Dog lover Charlene Wright escaped the streets but could not escape £32 tax for attending court.
She was fined £20 after admitting begging on Clumber Street in the city on September 5.
City magistrates excused her from paying £85 prosecution costs and the £32 surcharge. But they were told there were no exemptions.
"That's shame. We have to add the £32 surcharge," said JP Jane McGregor, who sat with two other magistrates at Nottingham Justice Centre.
Serena Cousin, mitigating, told the court that 33-year-old Wright had been working hard to improve her life.
"You can't easily get benefits if you are street homeless. She is in a vicious circle," she said.
When Wright was caught begging, she was politely and quietly asking for small change, said Miss Cousin.
She pointed out that Wright had been in court the previous day and was given a community order. The begging charge could have been handled at the same time and the sentence would probably have not changed.
And she would not have been ordered to pay costs for a second time, added Miss Cousin for Wright who is in a women's hostel.
Sanjay Jerath, prosecuting, said it was not known why the two cases were not brought together.
He added: "She was seen to place herself in a position to beg."
Wright brought her dog to court, leaving it in a friend's care while she entered the building.
