Category: Form 2290

How to be an Owner/Operator Truck Driver?

What is It?
An owner operator truck driver is someone who owns their own truck and uses it to transfer goods as an independent contractor. Owner operators often work for several truck lines and companies. This type of situation is good if you enjoy managing your own schedule and the sense of freedom that the open road provides. It is ideal for someone to have many contacts in the trucking industry if they wish to pursue a career as an owner operator due to the difficulty of getting loads to haul.  

How to Become One?
The First thing to do, in order to become an owner operator, is to get CDL license endorsement. A CDL endorsement is added to your current driver’s license after a knowledge and skills test are passed. It is necessary to gain experience in the trucking industry as a driver before beginning business as an owner operator. The next step is actually leasing a truck. After you get a truck, you need to focus on getting work from reputable companies. Important things to remember about gaining and maintaining work is that you can build a strong reputation as an owner operator by being on time and having good communication with the employers.

What Taxes are Associated with Owner Operators?
The IRS requires all vehicles with registered gross weights equal to or exceeding 55,000 pounds to pay annually on heavy vehicles operating on public highways to file Heavy Vehicle Use Tax or HVUT. There are three different categories for HVUT rates for these vehicles. Vehicles Below 55,000 pounds have HVUT because they do not qualify as a heave vehicle. Vehicles between 55,000 and 75,000 pounds owe $100, plus $22 per 1,000 pounds over 55,000 pounds. Finally, for vehicles that are over 75,000 pounds the maximum HVUT is $550 per year.  

There are many taxes that are associated with the trucking industry. Many of them can be managed online through www.expresstrucktax.com. This serves as a one stop shop for all truck tax needs.  

How Fuel Tax-IFTA (International Fuel Tax Agreement) Works?

What is IFTA?

The International Fuel Tax Agreement, or IFTA, represents a tax collection agreement by and among the 48 contiguous United States and the 10 Canadian Provinces bordering the United States.  IFTA is a quarterly tax on qualified highway motor vehicles that operate in at least 2 out of the 58 total jurisdictions.  

Who Must Pay?
A vehicle is considered to be a qualified motor vehicle if it is used, designed, or maintained for the transportation of persons or property and has a gross vehicle or registered gross vehicle weight of more than 26,000 pounds.  A Vehicle is also considered to be a qualified motor vehicle if it has three axles, regardless of its weight.  Finally, a vehicle is considered to be a qualified motor vehicle if the combined weight of all of its parts is greater than 26,000 pounds.

How Does it Work?
Each Vehicle has a Base Jurisdiction, which is the state or province in which the vehicle is registered.  Fuel Tax must be filed with each jurisdiction each quarter.  Each state or province has a different Rate and those rates change quarterly.  Each driver must keep a trip log of how many miles are traveled in each state or province, as well as how much fuel was purchased in each state or province.  

What is IFTA’s Purpose?
The official purpose of IFTA is “to promote and encourage the fullest and most efficient possible use of the highway system by making uniform the administration of motor fuels use taxation laws with respect to qualified member vehicles operated in multiple member jurisdictions.”  When IFTA is filed with the appropriate jurisdiction, The Fuel Tax Report is then used to determine the tax amount due as well as the refund due.  It is also used to redistribute taxes from collecting jurisdictions to jurisdictions that it is due.  One of the reasons for the Fuel Tax is to ensure that a vehicle pays taxes to all deserving jurisdictions. For Example: if a vehicle travels through a state, but buys no gas while in that state, then there was no fuel tax paid to that state through the purchase of gasoline.  Part of their tax would then be redistributed to the state that received no fuel tax.

Filing a Form 2290 with the IRS

The Heavy Vehicle Use Tax, or HVUT, must be filed with the IRS for any highway motor vehicle that exceeds a gross weight of 55,000 pounds.  IRS Form 2290 Schedule 1 is used to report all vehicles for which you are reporting tax (including an increase in taxable gross weight) and those that you are reporting suspension of the tax by category and vehicle identification number (VIN).  The Schedule 1 may also be used as proof of payment to register your vehicle in any state. Use the stamped Schedule 1 that was returned to you by the IRS for this purpose.

Who Must File?
You must file a Form 2290 and Schedule 1 for the tax period beginning on July 1, 2010, and ending on June 30, 2011, if a highway motor vehicle is registered, or required to be registered, in your name under state, District of Columbia, Canadian, or Mexican law at the time of its first use during the period and the vehicle has a taxable gross weight of 55,000 pounds or more.  Any type of business entity may file a Form 2290 with the IRS.

What Vehicles are Taxable?
The IRS considers taxable Highway Motor Vehicles to be any self-propelled vehicle that is designed to carry a load over public highways.  Examples of such vehicles include trucks, truck tractors, and buses.  The IRS typically does not consider vehicles such as vans, pickup trucks, panel trucks, or similar vehicles because they do not typically weigh 55,000 pounds or more.  A vehicle may consist of a chassis, or a chassis and a body, but does not include the load of the vehicle.  

Who is Exempt?
Although it is rare, some Vehicles that fit the above description may be exempt from the HVUT and Filing requirements of Form 2290.  To officially be exempt from filing Form 2290, the vehicle must be owned and operated by the following:
  • The Federal Government
  • The District of Columbia
  • state or local government
  • American National Red Cross
  • Non-Profit Volunteer Fire Department, Ambulance Association, or Rescue Squad
  • Indian Tribe Government (Only if the Vehicle is Used for essential Tribe or Government Function)
  • Mass Transportation Authority (Only if granted certain powers normally exercised by the state)
  • Qualified Blood Collector Vehicles
  • Mobile Machinery that meets specifications for a chassis


When to File?
A Form 2290 must be filed annually, for each taxable vehicle that is used on public highways during the current period.  The Current Period is from July 1, 2010 and ends on June 30, 2011.  A Form 2290 must also be filed once a vehicle is placed in service.  The due date for each month is the last day of the following month.  For example: if a vehicle is placed in service on October 3rd, the Form 2290 will be due on November 30th.  

How to File?
Although it is possible to paper file, E-Filing is required for each return containing at least 25 vehicles.  The IRS does encourage everyone to file electronically due to its security and speed.  This is highly recommended for Form 2290 in particular because the filing due dates are always only one month away.  There are several providers of services that can help you E-File Form 2290 with the IRS, one such provider is www.expresstrucktax.com.  They provide a very excellent service for all Truck Tax Needs. 

ExpressTruckTax.com can help you file Form 2290 and Fuel Tax

Any individual buying or using a heavy duty truck must file and pay the Heavy Duty Trucks Road Tax. The filing process involves filling out Form 2290. You can use ExpressTruckTax.com to fill it out and get it done in just a few minutes. Our service fees are the lowest in the industry, starting at $9.90 for a single truck filing. It sure beats driving to the IRS field office and waiting in line for hours.

Make sure to have the Vehicle Identification Numbers of any vehicles you are filing for. If the truck(s) you’re filing for will travel 5,000 miles or less during the tax period (July to June of the next year), a tax refund can be claimed by the filer. That also applies if the heavy highway vehicle was destroyed, stolen or sold during the tax period. Claiming the refund requires a different form. ExpressTruckTax will even help tax payers file for their refund using Form 8849.

There are different tax rules for different types of trucks–depending on the weight and what the truck is being used for. The taxable gross weight is 55,000 pounds or higher in most cases. Refer to Form 2290 or ExpressTruckTax.com for help with your particular truck.

Need to file your IFTA Fuel Tax?  We just introduced Fuel Tax filing service to our product portfolio. You can now file IFTA fuel tax for unlimited Trucks for $24.95. Also, you can maintain the Trip Sheets online for free and generate IFTA returns at the end of the quarter.

ExpressTruckTax.com offers bundles that will let you file forms for hundreds of trucks for one price. This is useful if you have trucks that aren’t going on the road till later in the year.

File 2290 – Month end is here

Express2290.com is the best solution for filing your Form 2290 (Heavy Truck Use Tax) Always double check the tax information you enter in your 2290 returns.

Few points to keep in mind while e-filing.
* E-file your 2290 returns with Express2290.com
* Review Federal Tax ID# or EIN# [Employer Identification Number]
* Review your Tax Year and Month
* Review your VIN# [Vehicle Identification Number]
* Sign and date your return electronically
* Choose IRS payment option
* Review all the information
* Double check your Business Name
* E-File Your 2290 Return

Choose IRS payment option:
There are several options to pay the HVUT taxes with the IRS.
Direct Debit or EFW: IRS will debit directly from your bank account.
EFTPS: You have to schedule the payment to the IRS by going to EFTPS.gov.
Check/Money Order: IRS also supports Check/Money Order if you have can schedule it in time. We strongly advice our Canadian customers to use this option as EFW option may not work for canadian banks.

Just a reminder, if you choose Direct Debit (EFW) as a payment method, the IRS will not process your return during the weekends, or on federal holidays, but on the next business day.

Review Tax ID Numbers
Carefully check Tax Identification numbers on your return.

Review Your Return
Express 2290.com is a very smart program, it automatically checks for any errors before you transmit your 2290 return to IRS, but its always good to double check everything before you hit the ‘Transmit to IRS’ button.

We are always available to help if needed. We are one of the few companies which is locally based to offer customer support. Call 704.234.6005

IRS To Stop Mailing Out Tax Forms

The IRS continues to encourage taxpayers to E-File in order to save time and money!

The IRS has announced that starting next year it will stop mailing out tax forms as an effort to reduce the costs associated with printing and postage. However, the IRS also cites the growing trend of electronically filing as a major reason for the change.

Have you considered E-Filing IRS Form 2290 for your heavy vehicle use taxes (HVUT)? It’s fast, convenient, and secure! Stop driving to the “nearest” IRS office miles away. Stop waiting in line or wondering if the IRS received your 2290 you put in the mail. You can electronically file your single-vehicle IRS Form 2290 for just $9.90. Receive your stamped Schedule 1 back in minutes. Electronically file today!

For more information about the new IRS policy, please visit the IRS website at http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=228162,00.html

How Do We Keep Our 2290 Prices So Low?

We get asked this question all the time and we love it! We can’t say why the other companies charge so much but we can certainly explain why we keep our prices so low. The short answer is value and customer loyalty.

As a single vehicle owner-operator, we understand how important it is to manage your time and money. We’re here to help. We believe very strongly in solid, long-term customer relationships. Our business model is founded on providing more features and better services for less than the other guys – a lot less. For just $9.90, you can e-file your IRS Form 2290 and still get all the great services and features that we provide to every one of our Express2290 customers.

We believe that this approach helps establish long term customer relationships, repeat business, and customer referrals. We’re in this for the long haul and we hope you are too.

Want proof for yourself? Look at the other E-Filing providers and the services they offer (or don’t offer!) Then come check out all of the services you get with Express2290 for just $9.90. You can even try our program for free. Give us a call right here in the Queen City (Charlotte, NC) and experience our USA-based customer support. We dare you to compare. We know you’ll be blown away! E-File your single vehicle tax 2290 forms today for just $9.90!

A Genuine Thank You to Our Customers!!

Now that August has finally passed we’d like to take the time to give our genuine thanks to the thousands of trucking companies and Owner-Operators that E-Filed their 2290s, 8849s, amendments and VIN corrections to the IRS with us.

An extra thank you goes out to those of you that emailed, called, or chatted with our customer support team. I hope we exceeded your expectations with our knowledge of HVUT, quick response and friendliest support in this field. Our entire team worked well into the night on August 31st making sure all of our customers were able to get their questions answered and 2290s filed on time.

We love helping our customers in any way that we can. We believe our efforts to go above and beyond are showcased by our numerous free services – such as free VIN corrections, free automatic notification of your Schedule 1 to your contracting company, free text alert, free fax of schedule 1 and free full-service filing – found exclusively at www.express2290.com.

For many of you, we probably won’t hear from you again until next year. That’s OK, we understand! But we encourage you to stop by and check out the new services and features we continually add throughout the year. Let us know what you think or how we can better serve you. We never stop looking for better ways to provide the best service at the best value. We truly appreciate any referrals you may provide to your trucking business friends about our HVUT services.

Thank you again to everyone. Drive safe and we look forward to working with you soon.

James Harris
Director – Tax Products
Express Tax Zone
www.express2290.com

Last Minute Tax Tips

There are just 10 days left to e-file your HVUT forms at www.Express2290.com. Here are some tips to help you get through the process as quickly as possible,

Have your information close by. Know your business name, address and EIN. Also make sure to have the correct VINs for all the vehicles you’re reporting.

Know your vehicles. Got any suspended vehicles? Any vehicles lost or stolen? Make sure you report all your relevant vehicles to the IRS.

Get instant notification. With www.Express2290.com you can get fax and text message notifications so you know exactly when your Schedule 1 is ready.

Get some help from the experts. If you’re pressed for time, or just need a bit of assistance www.Express2290.com has incredible customer support. They can walk you through the program, even assist you in filing. Contact them via email, chat or phone.

Just 10 days left. Gather your info and head over to www.Express2290.com now to get started!

Take advantage of some great Express2290.com exclusives!

Express2290.com is all about speed and convenience–hence the Express name. Here are a couple of great exclusives you get with Express2290 that will help save you time and money.

-FREE fax and text message notifications. You’ll know when your Schedule 1 is ready just minutes after filing!

-Send a fax of your stamped Schedule 1 from within the application–FREE

-CPA’s/tax professionals can fax paperwork to their clients without leaving the application

-E-file a VIN correction FREE

-Automatic generation of your 8849 form while you’re filing 2290.

On top of all this, they also have US-based phone, email and chat support. Head to Express2290.com now to take advantage of these great features and so much more.