IFTA, the International Fuel Tax Agreement, is a fuel-tax agreement among the 48 contiguous US states and 10 Canadian provinces. It lets fleets that operate across jurisdictions file a single quarterly fuel-tax return with their home state instead of filing separately in every state they drive through. Here's how it works and what you need to report accurately.
What is IFTA?
Before IFTA, an interstate carrier had to file fuel taxes separately in each state or province it operated in. IFTA replaced that with one license and one quarterly return, filed with your base jurisdiction, which then settles the tax owed to each member jurisdiction on your behalf.
Who needs to file IFTA?
IFTA applies to qualified motor vehicles used across two or more jurisdictions, generally vehicles over 26,000 lbs gross weight, or with three or more axles. You register for an IFTA license through your base jurisdiction, the state or province where your fleet is based.
How IFTA reporting works
- File a single return each quarter with your base jurisdiction.
- Deadlines fall on April 30, July 31, October 31, and January 31.
- The return reports miles traveled in each jurisdiction and fuel purchased in each jurisdiction, by fuel type.
- Your base jurisdiction calculates the net tax owed or refunded across all member jurisdictions and settles it.
What data you need
Accurate IFTA reporting depends on two things: miles driven per jurisdiction (from GPS or telematics) and fuel purchased per jurisdiction (from fuel card and receipt records). The hard part is reconciling the two accurately, and mismatched or incomplete data is the most common cause of IFTA audit problems.
How to simplify IFTA reporting
The reliable way to make IFTA painless is to connect your telematics mileage data with your fuel purchase data, so per-jurisdiction miles and fuel reconcile automatically with an audit trail behind every figure. Fleevo brings fuel and telematics data into one compliance and audit-ready view.
Frequently asked questions
What are the IFTA filing deadlines?
Quarterly: April 30, July 31, October 31, and January 31.
Who has to file IFTA?
Fleets operating qualified motor vehicles (over 26,000 lbs, or three or more axles) across two or more IFTA jurisdictions.
What causes IFTA audit issues?
Usually inaccurate or incomplete mileage and fuel records. Reliable per-jurisdiction data is the key to a clean audit.
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