What to do with unpaid tolls
There are different options available to deal with your unpaid toll debt.
The driver of a vehicle is responsible for road tolls and the administration costs that come with collecting a toll debt. Since 31 August 2018, the registered owner of the vehicle can also be held responsible.
If you think there is a good reason why you should not pay the toll debt or you need time to pay, you can write to the issuing agency.
- If you have been given a toll notice, final toll notice, penalty or enforcement notice and you cannot afford to pay; or
- You were not the driver at the time the toll was incurred
Do not do this if:
- You are receiving letters or phone calls from a debt collection agency; or
- You have been served with a statement of claim; or
- You are considering bankruptcy, because you will need to get legal advice as soon as possible
Not all toll notices are created equal
Some toll debts are chased by Revenue NSW and their life cycle are similar to a fine. You will be able to clearly identify them as they will be on a Revenue NSW letterhead. Private toll operators will also use the civil process to recover debts, when this happens you should get legal advice.
Enforcement Action
Some toll debts are enforced by Revenue NSW in the same way as unpaid fines. This means they can impose licence sanctions and business restrictions on you if your fines are not managed.
What to do if you receive a notice, but you weren’t the one driving?
You should complete a statutory declaration that nominates another person to pay the toll if:
- Someone else is responsible for paying the toll, for example, your partner or a friend
- You recently bought or sold a vehicle and you were not the owner of the vehicle at the time the toll happened
What if I can not afford to pay
Most toll operators have a hardship policy. You can ask for a hardship arrangement which may include:
- A reduction or waiver of some or all the tolls liability and
- Waiver of some or all the administrative costs that come with collection of the tolls.
Each toll operator has its own process for assessing hardship and you should contact the issuing toll operator directly.
If you need assistance making a hardship application, you can get legal advice.
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Please don’t ignore your fine
If you do not take action by the due date you may pay more and be stopped from driving or using your car.