Category: 4th Quarter IFTA

Your 4th Quarter IFTA Report Is Due Today

Posted on January 31, 2017 by - 4th Quarter IFTA, IFTA, ifta deadline, ifta fuel tax, IFTA online filing, ifta report, IFTA return, IFTA Tax Calculator App

Don’t hit the breaks, but tax season is here! Most likely IFTA is on your mind since you have to file an IFTA report four times a year. However, these deadlines can definitely sneak up on you, so here is your official reminder that your 4th quarter IFTA tax return is due by January 31st! Also, we don’t want IFTA to be in the back of your mind, so we’re gonna tell you all about it to make you an IFTA pro!

All About IFTA

IFTA stands for the International Fuel Tax Agreement and it is the agreement between the 48 connected states of the USA, states of Mexico, and the Canadian provinces to report on the fuel used by motor carriers or large vehicles operating in more than one jurisdiction (state).

Under IFTA carriers file quarterly fuel tax reports to figure out precisely the net tax or refund due to redistribute taxes from collecting jurisdictions that are due.

If you were to find yourself operating in Hawaii, Alaska, or the Canadian territories then you wouldn’t have to worry about IFTA.

Qualifying vehicles for IFTA include vehicles that are designed to transport people or property that has three or more axles, has a gross weight of 26,000 pounds or is used in a combination registered gross vehicles of 26,00 pounds or more. Basically, it refers to big heavy vehicles that frequent the interstate systems.

Fun fact, recreational vehicles are actually not subject to IFTA.

Every year you’ll need to renew your IFTA decals and licenses by December 31st. You’ll receive two decals that should be clearly displayed under your window on your driver’s side door. If you file your IFTA reports quarterly then the permits will stay up to date. They also help prove that you have complied with IFTA.

Well heck, what if you don’t usually travel outside of your state? Do you still have to deal with all this IFTA stuff? A little bit. You can get temporary IFTA permits from that state’s DMV office. Each state has their own temporary IFTA regulations. 

Before IFTA was put into place each state had their own fuel tax system and their own tax permits. This made carriers that frequently traveled through different jurisdictions suffer a lot of headaches. Trust us, IFTA is a much easier way to handle fuel taxes!

Now when it comes to filing your IFTA report you need a record of a few different things:

– Your total miles include the taxable and nontaxable ones for all of your jurisdictions traveled.
– Your total gallons of fuel consumed per jurisdiction.
– Your total amount of fuel taxes paid per jurisdiction.
– And the current tax rate per jurisdiction.

Now don’t let all this information and record keeping intimidate you. ExpressTruckTax is here to help. 

Calculating IFTA With ExpressTruckTax

ExpressTruckTax as an accurate fuel tax calculator to help you quickly calculate your fuel tax per jurisdiction, as well as a quick entry screen for all of your odometer readings. You can quickly update this sheet as you go, or all at once depending on your preferred method.

Also, ExpressTruckTax makes it easy to maintain your trip sheets and fuel records, and will automatically calculate your IFTA return from your trips sheets. This way you won’t have the hassle of calculating these numbers yourself.

With ExpressTruckTax’s error diagnostic report your return will be scanned for errors, so you can be aware of any corrections that need to be made before your file your IFTA return. This will help you and your company avoid being audited.

Plus, we are here to help every step of the way. Please don’t hesitate to contact the ExpressTruckTax support team via phone, email, or live chat with any questions that you may have!

Here Comes the IFTA 4th Quarter Deadline

Posted on January 28, 2016 by - 4th Quarter IFTA, ExpressTruckTax Plus, IFTA, International Fuel Tax Agreement, rigminders, taxes, trucking nation


Alright Trucking Nation, while we normally talk about your heavy vehicle use tax, we’re gonna shift gears to fuel reporting! That’s right, it’s time we talk about the 4th Quarter IFTA deadline.

About that deadline… since January 31st falls on a Sunday, that shifts the 4th Quarter IFTA reporting to the next business day – Monday, February 1st.

Can I Report IFTA from ExpressTruckTax?

Yes and no. While we’re geared towards filing 2290s, ExpressIFTA was specifically designed to simplify fuel tax reporting. Programmed by the same team that brought you ExpressTruckTax, you can expect the same ease of use when you use ExpressIFTA. You can even use the same login credentials as you do for ExpressTruckTax!

What will you need for IFTA reporting? You’ll need your IFTA license, basic business details, base jurisdiction, and truck information. From there, you add your total miles traveled and fuel purchased during the 4th Quarter. Instead of dealing with difficult manual calculations and pen and paper, our software streamlines the process. And best of all, you won’t have to pay until you generate your return!

What Kind of Features Can I Expect from ExpressIFTA?

Well, you can calculate your fuel tax reports by trip sheets, or even by uploading GPS data. You can also report by distance traveled or by odometer totals. If you have trip sheets available, you can upload those for even easier calculations!

With ExpressIFTA, you can manage multiple drivers, vehicles, and businesses under one account. And we’ll even check your entries for minor errors on our end before your return is generated. Basically, we’ve made the software so easy, you’ll be done in no time.

After this deadline, your next major IFTA deadline will be May 2nd. Want to keep up with upcoming due dates? Check out RigMinders, the trucking deadline reminder app, or look into a full tax management service like ExpressTruckTax Plus so you can hand off your reporting to a dedicated agent.

And as always, we’ll be here to answer your questions at 704.234.6005, or by email at support@expresstrucktax.com. We even support live chat from our website!

Are you ready for the 4th Quarter IFTA deadline? Let us know in the comments!

Here Comes the IFTA 4th Quarter Deadline

Posted on January 14, 2016 by - 4th Quarter 2015, 4th quarter deadline, 4th Quarter IFTA, ExpressIFTA, expresstrucktax

Yes, it’s that time again, Trucking Nation. The 4th quarter of 2015 has been wrapped up for a couple of weeks now and the January 31st deadline for filing 4th quarter IFTA returns is fast approaching. Luckily, we’ve got you covered! Filing your IFTA return is quick and easy using ExpressIFTA.

Just log in to ExpressIFTA, and all you’ll need to prepare your IFTA return is your mileage and fuel purchases. There are a few different ways to enter this information.

Enter Mileage and Fuel Totals Easily

You can enter these items manually with the Quick Entries feature. Just type in each entry and you’re done. Or if you’ve been saving all your totals in an Excel spreadsheet, ExpressIFTA has a cool feature that allows you to upload your spreadsheet and that information will automatically be entered into the appropriate fields.

There’s also the Trip Sheets feature. If you’ve been entering your information into Trip Sheets all along, you’ll be able to just upload the mileage and fuel totals from the sheets, and that’s it! You’re ready to generate your return!

Your ExpressTruckTax Account is Your Ticket to ExpressIFTA

You can log in to ExpressIFTA right from your ExpressTruckTax account with your email and password. All your personal and truck information from your ExpressTruckTax account will automatically populate the necessary fields.

There’s no need to look up and figure out complicated IFTA tax rates with ExpressIFTA, since that’s all automatically done for you too. With all the time and energy you save using ExpressIFTA, who knows what you’ll be able to do, probably something you’ve been really wanting to do!

So don’t forget the January 31st filing deadline. Now’s a great time to file with ExpressIFTA and get it out of the way.

If you have any questions or concerns, regarding IFTA or any other aspect of ExpressTruckTax, don’t hesitate to call us at 704.234.6005 or email us at support@expresstrucktax.com.

And you can always join the conversation over on our Facebook page or Twitter. Let us know about your experiences with IFTA, or anything else trucking related you think the rest of the Trucking Nation would like to know.

IFTA Filing Do’s & Don’ts: Part 2 Avoiding an Audit

Posted on January 27, 2015 by - 4th Quarter IFTA, Expresstrucktax.com, IFTA, IFTA Records, trucking news

With just 4 days left to file 4th Quarter IFTA returns, it’s crunch time. Right about now, all of the IFTA procrastinators out there are starting to panic and hastily fill in their returns. (No judgement, truckers have way too much on their plates!)

If you happen to fall into this category, then slooooow doooown. The last thing you want is to quickly fill in your return and submit it with the mistakes below, all of which are red flags for IFTA auditors.

As it is, each IFTA jurisdiction is required to audit 3% of its registrants each year, and if you commit one or more of these IFTA sins, you’re greatly increasing your chances of becoming part of that dreaded 3%.

Before you make a mistake that could cost you your business, take a few seconds to make sure you’re avoiding these IFTA errors.

Avoiding IFTA Audits

  • DO: Make sure your trip sheets have continuity from the trip’s starting location to the destination. Every jurisdiction between the start and end points should be included.
  • DON’T: Submit a trip sheet with non-continuous jurisdictions. Unfortunately, your truck cannot teleport from New Jersey to Ohio, and IFTA auditors know it.
  • DO: Record all personal and non-taxable mileage. 
  • DON’T: Forget that your end-of-day miles to a restaurant or lodging still need to be recorded. If you don’t, then your end of day location won’t match your beginning of day location, which is known as a gap in mileage.
  • DO: Record your exact fuel use and milage. Then use these numbers to calculate your MPG each quarter.
  • DON’T: Do the reverse, which is to calculate your fuel use by dividing your mileage by a set MPG. This is cheating! For one, your MPG will fluctuate naturally based on road conditions and an infinite number of other variables, so you cannot assume it will always be the same. These kinds of over-simplified fuel calculations are huge red flags to IFTA auditors.
  • DO: Keep an eye on your MPG. If your MPG changes drastically from quarter to quarter, there needs to be a reason, like a change in your vehicle, your operations, or your load type & weight. 
  • DON’T: Submit a return with a MPG below 5 or above 10. If your MPG is outside this range, there is likely an error in your recordkeeping or calculations. IFTA auditors know this, which is why many states won’t accept your return until your MPG falls in this range.
  • DO: Follow the tips for recordkeeping that we covered in Part 1. Keeping precise trip sheets will help you avoid all of the above errors.
  • DON’T: Get lazy with your documentation. Your business depends on complying with IFTA filing requirements, so use a program like TruckLogics to keep your trip sheets organized and up-to-date everyday.
  • DO: Be proactive and file on-time. The best way to do this is by using a program like ExpressIFTA which calculates the taxes and fills in the return for you. 
  • DON’T: Wait until the last minute and then rush to fill in your return the night before. Obviously, this leads to mistakes, which lead to audits. If you’re that pressed for time, have a processing service like ExpressTruckTax Plus file your quarterly IFTA return. They prepare your return based on your trip sheets, and then submit it directly to your base jurisdiction. And since they’re IFTA Pro’s, they know to avoid all of the red flags above.
  • DO: Remain calm & cooperate if you are selected for audit. Original documentation for the past 12 quarters should be kept in your base jurisdiction for the auditor to access.
  • DON’T: Avoid the auditor’s phone calls, shred your documents, or flee to Costa Rica. The 4-year retention requirement for documentation will be extended indefinitely until you cooperate. This means that legally they can keep coming after you with no statute of limitations. And the less you cooperate, the more likely you’ll face steep penalties, or worse, revocation of your IFTA license. 

Ready to get started? Whether you need help creating an ExpressIFTA account, or you have questions about having a processing service prepare your return for you, call us and we can give you advice or connect you to someone you can trust.

We’re available 8-6 pm EST at 704.234.6005 or on live chat. Or for 24/7 assistance, just email us at support@expresstrucktax.com. With the deadline looming so close, it’s nice to know that you can reach out for help at all hours of the night. When crisis strikes, the Support Team will be ready for you!

Ready for More? Check out Part 1, chock-full of Tips for IFTA Recordkeeping!

IFTA Filing Do’s & Dont’s: Part 1

Posted on January 20, 2015 by - 4th Quarter IFTA, Expresstrucktax.com, IFTA, IFTA Records, trucking news

There’s just 10 days until 4th Quarter IFTA reports are due.

Are you ready? If you’re trying to get your act together at the last minute, then ExpressTruckTax can help you prepare your return, quickly & correctly– all while keeping your sanity in tact!

We’ve got do’s & don’ts for IFTA record-keeping & return preparation. So please do avoid these don’ts (and don’t ignore these do’s) to ensure IFTA-filing success!

IFTA Recordkeeping Do’s & Don’ts

  • DO: Record fuel use and fuel purchases every day. Your records should include the amount and type of fuel purchased, the name & address of the gas station, the cost per gallon, total of the sale, and the original receipt.
  • DON’T: Assume you can recreate a record of your fuel transactions later using your pile of receipts. If a receipt goes missing, you’ll have no way of knowing without a fuel record to check against.
  • DO: Keep all original fuel receipts in good condition for at least three years after the close of the quarter.
  • DON’T: Wrinkle or write on your receipts. If they’re stashed in the crevices of your cab or mashed into a shoebox, it’s time to buy an accordion file folder.

  • DO: Maintain accurate distance records including your mileage per jurisdiction, the routes you took, and any detours or out-of-route mileage accrued.
  • DON’T: Record your estimated mileage for a trip as your actual mileage. Not only will this leave out personal miles you drive (to the grocery store, etc), but it’s also likely that in the course of your trip, you will deviate from the route your estimate was based upon. Detours happen. Record them all. 

  • DO: Use a program like TruckLogics to keep precise trip sheets. Be sure to update them daily.
  • DON’T: Wait until the end of the quarter to fill in your trip sheets. This leads to imprecise records and to red flags that could trigger an IFTA audit. 

Preparing your Return: Do’s & Don’ts

  • DO: Use ExpressIFTA to prepare your return faster than ever before, and with way less work than you’re used to.

    With ExpressIFTA, you simply input your fuel use and mileage, and then kick back while the program calculates your tax and MPG for you. And the perks don’t stop there. Not only will it perform all calculations, but it will also plug all of the numbers into a completed IFTA return appropriate for your state.

    Pro Tip: If you use an IFTA-approved GPS that records your trip sheets, you can import that information and use it to create your return. 
    After importing or entering your mileage and fuel use, all you’ll need to do is print the return– and mail it, of course (and they even include instructions on how to do it).

      • DON’T: Waste your time calculating your tax and tediously filling in a long and scary IFTA return. Hair pulling, insomnia, and loss of sanity are all common side effects.

      And here’s one last DO for you! DO call the ExpressTruckTax team for help filing your 4th Quarter IFTA returns. They’re available in our sunny hometown of Rock Hill, 24/7, and they’d be happy to walk you through the ExpressIFTA set up.

      Call them at 704.234.6005, message them on live chat, or email them at support@expresstrucktax.com. No matter how you get in contact, you’re guaranteed the support experience of a lifetime!

      Check out Part 2 for Tips to Avoid an IFTA Audit. You don’t want to miss this! 


      For Tips on HVUT Recordkeeping, mosey over to:

      • HVUT Recordkeeping Requirements