DART Charge Customers

Dart Charge is the payment scheme in operation at the Dartford Crossing.
You no longer pay the crossing charge at the barriers when you cross. Instead, you must pay by midnight the day after making your crossing by one of the following methods:

• online at www.gov.uk/dart-charge
• over the phone by calling: 0300 300 0120
• via a Payzone retail outlet
• by post (in advance only): Dart Charge Customer Services PO Box 842 Leeds LS1 9QF

You can also pay up to a year in advance.
If you only use the Dartford Crossing occasionally, you can register a credit/debit card for automatic payments when your vehicle crosses.

For regular users, a pre-pay account is the cheapest and easiest way to pay. It saves you the hassle of paying each time, and you can set up automatic top-ups. You can add multiple vehicles to your account. Residents need a pre-pay account to access the local residents' discount scheme.

Go to Dart Charge to set up a new account, manage your account or pay for a crossing.
Using the crossing between 10 pm and 6 am is still free.

Dart Charge Penalties
Enforcing the charge is an integral part of the Dart Charge scheme. National Highways use penalty charges and recovery processes to tackle those who do not pay.

Automatic number plate recognition cameras and electronic tags record details of all vehicles using the crossing. These are checked against DVLA records to ensure the correct charge is applied. If you have a pre-pay account, National Highways will withdraw payment. If not, payments are checked to find a match.

If a crossing charge is unpaid by midnight the day after a crossing, National Highways will issue a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN). Find out more at charges and fines.

You must pay the correct charge each time you travel across the Dartford Crossing in both directions so that you may have paid for a different journey.

If you believe we have contacted you about a Dart Charge penalty that you have already paid, please provide evidence of your payment as soon as possible so we can stop further action.

We will need a copy of the receipt from National Highways showing the amount paid, payment reference and date of payment. You should also include any supporting information (payment method, to whom and where payment was made) that will help us resolve the matter quickly.

If the crossing was paid via a pre-pay Dart Charge account, you must provide us with evidence of the account, including account number, name and address, and proof that the particular crossing was taken from the account.

You should send your evidence, including your CDER Group case reference, name and address, to

Email: dartchargecc@contactcder.co.uk

or

Post: CDER Group, PO Box 58, Darlington, DL1 9AE

We may need to contact you further if the information provided is insufficient to confirm that the payment relates to this penalty charge. Until we receive all the evidence needed we are required to continue recovery action.

Before issuing the unpaid penalty charge to CDER Group to collect on their behalf, National Highways will have sent several letters and notices to the address they hold for you. This address is generally the one you have given the DVLA as the vehicle's registered keeper.

If they have received no reply to their correspondence by the due dates, they will have applied to the Traffic Enforcement Centre (TEC) to register the penalty as a debt and sent an Order for Recovery to you.

If you have not received this correspondence and wish to appeal the penalty charge, you must contact the Traffic Enforcement Centre (TEC) using an 'out of time' form to explain why you're making a late challenge.

You can ask for more time to challenge a court order ('order for recovery') if you:

• were contacted about a penalty charge notice (PCN) you didn't know about
• were contacted about a paid or cancelled PCN
• didn't get a response to your formal challenge ('representation') or appeal

Once you have submitted your completed form to the TEC, you should contact us, providing evidence of the confirmation/acknowledgement email from the TEC, so we can temporarily suspend action on your case until the TEC and Transport for London have considered your request.

For more information about submitting an 'out of time' form, please refer to the GOV.UK website or contact the TEC helpdesk on 0300 123 1059.

If you have made a previous appeal ('representation') contesting this penalty charge but have yet to receive a reply, you must contact the Traffic Enforcement Centre (TEC) using an 'out of time' form to explain why you're making a late challenge.

You can ask for more time to challenge a court order ('order for recovery') if you:

• were contacted about a penalty charge notice (PCN) you didn't know about
• were contacted about a paid or cancelled PCN
• didn't get a response to your formal challenge ('representation') or appeal

Once you have submitted your completed form to the TEC, you should contact us, providing evidence of the application, so we can temporarily suspend action on your case until the TEC and Highways England have considered your request.

Some vehicles are exempt from paying for the crossing.

You do not need to pay if you're driving a vehicle that is exempt from vehicle tax because you are disabled. Your vehicle will be checked automatically when you cross – you do not need to do anything.

The complete list of exemptions is described in legislation.

If you received a letter from us about a penalty notice from National Highways and believe your vehicle is exempt from the Dart Charge, you can contact us by emailing dartchargecc@contactcder.co.uk.

You will need to provide us with evidence that your vehicle is exempt.

Please do not ignore our correspondence; it will not go away. If you have received a Notice of a debt you do not believe you owe, you may need to submit evidence or information to stop enforcement action. We appreciate that this may seem like an inconvenience, but we are required to continue to act to recover the debt until we receive the evidence, so it is important that you do this as soon as possible.

If you

• are receiving letters for someone who does not live at your address
• sold the vehicle before the date of the contravention.
• are the new owner of the vehicle
• have never owned the vehicle the charge relates to

Please visit our page 'Submit Evidence' for guidance on what to do; otherwise, please contact us as soon as possible on 0330 460 5295.

You should pay the outstanding amount as soon as possible to avoid additional fees.

You will find a 'payment by date', the balance outstanding, and the various ways you can make payment on the latest notification you have received from us.

The easiest way to pay is through our online customer portal. You can view all your case information and pay using a credit or debit card. You will need your CDER Group reference, client reference, and security code, shown in all communications you have received from us.

If you cannot find this information, please call us on 0330 460 5297 (local rate), and one of our agents can help you.

Do not ignore the correspondence you have received from us – the problem will not go away. We are here to help.

If you cannot pay the balance in full, contact us immediately on 0330 460 5297 (local rate) to discuss the payment options available to prevent further recovery action and additional costs.

Within the guidelines given by National Highways, we will work with you to agree on a realistic payment arrangement based on an assessment of your circumstances.

Please be aware that payment arrangements are discretionary, and failure to maintain the payment terms will result in further enforcement action.

If you are having difficulty managing your debts and would like some free, independent advice, please visit our Extra Support page.