How Do FPL Bonus Points Work?

Bonus points are the extra 1, 2, or 3 points added on top of a player’s normal score after each match, and they can be the difference between a good gameweek and a great one. They’re calculated using something called the Bonus Points System, or BPS, which most managers have heard of but few actually understand in detail. Here’s exactly how it works.

What Is The Bonus Points System

The BPS is an algorithm that scores every player in a match based on a wide range of actions they carried out on the pitch, using data supplied by Opta. Every player involved in a match ends up with a BPS score for that game, built up from things like goals, assists, clean sheets, saves, tackles, and a long list of other contributions, both positive and negative.

Once the match ends and the BPS scores are calculated, the three highest-scoring players are awarded bonus points on top of their normal match score, 3 points for the highest BPS score, 2 for the second highest, and 1 for the third highest.

What Earns BPS Points

A wide range of actions contribute to a player’s BPS score. Broadly, these include:

• Playing time (a higher reward for playing over 60 minutes than under)
• Goals, weighted more heavily for defenders and less for forwards, since a defender scoring is a rarer event
• Assists
• Clean sheets for goalkeepers and defenders
• Creating clear goalscoring chances
• Successful tackles
• Saves, including a higher reward for penalty saves
• Winning penalties

What Loses BPS Points

BPS isn’t purely additive, several actions bring a player’s score down:

• Yellow cards
• Red cards, which carry a heavy penalty
• Goals conceded, for goalkeepers and defenders
• Missing a penalty
• Giving away a penalty

Changes For 2026/27

The BPS calculation was adjusted for the 2026/27 season in a few notable ways:

• Players no longer lose BPS points simply for being tackled, which benefits attacking players and dribblers who were previously penalised for being dispossessed under pressure
• Defensive actions like clearances, blocks, and interceptions now count toward BPS at a reduced rate compared to before, since these same actions already feed into Defensive Contribution points, and the change avoids rewarding the same actions twice as heavily
• Goalkeepers now earn BPS for any save rather than only saves from certain areas of the box, with an added bonus for saves from big chances

The overall effect leans slightly more bonus-point opportunity toward attacking players and goalkeepers, while reining in how much pure defensive work alone can generate for centre-backs.

How Ties Are Handled

It’s common for two or more players to finish with the same BPS score in a match, and the rules account for this rather than picking a winner arbitrarily:

• If two players are tied for the highest BPS score, both receive 3 points, and the next player down receives 1 point instead of 2
• If two players are tied for second, the top scorer still gets 3, and both tied players get 2 points each
• If multiple players are tied for third, the top two places are awarded as normal and every player tied for third gets 1 point

This is why it’s not unusual to see four or five players receive bonus points from a single match rather than exactly three.

When Bonus Points Are Confirmed

Bonus points aren’t final the moment a match ends. The underlying data is checked and the BPS scores are confirmed the following morning, usually by around 9am UK time. This is worth remembering if you’re checking your team’s score straight after a match, since the total you see can still move once bonus points are finalised.

Why This Matters For Transfers And Captaincy

Because bonus points are awarded independently of goals and assists, a player who consistently ranks near the top of the BPS table in matches he plays, even without scoring or assisting regularly, is quietly picking up extra points most managers overlook. This is part of the same logic behind why heavily involved midfielders make such strong picks, they tend to rack up the mix of actions, tackles, chances created, clean sheet involvement, that the BPS rewards most consistently.

FAQ

How many players can get bonus points in one match? Usually three, but ties mean it can be more, sometimes four or five players in a single match if scores are level at any of the three bonus positions.

Do bonus points count toward my total immediately after the match? Not always. The final BPS calculation and bonus point award is usually confirmed the morning after the match, so your live score can still change.

Can a substitute earn bonus points? Yes, any player who featured in the match, starter or substitute, is eligible if their BPS score is high enough.

Do bonus points affect a player’s price or ownership stats? No, bonus points are part of a player’s match score like any other points source, they don’t have any separate effect on price changes.