Important IFTA Fuel Tax Reporting Requirements
Ready or not, the IFTA deadline is almost here. You have roughly about a week to prepare for the January 31 deadline, so are you ready to file your 4th quarter IFTA return? We’re sure that if you’ve been using ExpressIFTA to track your quarterly totals then you have no trouble filing in time at all!
Also, it’s not too late to get started. Just remember as you’re preparing to file that you need to meet all of the IFTA requirements, otherwise your return could get rejected! Learn all about the IFTA requirements right here, right now.
Important IFTA Fuel Tax Reporting Requirements
One important thing to remember while preparing to file is to check your what your base jurisdiction requires. Each base jurisdiction (home state) has their own set of rules and regulations that you need to follow. Failure to file according to these regulations could result in your return getting rejected.
For example, Michigan requires you to e-file your return, so if you paper file it could be rejected. Some states actually still require you to paper file and submit a ‘zero’ report even if you didn’t have any IFTA miles for the quarter.
Another way to accurately complete your IFTA return is to include all of the information that’s required to complete it. In order to complete your return, you need to include your:
- Miles traveled per jurisdiction
- Gallons of fuel consumed per jurisdiction
- Tax paid gallons of fuel purchased per jurisdiction, and
- The current tax rate per jurisdiction.
Plus, you need to make sure you meet each quarterly due date. It may seem like a hassle to file your return four times a year, but it’s the only way to continue legally operating and to avoid major IFTA penalties.
Also, if you aren’t sure if you’re required to file IFTA or not, remember that your vehicle qualifies for IFTA if it travels between two or more jurisdictions and:
- Has two axles and a gross vehicle weight that exceeds 26,000 pounds
- Has two axles and registered weight that exceeds 26,000 pounds
- Has three or more axles regardless of weight, or
- Has a combination weight that exceeds 26,000 pounds.
IFTA Reporting With ExpressIFTA
ExpressIFTA makes it easy to track all of the IFTA totals you need to complete your return in one online location. All you have to do is create your free account to get started, then you can take advantage of ExpressIFTA’s, innovative, time-saving features.
For example, you can quickly import all of your information at once with the bulk upload feature instead of entering everything one at a time. You can upload your data with our premade template or your own excel file.
Also, you can import all of your mileage information directly from your GPS, and ExpressIFTA even accepts ELD data to make the importing process extremely fast and easy.
However, ExpressIFTA also gives you the ability to track your IFTA information at your own pace. With the quick entries screen, you can add all of your information on a monthly basis. You can also use the trip sheets entries to keep detailed trip sheet entries.
The ExpressIFTA team is always standing by to help. If you need any assistance with IFTA reporting please don’t hesitate to contact us! We’re available over the phone Monday – Friday from 9 AM to 6 PM EST at 704.234.600. You can also reach us via live chat and through our 24/7 email support at support@ExpressIFTA.com.
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