Fuel Tax Quarterly Filing Checklist

Q1 (January-March): due April 30. Q2 (April-June): due July 31. Q3 (July-September): due October 31. Q4 (October-December): due January 31 of the following year. Late filings incur a $50 penalty plus interest on any tax owed. Mark these dates in your calendar.

IFTA auditors examine your mileage records, fuel receipts, and trip documentation for a selected quarter. They verify that miles claimed match fuel consumption and that fuel tax credits are supported by receipts. Discrepancies result in additional tax assessments, penalties, and interest. Keeping organized records is your best defense.

Many ELD platforms and trucking accounting software (TruckLogics, Motive, Samsara) generate IFTA-ready reports from GPS mileage data. These reports calculate miles by jurisdiction automatically, saving hours of manual calculation. You still need to reconcile fuel receipts and file the actual return.