Starting March 1, 2023, the Washington State Department of Transportation will begin charging late fees and penalties for unpaid toll bills.

Here are tips for how customers can avoid a higher bill:

Pay By Mail customers with unpaid tolls dating back to June 2021 will soon be charged late fees

WSDOT stopped charging late fees and civil penalties in June 2021, which means some unpaid tolls more than a year old could soon be charged a $5 fee or $40 civil penalty. The most important thing to note is that these tolls are accurate and valid.

If you have unpaid tolls, the timeline for when you will receive a $5 late fee and/or a $40 civil penalty depends on the due date for the unpaid toll:

• If you have an unpaid toll and the due date listed on your bill is before March 1, you will be charged a $5 late fee if the bill remains unpaid.
• If you have an unpaid toll that was already charged a $5 late fee, your tolls will soon be assessed a $40 civil penalty for each unpaid toll.

The department mails bills to whoever is registered as the vehicle’s owner with the state Department of Licensing (DOL). If you drove on a toll road and never received a bill, make sure the address on your vehicle’s registration is up to date.

If you’ve been waiting to pay your toll bill, now’s the time! Late fees return March 1.

After more than a year of not charging late fees and civil penalties, there’s a greater potential for some higher toll bills if people have been traveling frequently on tolled roads and not paying their bills. However, it’s not too late to save on unpaid bills:

• Lower your unpaid bill at no cost: Make a payment as soon as possible. You can save $1.75 for each unpaid toll by opening a Good To Go! account at no cost. To open an account and save money on your tolls, enter your toll bill/statement information on this page (https://mygoodtogo.com/EN/bill-payments/toll-bills/landing) and click “Go”.
• Waive fees or penalties: While WSDOT does have a one-time penalty forgiveness program, which you can use to waive fees and penalties if you pay the original tolls, it’s best to resolve any unpaid tolls as soon as possible to avoid further fees and penalties.
• Can’t find your toll bill? If you think you may have unpaid tolls but never received a bill, contact the Good To Go! customer service center. You’ll need to provide the name and address on your vehicle’s registration, along with the vehicle’s license plate number.

The new system includes some changes for those with a Good To Go! account that has a negative balance and unpaid tolls. Log in to your account to make sure everything looks OK and that your account is up to date with your current email address, mailing address, vehicle(s) and pass(es). We send out monthly notifications to account holders with unpaid tolls and suggest you check your account on a regular basis.

If tolls charged to your account remain unpaid for 30 days, you’ll see those unpaid tolls credited back to your account, followed by a new transaction where the toll is reapplied at the higher Pay By Mail rate ($2 more per toll). You will also receive a bill in the mail.

An example of how tolls will be displayed on your Good to Go! account dashboard if your balance remains negative

After March 1 you have until your next statement date to make a payment before your unpaid tolls are re-applied to your account at the higher Pay By Mail toll rate and you’re charged a $5 late fee (you can find your statement date online by logging in to your account and navigating to the “Statements & Activity” menu). That said, it’s best to take care of any unpaid tolls now to avoid paying an extra $2 for each unpaid toll and a $5 late fee per bill.