George Washington Bridge Toll-by-Mail Rates & How It Works (2026)
No E-ZPass? Cameras capture your plate and a bill is mailed. Passenger car rate: $23.30.
Tolls collected eastbound only (into NYC). Westbound into NJ is free.
What Is Toll-by-Mail on the George Washington Bridge?
Toll-by-Mail is the payment method used for vehicles that cross the George Washington Bridge without an E-ZPass transponder. Since the GWB is entirely cashless with no staffed toll booths, drivers who do not have E-ZPass are automatically enrolled in the Toll-by-Mail system.
When you drive through the toll gantry, high-resolution cameras mounted overhead capture images of your vehicle's front and rear license plates. The system uses optical character recognition (OCR) technology to read the plate number and match it against DMV databases. A toll invoice is then generated and mailed to the registered vehicle owner at the address on file with the DMV.
The Toll-by-Mail rate is higher than the E-ZPass rate for every vehicle class. For passenger cars, Toll-by-Mail costs $23.30 per crossing, compared to $16.79 (E-ZPass peak) or $14.79 (E-ZPass off-peak). A new $19.55 Mid-Tier rate (effective 6 July 2025) sits between E-ZPass and Toll-by-Mail and applies when an NY/NJ E-ZPass tag is improperly mounted. The premium over E-ZPass reflects the additional administrative costs of processing, printing, and mailing toll invoices. See full E-ZPass rates and how to sign up.
Toll-by-Mail Rate Table: All Vehicle Types
Toll-by-Mail rates are flat (no peak/off-peak distinction). The "extra cost" column shows how much more you pay compared to E-ZPass.
| Vehicle Type | Toll-by-Mail | E-ZPass Peak | E-ZPass Off-Peak | Extra Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passenger car (2 axle) | $23.30 | $16.79 | $14.79 | $6.51 - $8.51 |
| Motorcycle | $23.30 | $15.79 | $13.79 | $7.51 - $9.51 |
| Small truck (2 axle, dual rear) | $51.34 | $45.34 | $43.34 | $6.00 - $8.00 |
| Large truck (3 axle) | $77.01 | $68.01 | $65.01 | $9.00 - $12.00 |
| Truck (4 axle) | $102.68 | $90.68 | $86.68 | $12.00 - $16.00 |
| Truck (5 axle) | $128.35 | $113.35 | $108.35 | $15.00 - $20.00 |
| Truck (6+ axle, base) | $154.02 | $136.02 | $130.02 | $18.00 - $24.00 |
| Bus, 2-axle (32 ft or longer, from 12 Jul 2026) | $33.35 | $23.00 | $18.40 | $10.35 - $14.95 |
Rates set by the Port Authority of NY & NJ. Tariff effective 4 January 2026 | Rates verified 24 October 2026. Toll-by-Mail rates do not vary by time of day.
How the Toll-by-Mail Billing Process Works
You drive through the toll gantry without E-ZPass. Overhead cameras capture images of your front and rear license plates along with a timestamp.
The tolling system uses optical character recognition to read your plate number. The plate is matched against DMV registration databases to identify the vehicle owner.
The Port Authority issues toll bills for passenger vehicles to the registered owner once a month, and each bill includes all toll transactions in that billing period. It does not publish a number of days between a crossing and the bill.
Each bill carries a due date, and the Port Authority's instruction is to pay on or before it. Bills can be paid online, by mail, by phone or at certain local retailers.
Paying Your Toll-by-Mail Bill
Each toll bill carries a due date, and the Port Authority's instruction is to pay on or before it. It names four ways to pay: online, by mail, by phone, or at certain local retailers. Online payment and the customer service line now sit on the consolidated E-ZPass NY site, which the Port Authority describes as serving both E-ZPass and Tolls by Mail customers.
Several crossings do not mean several bills. Toll bills for passenger vehicles are issued once a month and include all toll transactions during the billing period, so a month of crossings arrives as one bill.
Out-of-State Vehicles and Toll-by-Mail
If you drive through the GWB toll gantry with an out-of-state plate and no E-ZPass, the system reads your plate and sends a Toll-by-Mail bill to the address associated with your vehicle registration in your home state.
The bill follows the same monthly cycle and carries the same fees as a New York or New Jersey bill. The Port Authority publishes no separate timetable for out-of-state plates.
If you are visiting from out of state and plan to cross the GWB, bring an E-ZPass tag if you have one. E-ZPass is accepted across the 20 member states, and it saves you both the Toll-by-Mail premium and the hassle of dealing with a mailed bill after your trip. Learn more about E-ZPass interoperability.
Rental Car Surcharges: The Hidden Cost
If you cross the George Washington Bridge in a rental car without your own E-ZPass transponder, you will likely pay significantly more than the $23.30 Toll-by-Mail rate. Most major rental car companies, including Hertz, Enterprise, Avis, Budget, and National, offer electronic toll programs that automatically charge tolls to your rental agreement. The catch is the administrative fee.
Those fees are set by each rental company in its own rental agreement, not by the Port Authority, and they change, so this page does not quote them. Read the tolling section of your agreement at pickup: it is the only place the fee that applies to you is stated. Against it, the same crossing costs $16.79 at peak with your own New York or New Jersey E-ZPass.
The best way to avoid rental car toll surcharges is to bring your own E-ZPass transponder and use it in the rental vehicle. Most E-ZPass transponders are not permanently mounted and can be moved between cars. Simply place your personal E-ZPass on the dashboard of the rental and switch the rental company's toll program off (if possible). Verify with the rental company at pickup that their electronic toll system is disabled to avoid double charges.
Violations and Penalties for Unpaid Tolls
The Port Authority ties the fees to billing cycles, not to a count of days. Its Cashless Tolling page sets out the whole sequence:
- Late fee, $5: if a toll bill is not paid on time, a $5 late fee is added on the second toll bill.
- Violation fee, $50 per unpaid toll: if the tolls remain unpaid after two toll bills have been mailed, each unpaid toll attracts a $50 violation fee. It is charged per toll, not once per bill.
- Persistent non-payment: may result in civil penalties and/or vehicle registration suspension. The Port Authority attaches no timetable to either.
- Collections: unpaid violations may be collected by one of three agencies the Port Authority names: Southwest Credit, AllianceOne (or affiliate PMT Solutions), Transworld Systems Inc..
Source: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Cashless Tolling (Tolls by Mail billing process), read 4 October 2026. The Port Authority publishes no fixed dispute window; how to challenge a bill, and when to deal with a collections agency instead, is on the GWB toll dispute page. The missed toll page works through what each fee does to a single missed crossing.
Why E-ZPass Is a Better Choice
In nearly every scenario, E-ZPass is the smarter option compared to Toll-by-Mail. The savings are clear: $6.51 to $8.51 per crossing for passenger cars, and even larger savings for trucks and commercial vehicles. But the benefits extend beyond just the per-crossing rate.
- No paper bills: the toll is deducted from your prepaid account, so there are no mailed bills to track and no due dates to miss.
- Peak and off-peak flexibility: E-ZPass gives you access to the lower off-peak rate ($14.79 for cars). Toll-by-Mail charges the flat $23.30 rate regardless of when you cross.
- No mailed bills to miss: while the account is funded, tolls are deducted from it, so the late fee, violation fees and registration suspension that follow an unpaid mailed bill do not arise.
- Rental car savings: bringing your own E-ZPass to a rental car keeps the crossing off the rental company's toll program and its fees.
- Works everywhere: Your E-ZPass transponder works on the GWB, all other Port Authority crossings, the NJ Turnpike, NY State Thruway, and toll facilities across the 20 E-ZPass member states.
For a daily commuter (5 tolled crossings a week, since the westbound return is free), switching from Toll-by-Mail to E-ZPass off-peak saves about $2,213 per year at the Jan 2026 rates. Even occasional users save enough in just a few crossings to justify the minimal effort of enrollment. See full E-ZPass rate details and sign-up options.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the George Washington Bridge toll without E-ZPass?
Without E-ZPass, the George Washington Bridge toll for a passenger car is $23.30 via Toll-by-Mail (tariff effective 4 January 2026). This flat rate applies at all times of day, including peak and off-peak hours. The bill is mailed to the registered vehicle owner after cameras capture the license plate at the toll gantry.
Can you pay cash on the George Washington Bridge?
No. The George Washington Bridge is fully cashless. There are no toll booths, no coin baskets, and no attendants. If you do not have E-ZPass, cameras photograph your license plate and a Toll-by-Mail bill is sent to the registered vehicle owner at the $23.30 rate for passenger cars.
How long does it take to get a GWB Toll-by-Mail bill?
The Port Authority does not publish a number of days. What it publishes is the cycle: toll bills for passenger vehicles are issued to the registered owner once a month and include all toll transactions during the billing period, so a crossing appears on the next monthly bill. The bill goes to the address on the vehicle registration, so an outdated registration address is the usual reason a bill never arrives, and an unpaid bill still attracts the fees.
What happens if you do not pay a GWB Toll-by-Mail bill?
The fees run on billing stages. The first toll bill gives 30 days to pay with no fees. If it is not paid on time, a $5 late fee is added on the second toll bill, which gives another 30 days. If the tolls remain unpaid after two toll bills have been mailed, a violation notice adds a $50 violation fee for each unpaid toll, with 30 days to pay (Port Authority Tolling Basic Facts brochure, April 2026). The Port Authority states that persistent unpaid violations may result in civil penalties and/or vehicle registration suspension, and that unpaid violations may be collected by one of three named agencies.
Why does a GWB Toll-by-Mail bill show a $50 administrative fee?
The Port Authority's brochure calls the $50 charged on a violation notice an administrative fee, and this page calls the same charge the violation fee. It is $50 for each unpaid toll, and it only applies once a toll has gone unpaid through two toll bills: the first bill has no fees and the second adds a $5 late fee (Port Authority Tolling Basic Facts brochure, April 2026). A first bill for a recent crossing should not carry it. If yours does, check whether it also lists older unpaid tolls on the same plate, whether the charge comes from a rental or leasing company rather than the Port Authority, and that the bill is genuine (official payment is on the E-ZPass NY website, by phone or in the Tolls NY app). The E-ZPass NY Customer Service Center on 1-800-333-TOLL (8655) can explain or correct a fee; this site cannot see or change bills. (Answer added after a reader question, November 2026.)
Can you pay a GWB Toll-by-Mail bill online?
Yes. The Port Authority lists online payment first, at e-zpassny.com, which handles Tolls by Mail bills as well as E-ZPass accounts. You can also pay through the official Tolls NY app, by phone on the E-ZPass NY Customer Service Center at 1-800-333-TOLL (8655), by mail (no cash) to Payment Processing Center, PO Box 15183, Albany, NY 12212-5183, or in cash at a local retailer listed on e-zpassny.com. The bill shows the date, time and location of each crossing, so keep it to hand when you pay. This site is not the Port Authority and cannot look up or take payment for a bill (Port Authority Tolling Basic Facts brochure, April 2026). (Answer added after a reader question, November 2026.)
I used my own E-ZPass in a rental car but the GWB crossing is not showing in my account. Will the rental company bill me?
Probably not, and it is most likely a timing issue. First, GWB tolls are collected eastbound only (into New York), so a westbound crossing produces no transaction at all. Second, for E-ZPass customers with an out-of-state tag, the MTA's guidance is that Port Authority crossings post to your account in 4 to 6 days, and E-ZPass transactions generally post within a week of travel, so give it about a week before treating it as missing. Third, under E-ZPass rules a Toll Bill is only issued when the tag is not detected AND the plate is not on the account; if you added the rental plate as a Rental Vehicle with effective dates covering the crossing, a missed tag read is matched to your account by plate and charged at the E-ZPass rate. If nothing has posted after a week, you can search and pay by licence plate on e-zpassny.com (or the TollsNY app) before any bill is issued, which prevents a Toll-by-Mail bill reaching the rental company and triggering its administrative fee. Tell the rental company in writing that you used your own transponder. (Answer added after a reader question, August 2026.)
Does my rental car company charge extra for GWB Toll-by-Mail?
Usually, yes. The rental company receives the toll and passes it on under its own toll program, normally with a fee of its own on top of the $23.30 car toll. That fee is set by each company in its rental agreement, per toll or per day, not by the Port Authority, so this site does not quote one. Check the tolling section of your agreement at pickup, or bring your own E-ZPass tag to keep the crossing out of the rental program.
Can out-of-state vehicles receive GWB Toll-by-Mail bills?
Yes. The Port Authority tolling system can identify license plates from all 50 states and several Canadian provinces. Out-of-state vehicle owners receive Toll-by-Mail bills at the address associated with their vehicle registration. If the system cannot match a plate to an owner, the toll may go uncollected, but repeated violations can trigger enforcement actions in the vehicle's home state through reciprocity agreements.