How to Pay Tolls in Indiana (2026 Guide) | E-ZPass & Toll Payment Options

Indiana charges tolls on over 157 miles of road, and if you roll through without paying, a bill lands in your mailbox with a penalty fee attached that stings more than it should. The single best thing you can do before driving through the Hoosier State is get set up with E-ZPass — it saves you money, skips the lines, and makes the whole experience considerably less painful.

Here is something worth knowing right away: Indiana just passed House Bill 1319 in its 2026 legislative session, which mandates a shift to all-electronic tolling (AET) statewide. New toll projects after July 1, 2026 must go cashless from day one, and existing roads must complete the transition by December 31, 2027. In short, Indiana’s toll roads are going fully digital very soon. The sooner you set up a transponder or mobile account, the better off you’ll be.

Where Exactly Are the Tolls in Indiana?

Not every Indiana road costs you money, but the major corridors carry real price tags. Getting clear on which roads charge tolls before your trip saves you from scrambling at 65 mph.

Indiana has three main tolling systems, each operated differently:

• Indiana Toll Road (I-80/I-90): A 157-mile east-west corridor in the northern part of the state, connecting the Chicago Skyway to the Ohio Turnpike. Managed by ITR Concession Company LLC (ITRCC) under a public-private partnership.
• RiverLink (Southern Indiana): Manages tolls on three Ohio River bridges: the I-65 Abraham Lincoln Bridge, the I-65 Kennedy Bridge, and the SR 265/KY 841 Lewis and Clark Bridge. Entirely electronic.
• Cline Avenue Bridge (SR 912): A privately owned bridge in Northwest Indiana near Gary and East Chicago. No cash accepted. Electronic only.

Each system has its own rates, enforcement rules, and quirks. Let’s break them all down.

E-ZPass Indiana: Still the Smartest Way to Pay

Here’s the short version: get E-ZPass. If you drive Indiana toll roads more than a couple of times a year, a transponder pays for itself quickly through discounted rates and avoided headaches alone.

What It Costs to Get Started

For a standard 2-axle passenger vehicle in 2026, here is what to expect when opening an Indiana E-ZPass account:

• $15.00 transponder issuance fee
• $10.00 in prepaid tolls loaded to your new account
• $1.50 monthly account management fee deducted from your balance

That works out to a $25.00 upfront cost to get rolling. Not bad considering how much you save on repeated trips.

Where to Sign Up

You can open an Indiana E-ZPass account through the official Indiana Toll Road website or the E-ZPass Group portal. The process takes about 10 minutes online:

1. Create an account and enter your vehicle details
2. Select your transponder type (standard or exterior-mount for motorcycles)
3. Link a credit card or bank account for automatic replenishment
4. Set your replenishment threshold so your balance never runs dry
5. Mount the transponder per the instructions once it arrives in 5 to 7 business days

Other Transponders That Work in Indiana

Already have a transponder from another state? Good news. Beyond standard E-ZPass, Indiana also accepts:

• Illinois I-Pass — widely used by Northwest Indiana commuters heading to Chicago
• SunPass PRO — Florida’s multi-state transponder works across all Indiana toll points
• Uni — Central Florida Expressway Authority’s portable suction-cup transponder, great for rental car travelers who switch vehicles frequently

If you already carry one of these, you do not need a separate Indiana account.

2026 Indiana Toll Road Rate Schedule (Full Breakdown)

The Indiana Toll Road uses a distance-plus-class rate system. Your toll depends on where you enter and exit, plus your vehicle’s axle count. Rates update every July 1. The table below shows the full-length “through” rates from Westpoint (Illinois border) to Eastpoint (Ohio border):

Source: Indiana Toll Road Official Rate Schedule, effective July 1, 2025. Rates adjust annually.

One thing worth noting: the through rates for cash and E-ZPass are very close in 2026. The real E-ZPass advantage shows up at the Westpoint barrier, where Class 2 vehicles pay $4.80 in cash but only $4.77 via ETC.

As the ITR moves toward all-electronic tolling, invoice-based “Pay by Plate” rates will rise significantly to cover the cost of plate processing and mailing. Getting E-ZPass now locks in the lower rate before that shift hits.

Also important: the average passenger vehicle trip on the ITR is around $4.00, meaning most people use it for regional commuting rather than coast-to-coast transit. The Calumet and Gary interchanges near Chicago handle especially heavy traffic from Northwest Indiana commuters.

RiverLink: Tolling Southern Indiana’s Ohio River Bridges

If you are driving into or out of southern Indiana toward Louisville, Kentucky, you will encounter RiverLink. This bi-state electronic tolling system covers three major bridges and was created to finance the $2.3 billion Ohio River Bridges Project.

The whole system is cashless. No booths, no coin baskets. Your transponder handles it automatically, or your plate gets photographed and you receive an invoice by mail.

2026 RiverLink Toll Rates

RiverLink rates adjusted July 1, 2025 with the 2.5% annual floor applied. A small vehicle crossing without an account pays double the transponder rate — a 100% premium for the administrative cost of plate processing. That gap makes the case for a transponder pretty clear:

Source: RiverLink official rate schedule, effective July 1, 2025.

Big News: RiverLink Just Switched to TransCore

In January 2026, the Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges joint board selected TransCore as the new Toll Service Provider under a six-year, $146 million contract. The previous provider faced consistent criticism over billing backlogs and poor customer service.

The TransCore transition brings a cloud-based Integrity Back Office System capable of handling 100,000 daily crossings with improved image recognition and invoicing accuracy. Walk-up customer service centers remain open in both Louisville and Jeffersonville, along with a local call center. If you had billing issues with RiverLink in previous years, things should improve noticeably in 2026.

The RiverLink Fee Forgiveness Program

Here is one of the most useful programs that most Indiana drivers have never heard of. RiverLink’s Fee Forgiveness Program allows a driver one time per license plate to have all accumulated late fees waived and past tolls retroactively lowered to the transponder rate if they open a prepaid account and request a transponder.

If you have been ignoring RiverLink invoices, this program is your best friend. One call to RiverLink customer service could wipe the slate clean in exchange for simply opening an account. Worth knowing.

Cline Avenue Bridge (SR 912): Northwest Indiana’s Private Toll Road

The Cline Avenue Bridge near Gary and East Chicago is a privately owned facility that bypasses industrial congestion along the lakeshore. It is fully electronic — no cash accepted whatsoever. You use E-ZPass, I-Pass, or you get an invoice by mail.

2026 Cline Avenue Rates and Fees

Effective January 1, 2026, the bridge runs on this schedule. That $5.00 administrative fee for any non-transponder crossing makes this one of the most expensive short tolls for occasional users in the state:

Source: Cline Avenue Bridge tolling schedule, effective January 1, 2026.

The violation cycle escalates quickly if you ignore invoices: a $15.00 fee gets added on the second notice, another $20.00 on the third, and collections referral kicks in between days 93 and 95 with a 30% fee on the outstanding balance. Don’t let it get there.

Paying Cash: Still an Option (For Now)

Cash remains available at staffed booths along the Indiana Toll Road. However, the number of cash lanes has shrunk considerably as electronic tolling expands, and with the 2027 AET deadline approaching, this window is closing.

What to Expect at a Cash Toll Plaza

At staffed lanes, you pull up, hand over your money, receive change if needed, and move on. Straightforward. The issue is congestion, especially during peak hours near the Chicago end of I-90. If you travel on a Friday afternoon toward the Illinois state line, budget extra time.

Exact change lanes move faster if you have coins ready. Keep a small roll of quarters in your center console if you plan to use cash regularly. Most staffed booths accept bills up to $20 and some accept debit or credit cards. However, not all lanes take cards, so carrying cash as a backup is always wise.

Pay By Plate: Cashless Tolling Without a Transponder

At cashless gantries, cameras photograph your license plate and a bill gets mailed to the vehicle’s registered owner. This is called Pay By Plate, and while it is convenient in the moment, it comes with a real cost premium.

Pay By Plate invoice rates are higher than E-ZPass rates. As the ITR moves toward full AET by 2027, that gap will widen to cover the administrative cost of plate recognition and mailing. Ignoring invoices, though, is where things get expensive fast.

How to Pay a Pay-By-Plate Invoice

When your bill arrives, settle it through one of these channels before the deadline:

• Online: Through the Indiana Toll Road, RiverLink, or Cline Avenue portals
• By phone: Indiana Toll Road at 1-877-TOLLWAY (1-877-865-5929), or RiverLink at their customer service line
• By mail: Using the payment slip included with your invoice

Let an invoice sit too long and you will face escalating fees, potential registration holds through the Indiana BMV, and eventually a collections referral. None of those outcomes are worth the original $4 toll.

Mobile Payment Apps: The Transponder-Free Alternative

Not everyone wants a physical transponder stuck to their windshield. Fair enough. Two app-based options have emerged in 2026 as legitimate alternatives for cashless tolling without the hardware commitment.

NextPass

This is especially useful for rental car drivers. Instead of paying the rental agency’s daily toll convenience fee (which can easily add $10 to $15 per day on top of the actual tolls), you register your temporary plate in NextPass and pay only the toll itself. For a week-long rental in northern Indiana, that is real money saved. Visit NextPass.io to sign up.

Renting a Car in Indiana? Read This First

Rental cars add an interesting wrinkle to the toll equation. Most major agencies like Hertz, Enterprise, and Avis offer their own toll programs (PlatePass, Hertz TollPass, etc.) that automatically bill tolls to your rental agreement. The convenience, though, comes at a real premium.

These programs typically charge a daily administrative fee on top of the actual toll cost, which inflates your bill significantly over a multi-day rental. Your best alternative is to use NextPass or the Uni transponder from your existing account, both of which allow you to register a temporary plate and pay toll rates directly without the agency markup.

For a short one-day rental on a single toll segment, the agency program is probably fine. For anything longer, bring your own solution.

Mistakes Indiana Toll Road Travelers Make (And How to Avoid Them)

Let’s be real: avoidable mistakes cost people money every single day on Indiana toll roads. Here are the big ones:

Ignoring a Pay By Plate Invoice

This is the most expensive mistake you can make. Unpaid tolls escalate into fees, registration holds, and collections referrals. The original toll is almost always under $10. The total damage from ignoring it can be ten times that.

Drifting Into the Wrong Lane

E-ZPass lanes are clearly signed, but during busy travel periods, it’s easy to end up in the wrong lane. Watch the overhead signage from at least a quarter mile out, especially near Chicago-area interchanges where traffic moves fast and merges happen suddenly.

Letting Your E-ZPass Account Run Low

If your linked card expires or your balance hits zero, the transponder may not read properly. Your plate gets photographed instead, and you get billed at the higher Pay by Plate rate retroactively. Set your replenishment threshold generously and keep your card on file current.

Assuming Cline Avenue Takes Cash

It does not. The Cline Avenue Bridge is entirely electronic. Showing up without a transponder means a mailed invoice with a $5.00 administrative fee tacked on automatically. Set up E-ZPass or I-Pass before you drive it.

Not Updating Your BMV Address

Pay by Plate invoices go to the address on your vehicle registration. If you moved and haven’t updated your BMV records, invoices go to the old address, the deadline passes, and fees accumulate. Keep your Indiana BMV records current.

How Indiana Compares to Neighboring State Toll Systems

Indiana does not toll in a vacuum. Here is a quick picture of how the state stacks up against its neighbors in 2026:

• Illinois: All-electronic and mobile-heavy. I-Pass is the primary transponder, with Pay by Plate as the only fallback. No cash.
• Ohio: Still offers cash at turnpike plazas while transitioning to electronic. E-ZPass widely accepted. The full Ohio Turnpike costs a Class 5 truck $58.75, compared to Indiana’s $87.49 for a similar distance.
• Michigan: Entirely toll-free on major interstates. An alternative for east-west travel, though the extra drive time on I-94 often erases the toll savings for commercial operators.
• Kentucky: Electronic bridges only through RiverLink. No major toll highway network beyond the Ohio River crossings.

Indiana occupies the middle ground right now, maintaining cash options on the ITR while pushing hard toward the all-electronic model Illinois has already embraced.

A Note for Commercial Drivers and Truckers

For the logistics and freight industry, Indiana’s 2026 tolling environment has a real impact on operational costs. A Class 5 semi-tractor trailer pays $87.49 via ETC for the full ITR length, which works out to about $0.557 per mile. Compare that to the Ohio Turnpike at roughly $0.244 per mile and you see why some carriers route around Indiana entirely.

Fleet operators typically manage these costs through consolidated billing platforms like Bestpass, which unify toll management across all U.S. tolling agencies into a single account. If you run multiple trucks through Indiana regularly, a fleet account setup is worth the administrative effort. Talk to your fleet manager about bulk account options through the INDOT toll resources page.

Hit the Road Ready: Your 2026 Indiana Toll Cheat Sheet

Indiana’s toll system is genuinely manageable once you understand the three systems involved: the Indiana Toll Road in the north, RiverLink in the south, and the Cline Avenue Bridge in the northwest. Each works differently, but E-ZPass connects them all.

The single most important action you can take before driving in Indiana is signing up for E-ZPass. It works across all three systems, covers 19 states, and with the state going all-electronic by December 31, 2027, building the habit now saves you a lot of friction later.

If a physical transponder is not your thing, NextPass offers a solid no-hardware alternative, especially for rental car trips. And if you are a southern Indiana driver or crossing the Ohio River regularly, check out the RiverLink Fee Forgiveness Program before assuming you owe penalties. You might be able to start fresh.

Safe travels. May your balance always be funded and your lanes always be clear.

Pavithra Vinoth

Pavithra Vinoth is the founder of nytollsinfo.com, where she simplifies U.S. toll systems through expert insights and custom-built calculators. Her research-driven tools help drivers avoid costly mistakes and make smarter car decisions.