FASTag penalty charges: Govt says pay 1.25x if traveling without valid FASTag through UPI

From November 15, vehicles without a FASTag, or with an invalid or non-functional tag, will be allowed to pay 1.25 times the regular toll via UPI. This comes as a relief compared to the current rule, under which drivers without a valid FASTag must pay double the toll in cash.

"In a significant step to incentivize digital payments and eliminate cash transactions at the user fee plazas on National Highways for Non-FASTag users, the Government of India has amended National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008. Under the new rule, vehicles entering a fee plaza without a valid, functional FASTag will be charged twice the applicable user fee, if the fee payment is made in cash. Such users who opt to pay the fee via the Unified Payment Interface (UPI), will be charged only 1.25 times the applicable user fee for that category of the vehicle," said the official statement.

What does it mean?

For example, if a vehicle needs to pay a user fee of ₹100 through valid FASTag, the fee will be ₹200 if paid in cash and ₹125, if paid via UPI. This amendment aims to strengthen fee collection process, enhance transparency in toll collection and promote ease of commuting for the National Highway users. This notification will come into effect from November 15, 2025.