Padel Serve Rules: Fault, Let or Play On?

A rule-linked courtside reference for deciding whether a serve is a fault, a replay or still in play, and which attempt comes next.

GuideBy PadelFormat Editorial TeamPublished 28 October 20268 min read

Quick answer

Serve underarm after a bounce, with contact at or below your waist, into the diagonal service box. You get a second attempt after a first fault. Glass after a correct bounce can be fine; metal fence before the second bounce is a fault. A net touch does not automatically mean a replay. Follow where the ball goes next.

This guide uses the FIP rules applying from 1 January 2026, checked on 28 October 2026. The reference below separates the decision from what happens next, including whether you repeat a first or second serve.

TL;DR

Check the serving position, bounce and contact before judging where the ball lands.
A service-box line counts as in for the ball. The server's feet must stay off the restricted lines until contact.
A net serve that lands correctly and stays off the fence before its second bounce is replayed.
A second-serve let gives you another second serve, not two fresh attempts.
Let the serve bounce before returning it. For a disputed competition call, ask the official to apply the relevant rule.

On this page

Set up a legal serve

Face the net from behind the service line, on the correct side of the imaginary extension of the centre line. Bounce the ball in that serving area. Keep the ball from crossing either boundary before you strike it, and make contact at waist height or lower with at least one foot on the ground.

The current rule requires one foot behind the service line. It also prevents your feet from touching the service line, the imaginary centre-line extension or your own receiving box before you hit. Those requirements apply together. See FIP Rules 6 and 7.

The Spanish federation's 2026 rule-change summary explicitly allows the other foot to extend across in the air. That is different from planting it beyond the line. It also repeats the restriction on the ball crossing the service or imaginary line before contact.

For a straightforward starting position, leave yourself visible space behind the line. There is no need to balance on its edge. Ask a partner to watch your feet and contact separately: watching the racket alone cannot tell them where a shoe landed.

Start an ordinary service game from the right, then alternate sides after each point. A fault or replay does not complete a point. Keep the same side while resolving that point. For service order, deciding points and tie-breaks, use the separate padel scoring guide.

Serve decision reference

Read the sequence from left to right. “Correct box” means the diagonal receiving box, including its boundary lines. These examples assume an otherwise legal serving action and a ready receiver unless the row says otherwise. The table covers selected situations, not every possible interruption or disciplinary penalty.

For a fault, the next action depends on the attempt: after a first fault, take the second serve; after a second fault, the receiving pair wins the point. For a net/let serve, repeat the same attempt. “Play on” means the ball remains available for a legal return; it does not award either pair a point.

Serve decisions and the next attempt, checked 28 October 2026
What happened	Call	Next action	FIP reference
Contact above the waist, or an illegal serving position	Fault	Second serve, or point to receivers after a second fault	6.1–6.4; 7.1a
Intentional swing misses the ball	Fault	Same fault consequence	6.6; 7.1b
First bounce outside the correct box	Fault	Same fault consequence	7.1c
First bounce on the correct box's line	In	Play on, subject to what follows	7.1c
Correct bounce, then glass; receiver can still return before the second bounce	Valid sequence	Play on	8.1; 12.3–12.4
Correct bounce, then metal fence before the second bounce	Fault	Second serve, or point to receivers	7.1e
Correct bounce, glass, then fence before the second bounce, without a return	Fault	Same fault consequence	7.1e
Net touch, correct bounce, no fence before the second bounce	Net/let serve	Repeat the same attempt	9.1a; 9.2b–c
Net touch, correct bounce, then fence before the second bounce	Fault	Second serve, or point to receivers	7.1e; 9.1a
Net touch, then bounce outside the correct box	Fault	Same fault consequence	7.1c; 9.1a
No net touch; serve hits a receiving player or their racket before bouncing	Point to server	Start the next point	8.5
Net touch, then ball hits a receiving player or something they wear or carry	Net/let serve	Repeat the same attempt	9.1b; 9.2b–c
Receiver was not ready and made no attempt to return	Let serve	Repeat the same attempt	6.10–6.11; 9.2a–c
Correct bounce, then directly out through the gate where out-of-court play is not authorised	Fault	Second serve, or point to receivers	7.1f

Method: PadelFormat matched each selected sequence to the current rule clauses, then separated the call from the attempt remaining. This is an editorial rules reference, not observations from matches or a survey of disputed calls. The LTA rules overview, Padel Federation Ireland's service rules and FIP text were cross-checked. The full rulebook and the competition official take precedence over this shorthand.

Download the dated serve-reference CSV if you want the cases, rule references and source links for a club briefing. The complete reference is also visible above; you do not need the download to use it.

Watch the bounce after a net touch

Avoid calling “let” as soon as you hear the net. The next contacts can turn that serve into a fault. A ball that clips the net and lands wide has not earned a replay. Nor has one that lands correctly and reaches the fence before its second bounce.

The Estonian federation's introduction makes the same practical distinction: a net touch does not rescue an otherwise faulty serve, and a replay leaves the number of attempts unchanged.

Here are two constructed examples. Neither is a recorded match:

Example one: your first serve is a fault. Your second clips the net, lands correctly and meets the replay conditions. You repeat the second serve. If the next attempt is a fault, the point ends; the net touch did not erase the first fault.

Example two: your first serve clips the net, lands correctly and then hits the fence before its second bounce. That is your first fault. Take a second serve. Calling it a let would give you an attempt the rules do not allow.

When checking a disputed sequence, describe each contact in order: net, ground, glass, fence or player. “It hit the glass” leaves out whether it hit the ground first and whether it then reached the fence. Use the full sequence when finding the matching row.

Return after the bounce

The receiver must wait for the serve to bounce, then return before the second bounce. You may use the glass rebound after a correct first bounce. Tennis Australia's beginner rules distinguish the playable glass rebound from the faulty fence contact.

As practical advice, keep watching a serve you think will be long. Catching it or blocking it before the bounce can give away the point under the receiving-player rule in the table. Let its landing establish whether it was outside the box.

Readiness is a separate issue. The server should wait for a ready receiver; attempting a return prevents a later claim that you were not ready. Raise the issue before attempting the shot. Do not treat a missed return as evidence that the receiver lacked time to prepare.

For coaching on what to do with a legal ball, see the return options in our shot guide. This rules reference decides whether the point continues, rather than which return you should choose.

Practise the checks before adding pace

The LTA's serving guidance treats the serve as preparation for getting forward and recommends varying placement and speed. Use that as your next step after establishing a legal action. A bigger swing is not a remedy for an unclear bounce or foot position.

Try this PadelFormat practice exercise with a partner on a booked court. It is a suggested observation routine, not a tested training intervention or a pass mark for match readiness.

Serve five balls from each side at a comfortable pace. Ask your partner to watch your feet, bounce location and contact height. Leave the score out of it.
Repeat with your partner watching the first landing and any glass or fence contact. Say the sequence aloud before deciding the call.
For the final round, play ordinary points. After a fault or let, name the next attempt before serving again. Keep a note only when you disagree, then check that case together.

Keep the notes specific: “ball crossed the line before contact” is useful to practise; “bad serve” is not. Do not turn ten practice balls into a claim about your match fault rate. If a partner cannot see a contact clearly, record it as unclear instead of forcing a confident call. Repeat from a better viewing position during practice.

Our serve technique and first-volley drills cover the movement after contact. For a friendly match, the match scorekeeper can record the score once you have agreed who won the point. It cannot decide whether a ball touched the fence or a foot touched the line.

Sources and scope

Rules checked 28 October 2026. This guide follows the international FIP text applying from 1 January 2026. Federation introductions are supporting explanations, not replacements for the full rules. The reference omits time penalties, service-order correction procedures and unusual whole-point interruptions; check the relevant competition regulations or official for those cases.

International Padel Federation: Rules of Padel, application review 1 January 2026, principally Rules 6–9 and 12.
Federación Española de Pádel: 2026 rule-change summary, page 5; separate publication date not shown.
LTA Padel: rules of padel and serving guidance; publication/update dates not shown.
Padel Federation Ireland: Service & Return Rules; publication/update date not shown.
Eesti Padeli Liit: Mis on padel?, displayed page timestamp 17 February 2026.
Tennis Australia: How to play padel; publication/update date not shown.