Reimbursements of the Congestion Charge and ULEZ charge

Eligible NHS staff, patients, local authority, charity and care homes workers may be able to get Congestion Charge reimbursements. Eligible NHS patients may also be able to get ULEZ charge reimbursements.

Eligible NHS patients may be able to claim a reimbursement of the Congestion Charge and/or the ULEZ charge for journeys to and from hospital appointments.

NHS staff may be able to claim a Congestion Charge reimbursement if they use their own vehicle for certain journeys.

As part of London's response to the coronavirus pandemic, you may temporarily be eligible for a Congestion Charge reimbursement if you are a:

  • Local authority employee 
  • Charity employee or volunteer
  • Working at a care home within the Congestion Charge zone

NHS Patients

If you are an NHS patient and you meet the following criteria, you may be eligible for reimbursement of the Congestion Charge and/or the ULEZ.

1.    You have been clinically assessed as too ill, weak or disabled to travel to an appointment on public transport, and:

  • Have a compromised immune system (problems with your immune system)
  • Require regular therapy or assessment
  • Require recurrent surgical intervention 

OR

2.    During an epidemic or pandemic prevalent in Greater London, you are clinically assessed as being too vulnerable to infection to travel to an appointment on public transport.

NHS Staff (including locum and agency staff)

If you are an NHS staff member, you may be eligible for a Congestion Charge reimbursement if you meet the following criteria.

1.    You are using your vehicle to carry:

  • Bulky, heavy or fragile equipment/supplies
  • Patients' notes or other confidential material
  • Controlled drugs
  • Clinical waste, contaminated sharps, radioactive materials or non-medicinal poisons
  • Prescription-only medicines or waste medicinal products
  • Clinical specimens, body fluids, tissues or organs

OR

2.    You are responding to an emergency when on call.

How to claim: NHS patients and staff 

Reimbursement of the ULEZ charge applies to NHS patients only.

  • The Congestion Charge for your journey (and/or ULEZ charge if you are an NHS patient) must be paid before you can make a claim.
  • The NHS trust or hospital needs to be registered for the reimbursement scheme. They will manage the claim and reimburse you.
  • If you paid the charge using Auto Pay, the charge will be reimbursed to your Auto Pay account. It is free to set up an Auto Pay account.
  • If the charge was paid via the Transport for London website, the Pay to Drive in London app, or by phone the Trust will reimburse you directly. This is usually handled at the hospital's Cashiers Desk.

You cannot claim for:

  • Charges paid after the day of travel
  • Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs)


Local authorities, charities and domiciliary care workers

Local authorities, charities and voluntary organisations that provide services in response to the coronavirus pandemic within the Congestion Charge zone, may be able to claim Congestion Charge reimbursements for a temporary time period .

For example, you may be eligible to claim if you:

  • Make deliveries to directly support the coronavirus response within the Congestion Charge zone
  • Provide nursing or care services for people who are vulnerable or at risk of the coronavirus

If you are a domiciliary care worker, to make a claim you must either: 

  • Work for a company that is contracted by a local authority within the Congestion Charge zone to care for residents
  • Care for someone that receives whole or partial funding from a local authority in the Congestion Charge zone

How to claim: local authority, charity, domiciliary care or care home workers

  • You will need to pay the Congestion Charge for your journey before you can make a claim.
  • Check with your local authority, charity or care home if they are registered to the reimbursement scheme and make a claim directly to them
  • Your organisation or care home will manage the claim and reimburse you
  • If you paid the charge using Auto Pay, the charge will be reimbursed into your Auto Pay account. It is free to set up an Auto Pay account.

You cannot claim for:

  • Charges paid after the day of travel
  • Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs)

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