Paying Dart Charge by post: it's PCN-only
You cannot pay a single Dartford Crossing by post. The post takes two payments: a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) once one has been issued, and a top-up to a pre-pay account ahead of future crossings (cheque or purchase order, £15 minimum, allow 10 working days). This page gives both PO Box addresses and helps you decide whether the post is the right route.
Don't post a cheque for a crossing
A crossing you have already made is due by midnight the day after. gov.uk's list of other ways to pay includes "pay in advance or top-up your account by post", but the form it links to asks for a Dart Charge account number, so it is an account top-up, not a one-off payment. That form asks you to allow 10 working days for the payment to be processed and warns that a crossing made before then "may result in charges which must be paid separately". Miss the deadline and the fine is £70. 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
Topping up a pre-pay account by post
If you hold a pre-pay account, gov.uk publishes a two-page Top up your Dart Charge account form for paying in advance by "cheque or Purchase Order (PO)". That PO is a purchase order, not the postal order the PCN accepts, and the form does not mention postal orders. It asks for your Dart Charge account number, so it is not a way to pay without an account.
Address
Dart Charge
P.O. Box 309
Leeds
LS11 1HJ
From page 2 of the form. A different PO Box from the PCN one.
What the form sets
- Cheque or Purchase Order, £15 minimum, payable to Dart Charge
- Allow 10 working days for it to be received and processed
- A crossing made before then may bring charges you must pay separately
- The same £15.00 floor is clause 7.3(c) of the terms: smaller payments are not credited
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
gov.uk publishes nothing on what happens to a cheque sent for a single crossing without the top-up form, so do not count on it covering the crossing. Three steps:
- If it is not yet midnight the day after the crossing, pay it online or by phone now.
- If the deadline has passed, a PCN follows by post. gov.uk gives you 28 days to pay it, and it drops to £35 if you pay within 14 days.
- Call Dart Charge on 0300 300 0120 about the cheque itself, and do not post another one.
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 you have already made, and not without an account. gov.uk's 'Other ways to pay' list does say you can 'pay in advance or top-up your account by post', but that line links to the 'Top up your Dart Charge account' form, which asks for your Dart Charge account number: paying in advance by post means topping up an account. The post takes two payments in all. A Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) can be paid by cheque or postal order to Dart Charge, PO Box 842, Leeds, LS1 9QF. And a pre-pay account can be topped up in advance on gov.uk's 'Top up your Dart Charge account' form: cheque or Purchase Order (the form's 'PO'; it does not mention postal orders) for £15 or more, payable to Dart Charge, sent to P.O. Box 309, Leeds, LS11 1HJ. The form asks you to allow 10 working days for the payment to be received and processed, and warns that a crossing made before then may result in charges which must be paid separately.
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 a one-off crossing?+
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, and the account top-up form alone asks you to allow 10 working days for a posted payment. The routes that do accept post are the ones with time in hand: a top-up sent ahead of future crossings, and a Penalty Charge Notice, which gives you 28 days.
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.