a 1-2 BPS gap can flip on a stat correction.
Remember it's provisional. Official stats can be revised after the match, which occasionally reshuffles the bonus a day or two later.

Worked Example

Imagine a match where your midfielder scores once, assists once, completes 50+ passes accurately and makes a couple of recoveries. The goal and assist alone put a large BPS total on the board, the passing volume adds a steady trickle, and the defensive actions top it up. If no one else in the match has a goal-plus-assist game, your midfielder almost certainly finishes first in BPS — and you collect 3 bonus, turning a 9-point base score into 12.

Now picture a 0-0 draw. No goals, no assists, so the BPS race is won on defensive work and passing. A centre-back with a clean sheet, a string of clearances and tackles, and tidy passing can top the table and earn 3 bonus despite the scoreless game.

To total any FPL player's score including the bonus, use the FPL points calculator — it has a dedicated bonus points field.

Frequently Asked Questions

How are FPL bonus points calculated?

FPL uses the Bonus Points System (BPS), a hidden score that tracks every on-field action. At full time, the three players with the highest BPS in a match earn 3, 2 and 1 bonus points respectively.

What's the difference between BPS and bonus points?

BPS is the hidden ranking system; bonus points are the 1-3 points actually added to your score. BPS decides who gets the bonus — they are not the same number.

Which stats earn the most BPS?

Scoring a goal is the biggest single driver, followed by assists, clean sheets for defenders and goalkeepers, and saves. Defensive actions and accurate passing add smaller amounts that accumulate.

What happens in an FPL bonus points tie?

Tied players receive the same bonus. A tie for top means both get 3 points and the 2-point slot is skipped; a tie for second means both get 2 and nobody gets 1; a tie for third means everyone tied gets 1.

Can defenders win FPL bonus points?

Yes. In low-scoring matches a defender with a clean sheet plus tackles, clearances and accurate passing can top the BPS table and earn the full 3 bonus points.

FPL Bonus Points System Explained