Transport for London
Appeal a Congestion Charge penalty
Congestion Charge penalties are issued by Transport for London. If they reject your challenge, you can appeal to London Tribunals free of charge. Challenging costs nothing and the deadline is short, so act now rather than paying by default.
- Issued by
- Transport for London
- If rejected
- London Tribunals
- Discount period
- Usually 14 days from the notice
- Official scheme page
- https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/congestion-charge
Worth knowing
The Congestion Charge is a separate scheme from ULEZ with different hours and different exemptions. It is common to receive both for the same journey, and each must be challenged separately.
No account, no card, nothing stored.
Grounds that work against a Congestion Charge penalty
The charge was paid but not matched
Payments regularly fail to attach to a journey because of a spacing difference in the registration, a momentary auto-pay failure, or the payment landing on an adjacent date. Ask Transport for London to search the surrounding dates, not just the one on the notice.
An exemption or discount applied
Disabled tax class, a registered resident discount, an approved vehicle type or a temporary exemption. If one applied, no charge was due.
The boundary was not adequately signed
A driver must get clear advance warning with a real chance to turn away before entering. Photograph the route you took and show what a driver actually sees.
You were not the keeper
If the vehicle had been sold before the date, liability cannot attach to you and the authority should obtain correct keeper details from the DVLA.
Common questions
How do I appeal a Congestion Charge penalty?
Challenge it in writing as soon as you receive the notice. The quickest route is the official portal for the scheme. Include the reference number, your vehicle registration and your evidence up front. If the charge is rejected you can escalate to London Tribunals, which is free for motorists.
I did not realise I had to pay. Does that help?
On its own, no. But it points at the ground that often does work: whether the boundary or approach was adequately signed. A driver must be given clear advance notice with a real opportunity to turn away. Photograph the route you took and show what warning a driver actually gets.
I paid but still got a penalty. What now?
This is common. Payments fail to match a journey where a registration was entered with a spacing difference, where an auto-pay account briefly held insufficient funds, or where the payment was applied to an adjacent date. Attach your payment evidence and ask Transport for London to search its records against your registration across the surrounding dates rather than the single date on the notice.
Does appealing cost anything?
No. Challenging Transport for London is free, and an appeal to London Tribunals is free for motorists. The only risk is that if you lose after the discount period has passed, you pay the full amount.
Write your Congestion Charge appeal now
Answer a few questions and get a letter citing the right grounds for your case, plus a checklist of the evidence to attach.
Start my appealOther schemes
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Voidly produces a draft letter to help you appeal. It is not legal advice. Always check the letter and the deadline on your notice before sending.