Can Drivers Get the Congestion Pricing Low-Income Discount?

Yes, for your personal car, if you qualify. The MTA's Low-Income Discount Plan (LIDP) cuts the peak congestion toll by 50%, starting with your 11th trip in a calendar month. You qualify if your federal adjusted gross income (AGI) for last year was $50,000 or less, or if you are enrolled in SNAP, WIC or TANF (MTA LIDP page).

It does not change your TLC work trips. Those already pay a small per-trip charge that the passenger covers.

How the plan works

• Discount: 50% off the peak toll. In Phase 1 (2025–2027) that is $4.50 instead of $9.00 with E-ZPass, as of October 12, 2026. The schedule sets $6.00 for 2028–2030 and $7.50 from 2031 (TBTA schedule).
• When it starts: "after the first 10 trips in a calendar month, and applies to all peak period trips after that." The counter starts over each month.
• What it covers: passenger vehicles, peak period only (5 a.m.–9 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m.–9 p.m. weekends). Overnight tolls ($2.25) are not discounted.
• E-ZPass NY only: "Enrollment in LIDP requires a valid E-ZPass NY account." The vehicle's plate must be up to date on it.
• How long: the schedule says the plan "shall continue for five years as committed to in the Final Environmental Assessment."

Example (Phase 1, E-ZPass, one peak entry per day): you drive your own car into the zone on 14 weekdays in a month. Without the plan: 14 × $9.00 = $126.00. With it: 10 × $9.00 + 4 × $4.50 = $108.00. You save $18.00 that month. A car pays at most once a day, so if you go in and out several times on one day, ask the E-ZPass Customer Service Center how those entries count toward your 10.

Check the income rule on the MTA page

The MTA LIDP page, read October 12, 2026, says: owners "must have reported a federal adjusted gross income for the previous calendar year of no more than $50,000, or be enrolled in a qualifying government assistance program." Rules like this can change, so open the LIDP page before you apply.

Adjusted gross income is a line on your Form 1040. It is not the same as the gross fares or bookings in your app statements. We can't tell you your AGI; your tax return or tax preparer can. This is not tax advice.

How to apply and recertify

Help: E-ZPass Customer Service Center, 800-333-8655 (MTA).

What to do next

1. Count your peak days in the zone. If you rarely go in more than 10 peak days a month in your own car, the discount won't change much.
2. Apply early and put the recertification date in your calendar.
3. Try your numbers in the congestion fee calculator.

Related rules and exceptions

• Resident tax credit: residents of the zone with New York State AGI under $60,000 may get a state tax credit for tolls paid. That is a different program from LIDP (MTA FAQ).
• Your TLC vehicle: trips go through the per-trip plan, not LIDP (how the per-trip plan works). Driving it in empty is covered in do I pay driving in empty?
• Bridge discounts for Staten Island and Rockaway residents are separate plans: Staten Island resident discount on a TLC car?
• The term: Low-Income Discount Plan. Personal car rules: congestion pricing in your own car. More in the tolls hub.