Okay so yes, unless there's been a change, they'll make you pay basically the same amount as you would have for a whole year if you'd renewed last October, but your renewed reg will only be good through October 2024.

This may have changed but I don't think it has. And maybe there's a cutoff I'm not aware of. They screw you over on the basis of assuming you've been driving anyway so you have to pay for it. Basically they frame it as billing you for all of those months you've been driving without having registered. Really sucks when money is already tight. Hopefully I'm wrong about this and they've changed the policy but just so you know going in.