Toll roads are run by private companies in Victoria. Currently, these toll road operators are:
- Linkt (CityLink)
- ConnectEast (EastLink).
You are required by law to pay tolls when you travel on a toll road in Victoria. You can buy a pass before or up to 3 days after you travel on a toll road.
What happens if I use a toll road without a pass?
If you travel on a toll road without a valid account or pass (this includes if your account is suspended), the relevant toll road operator can take steps to recover any toll fees through a ‘toll recovery process’. This means:
- a toll invoice will be sent to the registered owner of the vehicle, as recorded with VicRoads. The invoice will include any toll fees related to your trip plus an administration fee, to cover the cost of the invoice.
- if the invoice is not paid, the toll road operator will then send you an overdue notice requesting payment of the toll fees and a higher administration fee, to cover the cost of both invoices.
- if the overdue notice is not paid, you may be sent an infringement notice by Victoria Police. An infringement notice will be issued for each 7-day period of unregistered travel on each toll road. Toll infringement fines are then enforced in the same way as other infringement fines.
Read about your options for Dealing with fines.
I am having difficulties paying my toll invoice, what can I do?
It may be that you are unable to pay your toll invoice in full when it is due because of illness, disability, unemployment, drug or alcohol dependence, family violence, a death in the family, natural disaster (such as floods or bushfires), or other circumstances affecting your ability to pay.
If you are finding it difficult to pay your toll invoice (debt), you should contact the relevant toll road operator. Both Linkt and ConnectEast have hardship policies to assist people who want to, but are unable to pay their toll debts because of circumstances beyond their control.
Read more about:
- Linkt’s hardship policy, and how to get help from their Linkt Assist team
- EastLink’s hardship policy.
Depending on your circumstances, you and the toll road operator may be able to agree on:
- more time to pay your toll debt
- a payment plan (to allow you to pay off your debt by instalments) or
- a reduction or waiver of the debt.
You will need to provide some evidence of your financial hardship (such as information about your current income, expenses, assets, liabilities), or other documents to support your situation. Any personal information that you give to a toll road operator when seeking hardship assistance must be kept confidential. Toll road operators cannot share your personal information with anyone without your permission.
If you prefer, you can ask another person (such as a case worker, financial counsellor or lawyer) to call the toll road operator for you. You will need to give them written authority (permission) to speak to the toll road operator on your behalf.
I have received a toll fine, can the toll road operator still help me?
If a toll road operator accepts that you are experiencing hardship, they have the power to request that any toll fines be withdrawn. This means that Victoria Police must cancel your infringement notice and no further action will be taken.
A toll road operator can still request that your fine be withdrawn, under its hardship policy, even after Fines Victoria have taken steps to enforce the infringement notice.
Read more about how Fines Victoria enforce infringement notices.
Don’t delay – If you receive an infringement notice for unpaid tolls, you should contact the toll road operator as soon as possible to discuss your circumstances and work out a way to deal with your toll fine.
Complaints about toll road operators
If you are having problems dealing with a toll road operator, you can make a complaint with the:
Get help with your fines
Find out how you can get other support for fines and infringements.
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