How do FPL bonus points work

FPL bonus points go 3-2-1 to the three highest scorers in the Bonus Points System (BPS) in every match, and the BPS is a stat-based score computed from Opta data, not a subjective vote. For 2026/27 the Premier League has tweaked the BPS to reduce overlap with defensive contribution points and improve the bonus prospects of goalkeepers, full-backs and attacking players, and projected bonus points now appear live 20 minutes into each match. The result is a bonus system that rewards the player who fills a stat sheet, not the one who scored the winning goal.

How the Bonus Points System works

Every player on the pitch earns a BPS score from a long list of Opta statistics: shots, chances created, tackles, dribbles, saves, clearances and the rest. At full time, the three highest BPS scores in the match take the bonus points, 3 for the top, 2 for second, 1 for third. A goal is a heavy BPS contributor but it is not the whole game, which is why a defender with a clean sheet, a handful of clearances and an assist can out-bonus a striker who scored and did nothing else.

The BPS is deliberately opaque in the details and transparent in the outcome. You cannot compute it in your head during a match, but since 2026/27 you can follow it: projected bonus points appear live once the match is 20 minutes old, and the projection updates as the stats accumulate, which has changed how managers watch a 0-0 draw. The bonus is often decided in the final 20 minutes by a late tackle or a save, not by the scoreline.

What changed for 2026/27

The Premier League confirmed BPS tweaks for 2026/27 aimed at reducing overlap with defensive contribution points and improving bonus potential for goalkeepers, full-backs, attacking midfielders and forwards. The changes are structural, not cosmetic:

• Players are no longer punished with a -1 BPS deduction every time they are tackled, which benefits the frequent dribblers and ball-carriers: wingers and full-backs who run at defenders no longer bleed bonus points for being caught.
• Defensive actions reward less: +1 BPS now comes for every three clearances, blocks and interceptions, where last season it came for every two, so centre-backs no longer hoover up bonus just for being busy in their own box.
• Goalkeepers earn +2 BPS per save, plus an extra +1 for a save from a shot taken inside the box, while the metric for saves from outside the box is removed. A new +1 BPS applies for saving a big chance.
• The penalty-save BPS reward drops from +8 to +7, but the big-chance save bonus applies on top, so a goalkeeper who smothers a penalty is still well rewarded.

The goalkeepers keep the inside-the-box save bonus, the metric for outside-the-box saves is gone, and a new bonus rewards saving a big chance. Net effect: keepers who make point-blank saves, full-backs who dribble and cross, and attackers who shoot and create are all better placed for bonus than they were last season.

Why the change matters

The old BPS had a centre-back problem. Clearing the ball a dozen times in a match where your side is under siege scored you bonus points for defending a defeat, while the winger who created three chances and hit the post went home with nothing. The 2026/27 tweaks pull the system back toward attacking actions and the players who drive them, and they deliberately reduce the overlap with defensive contribution points, which already pay 2 points for 10 CBIT (defenders) or 12 CBIRT (midfielders and forwards), capped at 2 per match. A defender who banks both DefCon and bonus points is now rarer, and a full-back who does both is genuinely elite.

There is a knock-on for squad building. If bonus points now flow to attacking full-backs and shot-heavy wingers, those players gain an extra 1-3 points a week that the stat sheet alone does not show. The managers who read the BPS changes and targeted those profiles last season had a structural edge, and the same read applies again this year.

Common bonus point confusions

The winner does not guarantee bonus. The match winner can finish fourth in BPS if his goal was his only action, while the losing goalkeeper who made eight saves takes the 3 points. The BPS rewards volume of actions, not the scoreline.

Bonus is not subjective. There is no panel voting on who "played well". The bonus is a pure function of the BPS scores from Opta data, which is why the live projection can be computed at all.

The projection is provisional. Projected bonus points appear after 20 minutes and move as the match develops. A projection at half-time is a snapshot, not a result, and the final BPS can swing on a single late tackle or save.

Bonus points and the wider game

Bonus sits on top of the core scoring system, so it interacts with everything else. The 3-2-1 lands after the base points for goals, assists, clean sheets and defensive contributions are settled, and a player who cleans up in all four categories is a captaincy candidate precisely because his ceiling is higher than the headline stats suggest. The captain doubles whatever total he reaches, bonus included, which is why a bonus-magnet defender can outscore a goal-scoring forward on a quiet week.

For the full points table and the 60-minute rules, read our FPL scoring guide. If you are weighing whether a bonus-friendly profile is worth a price rise, our price changes guide covers how squad value moves, and our chips guide covers when to spend your Free Hit and Bench Boost around fixture swings. Live projected bonus points during a Gameweek are tracked on our FPL hub.

FAQ

How are FPL bonus points decided? The top three players in the Bonus Points System (BPS) in each match earn 3, 2 and 1 bonus points. The BPS is a score computed from Opta statistics for every player in the match.

Can a losing team's player get bonus points? Yes. The bonus is based on the BPS score, not the result. A goalkeeper who makes eight saves in a defeat can easily top the BPS and take the 3 points.

Did the bonus points system change for 2026/27? Yes. Players are no longer docked BPS for being tackled, defensive actions now earn +1 BPS per three clearances, blocks and interceptions, and goalkeepers earn more for saves, including a new bonus for saving a big chance.

When do projected bonus points appear? From 2026/27, projected bonus points appear live 20 minutes into each match and update as the game progresses.

Key takeaways

• Bonus points go 3-2-1 to the top three BPS scorers in each match, based purely on Opta statistics, not subjective opinion.
• The 2026/27 BPS tweaks remove the penalty for being tackled, reduce the reward for clearances and blocks, and boost goalkeepers, full-backs and attackers.
• Goalkeepers keep the +1 BPS for saving a shot from inside the box, lose the outside-the-box save metric, and gain a new +1 BPS for saving a big chance.
• Projected bonus points appear live 20 minutes into each match and keep updating as the stats accumulate.
• The match winner is not guaranteed bonus: a busy losing goalkeeper or a prolific full-back regularly out-scores a one-goal striker.