How to Pay Unpaid Tolls on the Illinois Tollway

Blondenel

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posted on 5 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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Nothing’s worse than that feeling in your gut when you realize you have to pay a toll and you’re unfamiliar with the process. Do you need cash? Will they take your card? You dig in the center console for change, the radio is blaring, it’s all just one big mess. In Illinois, this can be even scarier when you realize there’s nobody at the toll both and nobody is stopping to pay anything! Relax. We’ve got you covered and you’ve done nothing wrong by driving through. In this article, we’ll explain how to pay and break down the nuances and mysteries of the Illinois tollway and Chicago Skyway.

Things You Should Know

None of the Illinois tollways are manned, so don’t worry. You’re supposed to drive straight through the tollway without stopping.
If you don’t have an IPass or E-ZPass, drive through the tollway and then look your license plate up on the Illinois tollway website to pay.
If you don’t pay an unpaid toll online within 14 days, Illinois will mail you an invoice.
With the exception of the Chicago Skyway, no Illinois toll road accepts cash or card.

Pay-By-Plate

Drive through the toll without paying and don’t panic. There’s no need to worry about stopping or not having change! There are no traditional tollbooths on Illinois tollways where you stop and hand someone money. Every tollway is automated, so just drive through it at or slightly below the speed limit. Illinois has two different types of tollways. There are the old-school booths with nobody at them, and big, open-road “archway” tolls. Drive through both of them. You aren’t paying anything right now—Illinois is just taking a photo of your license plate to bill you later. A few years ago, there were special lanes for non IPass users. This is no longer the case outside of the Chicago Skyway, so use whatever lane you’d like. You will see signs leading up to each toll.

Sign up for a pay-by-plate account to pay online within 14 days. Sign up for a pay-by-plate account on the IPass website. Then, log in with your credentials and enter your license plate number. You should see the unpaid tolls. Pay them with a credit card, debit card, or bank account. It can take a few days for the tolls to pop up online. As annoying as it is, you’ll just need to check back in every couple of days.

Alternatively, pay the hard copy invoice when it comes in the mail. If you don’t look your plate up online on the pay-by-plate website within 14 days, Illinois will mail you an invoice with the toll charges and an additional invoice fee. The letter will include a link for you to go online and pay the toll. The additional fee for the invoice is $3 per toll. In other words, if you drive through 15 tolls and you forget to pay them in 14 days, you’ll owe $45, so don’t wait!

Can I use my E-ZPass?

Yes, the E-ZPass and IPass are functionally identical. The transponder devices Illinois offers to its residents are called IPasses, but if you bought a transponder for toll roads in another state, it’s probably called an E-ZPass. Luckily, Illinois has an agreement with the E-ZPass states and Illinois will charge your E-ZPass account the same way other states do. E-ZPass and IPass are compatible in the following states: Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Islands, Virginia, and West Virginia. If you have a Florida E-PASS or a Kentucky/Indiana RiverLink transponder, those will work in Illinois as well. Your transponder will also work on the Chicago Skyway, even though it’s a private road.

Can I pay cash?

No, Illinois has permanently stopped taking cash at tolls. During COVID-19, Illinois got rid of the occupied tollbooths where you stop, talk to someone, and exchange money to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Ultimately, the state just decided to ditch tollbooths entirely. You can no longer pay tolls on the road with cash, credit, or debit. You cannot pay tolls on-site, period. You either have to pay with an IPass, EZ-Pass, or online with the pay-by-plate account.

The Chicago Skyway toll bridge still takes cash or credit. The Chicago Skyway, which is the major highway leading from Indiana into Chicago, is technically not run by the state—it was sold in 2016 to a private company. As such, they have slightly different rules. You can still use an IPass or E-ZPass, but you can also pay with a credit/debit card, or cash. The toll into Chicago from Indiana changes based on the size of your vehicle and the time of day (peak times are more expensive). Luckily, it’s consistent for standard passenger cars, pickups, and SUVs at $5.90.

Late Payments

If you don’t pay, Illinois will add fines and send it to collections. Frankly speaking, Illinois is one of the more aggressive states when it comes to pursuing unpaid fines and tolls. They can and will go after you for unpaid tolls by tacking on fines, late fees, and more. Collections will then pursue you and this will eventually affect your credit, so don’t skip out on Illinois tolls. The Illinois tollway has a long history of being extremely determined to pinch you for your pennies, but they’ll 100% leave you alone if you pay your tolls. If you’re an Illinois resident, you may be worried that the state will suspend your license. Relax! They changed the law in 2020 and no longer suspend licenses for unpaid tolls.

IPass Signup

Sign up for an IPass if you plan on going in and out of Illinois. You don’t have to be an Illinois resident to sign up for an IPass. You’ll save 50% on each toll if you have an IPass, so it’d be wise to enroll in the program if you plan on visiting Illinois with any kind of regularity. If you live in a state that offers E-ZPass, opt for that instead. It’ll be easier to deal with your state, and Illinois treats E-ZPass and IPass transponders equally.

Open your IPass account online and load it with $40. Sign up using your name, address, and license plate. Pay $40 to activate your account and wait for the state to mail you a transponder. The $40 will be your starting balance. Tolls will automatically be deducted from that, and then you can reload the transponder online when necessary. You can either reload the transponder manually, or link the IPass to a bank account or credit card to pay tolls automatically. You can also complete this process at any Illinois Oasis (those are the rest stations on the toll roads).

Mount the transponder on your vehicle, near the rearview mirror. Once your transponder arrives, clean the area around your rearview mirror with glass cleaner and a clean cloth. With the arrows on the transponder pointing up, remove the plastic backing on the adhesive strips and attach it at least 1 in (2.5 cm) below the metal roofline of the windshield and 1 in (2.5 cm) to the right or left of the mirror. The Illinois toll road sensors will register your transponder remotely every time you drive through a toll, so you can stop worrying about paying the tolls at home!