Paying Dart Charge by post: it's PCN-only
You cannot pay a Dartford Crossing charge by post in advance or on the day. The postal route exists only for paying a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) after one has been issued. This page explains the rule, gives you the PO Box address, and helps you decide whether the post is the right route for your PCN.
Don't post a cheque for a crossing
If you post a cheque addressed to Dart Charge for a crossing rather than a PCN, it will not be applied. The case officer will return the cheque to you. By then, the midnight-the-day-after deadline will almost certainly have passed and a Penalty Charge Notice for £70 will have been issued. Use one of the electronic routes instead: online (gov.uk, also from a phone browser), phone (0300 300 0120), or Payzone.
The PCN postal route, in detail
If you have received a Penalty Charge Notice in the post, you can pay it back by post if you prefer not to use the online or phone routes. This is the standard process.
Address
Dart Charge
PO Box 842
Leeds
LS1 9QF
Printed on the notice itself, under "How to pay". The same PO Box takes the representation slip if you are challenging rather than paying.
Cheque / postal order
- Payable to: Dart Charge
- Amount: £35 (within 14 days), £70 (within 28 days), £105 (after 28 days)
- Include the reference number printed on your notice
- No processing time is published, so post early rather than close to a deadline
Post versus the online PCN form
Both routes accept payment of a PCN. They differ in speed and proof.
Online wins when
- You're close to the 14-day reduced-rate deadline
- You want an immediate email receipt
- You don't have a cheque book or postal order to hand
- You want the PCN closed off the system within hours
Post is fine when
- You have ample time before any deadline (post early in the 28 days)
- You prefer the paper trail
- You distrust online card entry
- The fine is for someone else and you're paying on their behalf via cheque from their account
What if you already sent a cheque for a crossing
If you posted a cheque for a recent or upcoming crossing rather than a PCN, the most likely outcome is: (1) Dart Charge return the cheque unactioned; (2) the original crossing missed the midnight-the-day-after deadline; (3) a PCN has been issued and is in the post to you. Three steps to recover from this:
- Pay the crossing online or by phone immediately if the deadline has not yet passed (rare but possible if your cheque was returned quickly).
- If the deadline has passed, wait for the PCN. It will arrive within 21 days of the missed crossing. Pay it within 14 days of issue to get the £35 reduced rate.
- Don't re-send the cheque. Use the online or phone routes from here.
Related guides
The crossing-payment methods
Online, phone and Payzone.
PCNs and appeals
£35 / £70 / £105 escalation explained.
Missed the deadline
Decision tree by how late you are.
Pay by phone
0300 300 0120, 24/7 automated.
Pay at Payzone
The cash route, in shops.
Is there an app?
No official app. Pay on your phone at gov.uk.
Postal payment questions
Can I pay the Dart Charge by cheque through the post?+
Not for a crossing. The payment routes for an upcoming or recent crossing are online, by phone, or at a Payzone shop. There is no official Dart Charge app, and no postal address for paying a crossing in advance or on the day. The only postal payment route is for a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) once one has been issued.
What's the Dart Charge postal address for PCNs?+
Dart Charge, PO Box 842, Leeds, LS1 9QF. The 'How to pay' panel on the Penalty Charge Notice itself lists cheque or postal order as one of the three routes, alongside online and phone, and the instruction it gives is: 'Include the reference number and make payable to Dart Charge. Send to: Dart Charge, PO Box 842, Leeds, LS1 9QF.' It is the same PO Box the notice gives for returning the representation slip if you are challenging instead of paying. Note that the gov.uk web page for fines lists only the online and phone routes, so the postal route comes from the notice, not the website.
Why isn't there a postal route for crossing payments?+
Dart Charge has not published a reason, so this is inference rather than a quoted explanation: the deadline for a crossing is midnight the day after you cross, which is shorter than any postal round trip, and gov.uk lists the crossing-payment routes as online, phone and Payzone with no postal option. The contrast with a Penalty Charge Notice makes the logic visible: the notice gives you 28 days, which is long enough for post, and the notice does list cheque and postal order.
Can I pay a PCN by post with a postal order?+
Yes. The notice's own 'How to pay' panel names cheque or postal order together as one route, payable to 'Dart Charge' and sent to PO Box 842, Leeds, LS1 9QF, with the reference number included. Neither the notice nor gov.uk publishes a processing time for a posted payment, so do not work to one: post early in the 28 days rather than counting back from the deadline.
Is the PCN postal deadline different from online?+
The deadlines are the same whichever route you use, but the post consumes some of them. The notice runs its clock from the date of service, not the date you received the letter, and sets 14 days for the reduced rate and 28 days before a charge certificate is issued. What neither the notice nor gov.uk publishes is how long a posted payment takes to be applied, so there is no official number to work back from. Treat the post as the route for when you have weeks in hand, and use online or the phone line if you are inside the final week.
Can I appeal a PCN by post too?+
Yes, and the notice is built for it: it carries a tear-off representation slip to complete and return to Dart Charge, PO Box 842, Leeds, LS1 9QF. The notice says you must challenge within 28 days from the date of service or it may not be considered, and that the grounds are the ones defined by the Road User Charging Schemes (Penalty Charges, Adjudication and Enforcement) (England) Regulations 2013. gov.uk offers the same challenge online and states you cannot challenge a PCN by phone.