Category: 2290 efile

E-filing Season for IRS Form 2290 (HVUT) Draws Near

As the month of November moves closer and closer, you will want to be able to get your Form 2290 taken care of as swiftly as possible once it is made available. It is unfortunate enough that the filing process was delayed, but to avoid any future confusion about the issue, it would be beneficial to be ready to file once the form is available.
In order to make the filing process easier with the IRS using Form 2290, it is very important that you keep accurate records, just like you would when filing any other type of tax return. It is crucial for anyone filing form 2290 to maintain their records for at least 3 years prior to the filing date for any taxable highway vehicles registered to them. For fleet owners and small trucking companies who have filed form 2290 in the past, it is wise to always keep the 2290 records on hand, as one never knows when IRS inspection may take place. It is even important to save these returns if they are only for a part of a year. In the case of a suspended vehicle (public highway use was less than 5,000 miles/year) it is still necessary to keep records of Form 2290’s filed for them as well.
You will need to gather the following information before filing form 2290 to accelerate the filing process. You will need a description of all vehicles for which you are filing as well as a VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) for each one. You will also need to know the gross taxable weight of the vehicle. It is also necessary to report the date the vehicle was acquired, as well as the name and address of the previous owner. The first use month for the taxable period is also required for reporting. If a vehicle is considered to be suspended, keep a record of actual highway mileage. If the vehicle is an agricultural vehicle, then keep accurate records of the number of miles it is driven on a farm or field. Keeping proper records of your 2290 information will be a great help to you in the unfortunate event of an audit. It will also make the task of filing this form much easier.
ExpressTruckTax.com is an IRS authorized E-File provider who can help you file form 2290 as well as keep secure online records of previously filed form 2290’s. For more information on the 2290 filing process, heavy vehicle use tax, IRS payment methods, etc visit the Express Truck Tax website or call our Truck Tax experts at 704-234-6005. You can also email any questions to support@ExpressTruckTax.com.

IFTA (International Fuel Tax Agreement) Information

Owners of qualified heavy highway motor vehicles that operate in at least 2 out of the 58 total jurisdictions must file IFTA on a quarterly basis. The abbreviation: “IFTA” is short for International Fuel Tax Agreement, which represents a tax collection agreement among the 48 contiguous United States and its 10 bordering Canadian Provinces.
Qualifying Highway Motor Vehicles
Any vehicle is considered to be a qualified motor vehicle if it is used, designed, or maintained for the purpose of transportation of persons or property and has a registered gross vehicle weight of more than 26,000 pounds. Also, any vehicle with 3 axles or more is considered to be a qualified motor vehicle regardless of weight. Finally, if the combined weight of all of its parts is greater than 26,000 pounds, it is also considered to be a qualified motor vehicle.
IFTA Process
Each state or province has a different rate and those rates can change each quarter. The state or province in which the vehicle is registered is considered to be its Base Jurisdiction. IFTA must be filed with the vehicle’s respective jurisdiction each quarter. Every 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. This information can be kept on what are commonly referred to as trip sheets, or trip logs.
Reasons for IFTA
IFTA’s official purpose according to the International Fuel Tax Agreement, 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 an IFTA form 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 for redistributing collections from the jurisdictions that received IFTA payments, and the jurisdictions that deserved some. 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 through the purchase of gasoline.
Get IFTA Organized
Since the data required to file IFTA is so incredibly detailed, many people receive Audits of their IFTA information. The sadness of this is that this can be prevented by better record keeping. Express Truck Tax, along with providing a terrific service for other Truck Tax needs, will perform an internal audit of your IFTA information for you. In this internal audit performed by Express Truck Tax, it will check for basic mistakes and discrepancies, as well as perform a state adjacency check and an abnormal MPG audit. They also provide online trip sheets for drivers to keep accurate records that can be accessed from any computer, anywhere! If you can prevent an audit due to simple mistakes on an IFTA return, it makes no sense not to let Express Truck Tax help you get it right the first time.

Don’t Forget about IRS Form 2290 e-filing This Year!

Due to the odd nature of this tax year, it could be easy to forget about the deadline for filing IRS Form 2290 for Heavy Vehicle Use Taxes. So, as a reminder to those who need to file, the Tax Season for filing Heavy Vehicle Use Taxes is from November 1 – November 30. Although the typical tax season for this tax is from July – August, the season was delayed because the legislation that enforces the tax nearly expired and Congress enacted an extension of the current legislation so that the Transportation program in America could continue to exist. HVUT is a major source of funding for highway departments.
It has been a wild ride for those waiting to file Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Tax with IRS Form 2290 this year. Although the typical filing season begins in July, this year was different because the tax was set to expire this year. Although it took several passionate speeches from President Barack Obama concerning the loss of jobs and the negative effects that a shutdown would have on the economy to convince Democrats and Republicans in the House of Representatives and the Senate to act together, they did finally come together and agree to extend the current legislation. Although many industry experts agree that a more permanent piece of new legislation is needed to effectively regulate the industry, this was widely believed to be a step in the right direction.
As of right now, the Filing Season for the current Tax Period will officially begin November 1st, and all Heavy Vehicle Use Taxes will need to be filed by November 30th. This delay threw a lot of people for a loop when they tried to register their heavy vehicle. Since a Stamped Schedule 1 is required to register a vehicle with the DMV, no one was able to provide that over the past few months because the IRS did not accept Form 2290’s and thus did not give out any Stamped Schedule 1’s because that is a part of the 2290 form.
For those who need to file the IRS Form 2290 and receive a Stamped Schedule 1, it is possible to E-File this form online. This way you will receive a stamped Schedule 1 within minutes of filing. This process is much quicker and much more efficient than the old paper filing process. This is especially favorable because there is a shorter amount of time in which to file (Nov 1-30).
To e-file this tax from your home or office, all you need to do is go to the website for the IRS-Approved E-File Provider, Express Truck Tax: www.expresstrucktax.com. The filing process could not be simpler! Most users agree that it is even easier than paper-filing! Even if you have questions, Express Truck Tax has a US-based customer service team of Truck Tax Experts that are standing by to take any calls, emails, or online chats that you may have.

Senate Approves Highway Funding Extensions

On Thursday, September 15th, the U.S. Senate approved a piece of legislation that will extend the funding of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as well as for federal highway programs. The funding for these programs would have been cancelled without this extension.  

The Transportation bill has been extended many times already, and a more permanent piece of legislation is needed. However, this extension will keep up to a million highway workers at work. A simple extension is better than letting the bill expiring, which would furlough thousands of workers as soon as the funding expired.  

This stop-gap measure will also provide the government with the ability to collect taxes on airline ticket sales through the FAA. The FAA incurred a partial shutdown for two weeks earlier this year which cost the government $400 Million in taxes associated with airline ticket sales.

The Senate was able to pass the pill with a large margin of 92-6. This was largely due to some last minute negotiations by Sen. Barbara Boxer. Sen. Boxer is the chairman of the Senate Public Works Committee, which oversees the highway programs. Boxer negotiated an agreement between Republican senators Rand Paul and Tom Coburn due to their concerns of wasteful spending. This aided to avoiding a last-minute obstacle to the passage, because the FAA funding is set to expire this Friday (September 16).

John Crawley, a reporter for Reuters, had the following to say regarding the current state of Capital Hill:

“It remains unclear ahead of an election year whether the House of Representatives, which approved the extensions earlier this week, and the Senate can come together on the bigger bills before the next renewals are due.

The charged political climate in Washington is largely fuelled by partisan divisions over spending, taxes and budget deficits. The transportation bills would require several hundred billion dollars in funding over several years.”


Although it may be difficult to foresee how our elected officials will work together in the future, it is nice to see a healthy negotiation to pass a bill that the American people need.  

This is a positive step for the Trucking and Transportation Industry. Although it is not yet possible to file Heavy Vehicle Use Taxes with Form 2290, the folks at Express Truck Tax will be available to answer any questions and help drivers file those taxes. For more information, visit the Express Truck Tax website or call our Truck Tax experts at 704-234-6005. You can also chat online, or email any questions to support@ExpressTruckTax.com.

House of Representatives Approves Extension of Transportation Bill

On Tuesday, September 13, 2011, the House of Representatives approved the extension of the Transportation Bill as well as continue programs for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).  With both parties focused on jobs and the economy, this bill has been viewed as a no-brainer by many.  However, it has been hard to predict what Congress will do as of late.

This legislation, H.R. 2887 was introduced to the House of Representatives by the Transportation Committee chairman, John Mica (R-FL), as well as other influential members of that sub-committee.  The response by the House was unanimous in support of the extension.

The current Transportation Bill has already been extended several times, and a new piece of legislation is needed, but this extension will help continue funding for this nations highways and keep up to a million people at work.  Rep. Mica understands this and made the following statement regarding a more permanent solution: “Unfortunately, this bill is the 22nd FAA extension and the 8th surface transportation extension. Congress has delayed passing a long-term FAA bill for over four years, and a surface transportation bill for two years. This action represents a last chance to roll up our sleeves and get transportation projects in America moving again.”

For a Senator’s perspective, when asked to comment on the decision, Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey stated: “The American people didn’t send us here to make unemployment worse and allow our roads to crumble—and that’s why we must act swiftly to extend this law,” he continued. “Instead of putting up roadblocks to this extension, I hope our colleagues will work with us to fix the economy, help Americans get back to work and keeps our country moving forward. Once we have passed this short-term fix, we need to complete work on a long-term bill that strengthens investment in our national transportation network to create jobs, maintain our roads and bridges, and invest in rail and transit to ease commutes.”

This is a positive step for the Trucking and Transportation Industry. Although it is still not possible to file Heavy Vehicle Use Taxes with Form 2290, the folks at Express Truck Tax will be available to answer any questions and help drivers file those taxes. For more information, visit the Express Truck Tax website or call our Truck Tax experts at 704-234-6005. You can also chat online, or email any questions to support@ExpressTruckTax.com.