Category: Express VIN Correction

IRS Form 2290 Amendments

When the information of the vehicle changes, IRS wants you to file amendments to the originally filed form 2290. There are three types of amendments available for form 2290.

    1.Additional Tax From Increase in Taxable Gross Weight
    2.Suspended vehicles exceeding the mileage use limit
    3.VIN Correction

Additional Tax From Increase in Taxable Gross Weight

This type of amendment is filed if the taxable gross weight of a vehicle increases during the period and the vehicle falls in a new higher category. For instance, an increase in maximum load customarily carried may change the taxable gross weight.
When this happens, you Need to calculate and report the additional tax for the remainder of the period on Form 2290, line 3. Also you need to check the Amended Return box and to the right of “Amended Return” write the month the taxable gross weight increased. This should be by the last day of the month following the month in which the taxable gross weight increased.
      
With ExpressTruckTax.com, we make it easy to file this increase in taxable gross weight and accurately calculate the difference in tax due to IRS.  You will also get your Schedule 1 for the new weight category in minutes.
Suspended vehicles exceeding the mileage use limit

This type of amendment is filed if a suspended vehicle exceeds the mileage use limit. Mileage use limit for a heavy vehicle on public highways is 5,000 miles or less (7,500 miles or less for agricultural vehicles). The mileage use limit applies to the total mileage a vehicle is on the road during a period, regardless of the number of owners.
You to need to calculate the tax on Form 2290, page 2, based on the month the vehicle was first used in the period. File the amended Form 2290 and Schedule 1 by the last day of the month following the month in which the mileage use limit was exceeded.
With ExpressTruckTax.com, we make it easy to file this amendment and accurately calculate the tax due to IRS.  You will also get your Schedule 1 for the weight category in minutes. 
VIN Correction

VIN Correction is filed if you have made a mistake in any of the VIN in the previously filed Form 2290.
VIN Corrections can be only done for Taxable or suspended vehicles and not for credit vehicles or for prior year suspended vehicles. When you file a VIN Correction Form 2290, you can’t combine it with claiming credits on the same form. The wrong VIN must have been paid for in the original form 2290. Otherwise, the IRS will assign penalties in addition to the actual tax.
ExpressTruckTax.com offers Efiling of VIN Correction with no strings attached. You can efile VIN Correction and get your corrected Schedule 1 in minutes. 

Organizing IFTA(International Fuel Tax Agreement)

The International Fuel Tax Agreement, or IFTA, requires certain vehicles to pay a Fuel Tax to each state that it was driven in. IFTA is a tax collection agreement among the 48 contiguous United States and the 10 Canadian Provinces bordering the US.

IFTA requires a report for each vehicle of how many miles were travelled as well as the amount of fuel that was purchased in each state or province. This helps accurately allocate how the payments collected through IFTA are distributed.  For example, if a vehicle drove through a state, but did not purchase any fuel in that state, part of the vehicle’s IFTA payment would be distributed to the state without any fuel purchases because it used the roads of the state, but payed no taxes for the fuel consumed within that state.

These reports can be very difficult to keep a record of, but fortunately, ExpressTruckTax.com has built a tool that can help drivers accurately keep a record of their Fuel Use. It is even possible to generate state IFTA returns online with this program. This program also has some built-in auditing features that can check for common mistakes made on these returns. This will therefore, limit your risk of being audited because of IFTA. Some of the features include, but are not limited to: State Adjacency Check, Abnormal MPG Audit, and Free Online Trip Sheets!

What is HVUT- IRS Form 2290?

What is HVUT?
The Heavy Vehicle Use Tax, or HVUT as it is commonly referred to as, is the fee imposed by the IRS annually on heavy vehicles that operate on public highways at registered gross weights equal to or exceeding 55,000 pounds.

The taxable gross weight of a vehicle is determined by adding the following:

  • The actual unloaded weight of the vehicle, when it is fully equipped for service
  • The actual unloaded weight of any trailers or semitrailers fully equipped for service normally used in addition to the vehicle
  • The weight of the maximum load that can be carried on the vehicle and on any trailers or semitrailers typically used with the vehicle
  • For Buses, The taxable gross weight is its actual unloaded weight fully equipped for service in addition to 150 pounds for each seat provided for passengers and driver.

The Tax Calculations:
The tax year for Form 2290 starts in July and ends in June of the next year. If the gross taxable weight is from 55,000 to 75,000 pounds, the HVUT is $100, plus $22 per thousand pounds over 55,000 pounds. For over 75,000 pound vehicles, the maximum HVUT is $550/ year. The taxes are lower for logging vehicles.  Logging Vehicles are vehicles which are primarily used for transporting products harvested from the forest and is registered with a state agency as such.

Taxes are prorated for any vehicles placed into service after the month of July.

HVUT Exemptions:
There are a number of groups that receive exemptions from HVUT.  Such as:

  • Federal Government
  • State & Local governments, including the District of Columbia
  • The American Red Cross
  • Nonprofit volunteer fire departments, ambulance associations or rescue squads
  • Indian tribal governments (for vehicles used in essential tribal functions)
  • Mass transportation authorities

There are also a number of vehicles exempted from the HVUT:

  • Any vehicle not considered to be a highway motor vehicle — e.g., mobile machinery for non-transportation functions, vehicles specifically designed for off-highway use, and non-transportation trailers and semi-trailers
  • Qualified blood collecting vehicles used by qualified blood collector organizations
  • Mobile machinery that is used for non-transportation purposes

Exempt carriers may be required to file tax forms with the IRS or notify the local department of motor vehicles (DMV) of their exempt status

There are other vehicles that are exempt based on the number of miles it is driven:

The above vehicles are called Suspended Vehicles, but must be reported to the IRS.

What is the Purpose of HVUT?
The HVUT is a significant source of transportation funding in the U.S. In 2006 alone, the HVUT generated more than $1.4 Billion in Federal Highway Trust Fund (HTF) revenue.

The Federal HTF protects America’s investment in its transportation infrastructure. In 2007 alone, Federal HTF receipts were $39.9 Billion, with $34.9 Billion dedicated to the HTF’s Highway Account. The Federal HTF finances a wide spectrum of transportation investments which include:

  • Highway improvements (e.g., land acquisition, other right-of-way costs, preliminary and construction engineering, construction and reconstruction, resurfacing and restoration costs of roadways and bridges)
  • Highway and bridge maintenance
  • Highway law enforcement
  • Safety programs (e.g., driver education and training, vehicle inspection programs, enforcement of vehicle size and weight limits)
  • Congestion relief projects
  • Administrative costs (e.g., research, engineering)

Investment in our nation’s highway infrastructure helps:

  • Save money, time, & lives
  • Reduce the amount and severity of crashes for all kinds of vehicles
  • Enhance the ability of emergency responders
  • Lower fuel and insurance costs
  • Decrease energy consumption
  • Ease congestion
  • Boost air quality
  • Increase mobility
  • Improve the efficiency of the movement of goods
  • Raise business productivity
  • Strengthen the nation’s economic productivity

Since the vast majority of all funds contributed by states to the Federal HTF are returned through highway improvements, this is a direct incentive for state agencies to take necessary measures to enhance HVUT compliance.

What is VIN Correction?

Mistakes happen. When you have Vehicle identification numbers of up to 17 characters with mixed numbers andletters, mistakes happen. For example, You type 5 instead of S. To err is human.
For Example, Let’s say that you file form 2290 and pay $550 to IRS and get your Schedule 1. You take it to the DMV or the Carrier, then you realize, that the Schedule 1 has the wrong VIN. What do you do?
Thank IRS and ExpressTruckTax
       The IRS introduced VIN correction using  form 2290 in 2009 – a couple of years after introducing E-filing of Form 2290.
       So once you make a mistake in VIN, you can send an amended Form 2290 to IRS and get the Schedule 1 corrected.
       But the bad news is that VIN Correction Form 2290 can’t be E-filed, it must be printed and mailed in. It takes 4-6 weeks to get the corrected Schedule 1 from IRS.
       All of this changed in 2011, when ExpressTruckTax, working with IRS, was able to E-File VIN Corrections and was able to get the corrected Schedule 1 in minutes.
Is it really Free?
       ExpressTruckTax wanted to offer E-filing of VIN Corrections for free to everyone, whether they used them in the original filing or not. They opened the flood gate to original paper filers and others who used other service providers.
       According to James Harris, Director of Tax Services at ExpressTruckTax, “Mistakes happen, and we want the users to enjoy the ease of E-filing and get the corrected Schedule 1 in minutes”
       To date, hundreds have used ExpressTruckTax Free Efiling of VIN Correction and got their Schedule 1 in minutes. 

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.