Texans May Have Money Sitting in Old Toll Accounts — Here’s How to Claim It
Millions of Texans prepaid money into toll accounts they eventually forgot about. Some of it is still sitting there — waiting to be claimed or about to be turned over to the state.
Quick Take (1- minute read)
— TxTag, EZ TAG, and TollTag accounts all allow refunds of remaining balances
— TxTag went through a major system transition in 2024–2025 — 1.4 million accounts were not transferred
— Inactive TollTag accounts are turned over to the Texas Comptroller after three years of inactivity
— Refunds are free to request — no middleman needed
— You can check your status right now online
Here’s What Most Texans Don’t Know
Every time you load money onto a toll account, you’re prepaying. And prepaid balances don’t always follow you when you move, switch vehicles, or stop driving toll roads.
If you had a TxTag before November 2024 — and your account was inactive or had an unpaid balance — it was not transferred to the new system. A KXAN investigation found 1.4 million TxTag accounts — 60% of all account holders — were not transferred over to HCTRA because they were inactive for a year prior or had a negative balance.
That’s 1.4 million accounts potentially tied to forgotten balances, expired refund checks, or unresolved account issues.
Source: KXAN Investigative Report / TxDOT
What Happened to TxTag
This is the part that caused the most confusion.
In late 2024, management of TxTag accounts was officially transferred to the Harris County Toll Road Authority — the same agency that runs EZ TAG. By early 2026, that transition was fully complete.
TxTag.org permanently closed for new accounts and payments on February 22, 2025. HCTRA migrated about one million TxTag accounts into their system.
If your account was inactive for more than 12 months or had unpaid balances, it was not transferred. In that case, you received a refund check with a 180-day expiration window.
If you never cashed that check — or never received it — that money may still be out there.
The Three Toll Systems in Texas — and How Refunds Work
EZ TAG / TxTag (now managed by HCTRA)
You can close your account and get a refund of your balance at any time.
Log in or call HCTRA customer service at 281-875-3279.
Manage your account at:
https://www.hctra.org/
TollTag (NTTA — North Texas Tollway Authority)
If your TollTag is inactive for three years, your remaining account balance may be turned over to the Texas Comptroller as unclaimed property.
Don’t wait three years.
Contact NTTA directly at 877-991-0033 or visit:
Here
to close your account and request your balance back.
Who Should Check Right Now
— You had a TxTag before November 2024 and haven’t logged in since
— You moved and stopped driving Austin or Central Texas toll roads
— You switched vehicles and never updated your account
— You have an old EZ TAG or TollTag account you haven’t used in a year or more
— You received a refund check after the TxTag transition — and never cashed it
The 180-day window on uncashed TxTag refund checks means some of those checks have already expired. If yours did — contact HCTRA directly to request a reissue.
How to Check Your Account — Step by Step
EZ TAG / TxTag
Step 1 — Go to HCTRA and log in. If you were a TxTag customer, check whether your account was migrated.
Step 2 — If your account wasn’t transferred, check for outstanding balances using the license plate lookup tools available through HCTRA.
Step 3 — Contact HCTRA at 281-875-3279 to request your refund or reissue an expired check.
TollTag (NTTA)
Step 1 — Log in at NTTA or call 877-991-0033.
Step 2 — Request account closure and balance refund.
Step 3 — Refunds are typically issued to your original payment method or mailed by check.
One More Thing — Check ClaimItTexas.gov Too
If your TollTag account was inactive for years and you never requested your balance, that money may have already been turned over to the Texas Comptroller’s unclaimed property database.
Search your name at:
ClaimitTexas
Toll account balances can appear there just like any other unclaimed property.
Free to search. Free to claim.
The Numbers That Matter
Within the 1.4 million TxTag accounts left behind, TxDOT reported roughly $57 million tied to unpaid balances and unresolved accounts during the transition period.
Many Texans still have no idea whether their account contained leftover money, expired refund checks, or unresolved credits.
The system changed. Nobody called.
The money doesn’t disappear — but it often sits there until someone asks for it back.
Ever’s Take
Texas toll roads run on prepaid money. That means every inactive account is potentially someone’s forgotten money sitting in a system they stopped thinking about years ago.
The TxTag transition was messy. Over a million accounts didn’t make it. Refund checks went out with 180-day windows. Some got cashed. Many didn’t.
If you drove toll roads in Texas before 2025 and haven’t checked your account status — check now.
It takes five minutes.
Worst-case scenario: there’s nothing there.
Best-case scenario: there’s money waiting with your name on it.
Log in at hctra.org. Call NTTA at 877-991-0033. Search ClaimItTexas.gov.
Your money. Go get it.
