Illinois has two different types of tollways. There are the old-school booths with nobody at them, and big, open-road “archway” tolls. Drive through both of them. You aren’t paying anything right now—Illinois is just taking a photo of your license plate to bill you later. A few years ago, there were special lanes for non IPass users. This is no longer the case outside of the Chicago Skyway, so use whatever lane you’d like. You will see signs leading up to each toll.
It can take a few days for the tolls to pop up online. As annoying as it is, you’ll just need to check back in every couple of days.
The additional fee for the invoice is $3 per toll. In other words, if you drive through 15 tolls and you forget to pay them in 14 days, you’ll owe $45, so don’t wait!
E-ZPass and IPass are compatible in the following states: Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Islands, Virginia, and West Virginia. If you have a Florida E-PASS or a Kentucky/Indiana RiverLink transponder, those will work in Illinois as well. Your transponder will also work on the Chicago Skyway, even though it’s a private road. [5] X Research source
You cannot pay tolls on-site, period. You either have to pay with an IPass, EZ-Pass, or online with the pay-by-plate account.
The toll into Chicago from Indiana changes based on the size of your vehicle and the time of day (peak times are more expensive). Luckily, it’s consistent for standard passenger cars, pickups, and SUVs at $5. 90.
The Illinois tollway has a long history of being extremely determined to pinch you for your pennies, but they’ll 100% leave you alone if you pay your tolls. [9] X Research source If you’re an Illinois resident, you may be worried that the state will suspend your license. Relax! They changed the law in 2020 and no longer suspend licenses for unpaid tolls. [10] X Research source
If you live in a state that offers E-ZPass, opt for that instead. It’ll be easier to deal with your state, and Illinois treats E-ZPass and IPass transponders equally.
You can either reload the transponder manually, or link the IPass to a bank account or credit card to pay tolls automatically. You can also complete this process at any Illinois Oasis (those are the rest stations on the toll roads).
The Illinois toll road sensors will register your transponder remotely every time you drive through a toll, so you can stop worrying about paying the tolls at home!
