Grace period for suspension of late fees, civil penalties for unpaid tolls ends March 2023

SEATTLE – The Washington State Department of Transportation will end the grace period for the suspension of late fees, civil penalties and registration holds for unpaid tolls on March 1, 2023.  

Following the launch of the new Good To Go! system in July 2021, WSDOT paused charging late fees and civil penalties, and requesting registration holds. The system included a suite of new features requested by customers during the past ten years, along with a completely redesigned MyGoodToGo.com. WSDOT’s vendor needed sufficient time to implement the necessary changes to the system to resume charging late fees and penalties, which provided a grace period for customers to adjust to the new toll billing system.

“Our goal is to collect the toll to pay for important transportation investments,” WSDOT Toll Division Director Edward Barry said. “We want to work with customers to resolve unpaid bills, avoid fees and help them lower their bills in the process.”

Most tolls that will be subject to late fees have remained unpaid after the initial bill was sent – which could have been more than a year ago. Most customers, roughly 90%, pay their tolls on time.

Pay By Mail customers with unpaid tolls encouraged to act now to avoid late fees

When late fees and civil penalties return in March 2023, people who have an unpaid toll bill will receive a second bill with a $5 reprocessing fee. If the second bill remains unpaid, a $40 civil penalty will be assessed for each unpaid toll. If the civil penalty is not resolved, WSDOT will request a hold on the vehicle’s registration with the Department of Licensing. At any point in this process, customers can contact Good To Go! to lower their bill if they pay the outstanding tolls.

Customers with unpaid toll bills can take these steps to resolve their unpaid tolls:

• The easiest way to make a payment is online at MyGoodToGo.com, where customers can pay their bill in full or choose to open an account at no cost and save $1.75 on each unpaid toll.
• People who cannot locate their bill should call Good To Go! customer service at 1-866-936-8246. A representative can help locate any unpaid tolls if the customer provides the name and address listed on the vehicle’s registration with DOL, and the vehicle’s license plate number.
• Drivers who believe they received a toll bill in error can file a dispute online at MyGoodToGo.com.

If a customer receives a civil penalty, they can call customer service to request a one-time waiver of fees and penalties. Customers who had fees and penalties waived before June 2021, have another opportunity under the new system to receive a one-time waiver.

In advance of March 1, 2023, toll bills and customer communications from Good To Go! will alert customers that fees are resuming and how to lower their bills.

Good To Go! accounts with unpaid tolls

With the new system, customers with a negative Good To Go! account balance who continue to travel toll roads will see those tolls posted to their account.

Starting March 1, 2023, tolls that have been charged to an account and have remained unpaid for at least 30 days will be reapplied to the account and a bill mailed at the higher Pay By Mail rate of an additional $2 per toll. Once a bill is mailed it will be subject to the late fees and civil penalties if the bill remains unpaid.

Good To Go! account holders should check their accounts to ensure important information — such as payment methods, vehicle information, contact information and notification settings — are accurate and up to date.

Customers encouraged to use tools available in new Good To Go! system

WSDOT’s new Good To Go! system offers a new payment option, called Pay As You Go, which makes it possible for customers to open an account without requiring pre-payment of tolls. In the first year, more than 270,000 customers have created Pay As You Go accounts.

“Our new system provides options to make it easier for customers to save money on their tolls that we’d like to see more people take advantage of,” said Barry.

In addition to saving money on outstanding tolls bill, customers who open an account will save money on all future tolls without having to worry about waiting for a bill in the mail.

WSDOT knows it will be busy at the call center once the grace period ends and is hoping customers will use the new self-service tools that are available as part of the new Good To Go! system.