Form 2290 Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Tax (HVUT) status update 09/28/11

IRS Video Guide To Form 2290

The IRS recently posted this video on their website to help those file Form 2290. They have really done a great job summarizing the changes that they have made this year in the filing process.

And of course, they urge everyone filing Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Taxes to use an IRS-Authorized E-Filing service like Express Truck Tax.

http://www.irsvideos.gov/SmallBusinessTaxpayer/Forms/Form2290update

All About IRS Form 2290 (Truck Taxes)

What Is IRS Form 2290?
IRS Form 2290 exists as a way to pay Heavy Vehicle Use Taxes, or HVUT, which must be filed with the IRS for any highway motor vehicle that exceeds a gross weight of 55,000 pounds. IRS Form 2290 also includes what is known as a Schedule 1, which is used to report all vehicles for which you are reporting tax (including an increase in taxable gross weight) and those that you are reporting suspension of the tax by category and vehicle identification number (VIN). The Schedule 1 may also be used as proof of payment to register your vehicle in any state. Use the stamped Schedule 1 that was returned to you by the IRS for this purpose.

Who Must File?
You must file a Form 2290 and Schedule 1 for the tax period beginning on July 1st, and ending on June 30th, if a highway motor vehicle is registered, or required to be registered, in your name under state, District of Columbia, Canadian, or Mexican law at the time of its first use during the period and the vehicle has a taxable gross weight of 55,000 pounds or more.  Any type of business entity may file a Form 2290 with the IRS.

How much is the Tax?
There are three different categories for HVUT rates for these vehicles. Vehicles Below 55,000 pounds do not have HVUT because they do not qualify as a heavy vehicle. Vehicles between 55,000 and 75,000 pounds owe $100, plus $22 per 1,000 pounds over 55,000 pounds. Finally, for vehicles that are over 75,000 pounds the maximum HVUT is $550 per year.

The gross taxable weight is calculated by adding the following:

• Unloaded weight of vehicle, fully equipped for service.
• Unloaded weight of any trailers equipped for service and customarily used in combination with the vehicle
• Weight of the maximum load customarily carried on the vehicle and on any trailers customarily used in combination with the vehicle.

Who is Exempt?
Although it is rare, some Vehicles that fit the above description may be exempt from the HVUT and Filing requirements of Form 2290. To officially be exempt from filing Form 2290, the vehicle must be owned and operated by the following:

• The Federal Government
• The District of Columbia
• state or local government
• American National Red Cross
• Non-Profit Volunteer Fire Department, Ambulance Association, or Rescue Squad
• Indian Tribe Government (Only if the Vehicle is Used for essential Tribe or Government Function)
• Mass Transportation Authority (Only if granted certain powers normally exercised by the state)
• Qualified Blood Collector Vehicles
• Mobile Machinery that meets specifications for a chassis

There are several providers of services that can help you E-File Form 2290 with the IRS, one such provider is www.expresstrucktax.com. They provide a very excellent service for all Truck Tax Needs.  

Truck Tax (form 2290) Legislation Has Been Passed!

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 ceased, had this extension not been passed.  

This Transportation bill has been extended several times already, and it is fairly widely agreed upon that a more permanent piece of legislation is needed to regulate this industry. 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 legislation expired.  

This basically serves as a stop-gap measure that will also provide the government with the ability to collect taxes on airline ticket sales through the FAA. Earlier this week, the FAA incurred a partial shutdown for two weeks, 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.  

IRS Form 2290 Due Dates for the Tax Year 2011-2012

The IRS Form 2290 for Heavy Vehicle Use Taxes (HVUT) must be filed annually for each taxable vehicle that is used on public highways during the current tax period. The normal tax period for heavy vehicles begins on July 1st and ends on June 30th of the following year. A Form 2290 must also be filed once a vehicle is placed in service. The due date for each month is the last day of the following month. For example: if a vehicle is placed in service on October 3rd, the Form 2290 will be due on November 30th. 

This Year has been different because the legislation that controls Heavy Vehicle Use Taxes nearly expired. This caused the due dates of several months to be pushed back to November of 2011. That is why the due dates for this year slightly deviate from the traditional dates outlined in the previous paragraph.
                  IRS Form 2290 Due Dates for the Tax Year 2011-2012:

Vehicle first used month	Due date
July-2011	30-November-2011
August-2011	30-November-2011
September-2011	30-November-2011
October-2011	30-November-2011
November-2011	03-January-2012
December-2011	31-January-2012
January-2012	29-February-2012
February-2012	02-March-2012
March-2012	30-April-2012
April-2012	31-May-2012
May-2012	02-June-2012
June-2012	03-July-2012

IRS Form 2290: Heavy Vehicle Use Taxes

Any Heavy Vehicle operating on a public highway is subject to filing the Form 2290 with the IRS. Heavy Vehicle Use Taxes (HVUT) is imposed on all vehicles with a registered gross weight of 55,000 pounds or more. The gross taxable weight is calculated by adding the following amounts:

• The unloaded weight of any trailers, fully equipped for service, and typically used in combination with the vehicle
• The maximum weight of the load customarily carried on the vehicle and on any trailers customarily used in combination with the vehicle.
• The unloaded weight of vehicle itself, fully equipped for service.

You may wonder what the IRS considers to be a taxable highway motor vehicle that is subject to the Heavy Vehicle Use Tax.  The IRS considers taxable Highway Motor Vehicles to be any self-propelled motor vehicle that is designed to carry a load on public highways. Examples of such vehicles include trucks, truck tractors, as well as buses. The IRS does not usually consider vehicles like vans, pickup trucks, panel trucks, or similar sized vehicles because they do not typically meet the 55,000 pound threshold amount.  

There are three different categories for HVUT rates for these vehicles.

• Vehicles Below 55,000 pounds do not have HVUT because they do not qualify as a heavy vehicle.
• Vehicles between 55,000 and 75,000 pounds owe $100, plus $22 per 1,000 pounds over 55,000 pounds.
• Finally, for vehicles that are over 75,000 pounds the maximum HVUT is $550 per year.

Express Truck Tax is authorized by the IRS to E-File Form 2290. This way you can get a stamped Schedule 1 in about 10 minutes. The file is electronically submitted to the IRS, and within minutes the file is processed by the IRS and sent back to the person filing. The form will then contain a watermark from the IRS as proof that it has been processed.

As anyone in the Transportation Industry will already know, the filing process for Heavy Vehicle Use Taxes (HVUT) will be a little bit different than normal this year. The Schedule 1 of the Federal Heavy Vehicle Use Tax (HVUT), which is part of the IRS Form 2290, has been extended to November 30 of 2011. It is also not possible to receive a receipt for the Form 2290 until after November 1st. This means that the majority of those filing this tax will not do so until November.  However, Once it is available, the folks at Express Truck Tax will be able to help get those taxes taken care of in no time.

Filing HVUT with Form 2290 in 2011

As anyone in the Transportation Industry will already know, the filing process for Heavy Vehicle Use Taxes (HVUT) will be a little bit different than normal this year. The Schedule 1 of the Federal Heavy Vehicle Use Tax (HVUT), which is part of the IRS Form 2290, has been extended to November 30 of 2011. It is also not possible to receive a receipt for the Form 2290 until after November 1st. This means that the majority of those filing this tax will not do so until November.

Since a stamped Schedule 1 is required to register a vehicle with the Department of Motor Vehicles, they will be accepting the HVUT proof of payment for the previous tax year of July 1, 2010 – June 30, 2011, to make things go as smoothly as possible this year. The IRS has informed taxpayers of the Form 2290 delay and the available options for payment once the form is available.

The following items may be accepted by the DMV as proof of HVUT payment until November 30, 2011:

• Original or copy of a Stamped Schedule 1 from the Form 2290 (electronically watermarked or manually stamped) for the previous tax year of July 1, 2010 – June 30, 2011.
• A copy of the IRS Form 2290 from the previous tax year, filed with the IRS as well as a copy of the front and back of the check to the IRS for the entire HVUT payment.
• Original or copy of an IRS Form 2290 (electronically watermarked or manually stamped), listing the vehicle as a “Credit Vehicle” for the previous tax year.

Once the IRS begins issuing the Form 2290 again, the process will revert to the normal procedures. The proof of HVUT payment will then be able to be sent to the DMV for any applications requiring HVUT verification.

This tax that the IRS collects is an annual tax on commercial motor vehicles that weigh
55,000 pounds or more. This is referred to as the taxable gross weight of a vehicle. Congress is in the process of extending the tax, and the previously mentioned due date exists as a temporary regulation that postpones the due date until November 30, 2011.

Although it is still not possible to file Heavy Vehicle Use Taxes with Form 2290 yet, the Truck Tax experts at Express Truck Tax will be available to answer any questions as well as help drivers and trucking companies file those taxes. For more information, visit the Express Truck Tax website or give the Truck Tax experts a phone call at 704-234-6005. You can also email any questions to support@ExpressTruckTax.com.  

The IRS Reminds Truckers They Have Extra Time

Truckers should wait until November to file their federal highway use tax returns – a three-month extension -- in this new YouTube video.

Watch this and other videos on the IRS’s YouTube Channel

Transportation Bill clears Senate committee

As of Thursday, September 8, 2011 the much talked about Transportation Bill known as SAFETEA-LU (Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users) was approved by a Senate committee.

This bill has had a significant amount of publicity ever since President Barack Obama made a speech from the White House Rose Garden last week, in which he was joined by Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood, as well as Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, and also David Chavern, the chief operating officer of the Chamber of Commerce. He gave Congress another warning at that time also, stating that letting the transportation bill expire at the end of the month would be “not acceptable” and “inexcusable.”

The Senate Committee approved an extension of the current bill. This is the eighth time the bill has been extended. This will serve as a step in the right direction for the Transportation Industry, but as many have said, an extension is like a band aid on a bigger problem. There still needs to be new legislation put in place for this industry, it cannot simply be ignored.

However, the act of extending the bill seems to be all either party can agree to.  The Democratically-controlled Senate and the Republican-controlled House of Representatives have presented vastly different options for this bill.  The House proposed spending $235 billion over the next six years, while the senate proposed spending $109 billion over the next two years.

When asked to comment on the decision, Senator 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 email any questions to support@ExpressTruckTax.com.

IRS Stamped Schedule 1 Form 2290

An IRS Form 2290 is not complete unless the Schedule 1 has officially been stamped by the Internal Revenue Service. The Form 2290 handles Heavy Vehicle Use Taxes, and the Schedule 1 is part of the IRS Form. To ensure that this is handled properly so that any Heavy Vehicle Use Taxes are reported and paid, there are several options. This form can be mailed, taken to the IRS directly, or the most efficient method: e-filing.  

Although there is not a way to e-file this tax through the IRS website, the IRS has authorized Express Truck Tax to file this return because they have passed the IRS Assurance Testing System (ATS) and/or Business Acceptance Testing (BATS) requirements for Software Developers of electronic business returns to the IRS.  

If you choose to mail the form to the IRS, it can take weeks for the IRS to respond with the official Stamped Schedule 1 in the mail. Because particularly if it is a busy time for the IRS. This is precious time that should not be wasted because the Stamped Schedule 1 is required in order to register the vehicle with the state DMV.

If you choose to actually deliver the form to the IRS office, you will be forced to wait in line for a representative to review the form and then stamp the Schedule 1. With this option, you are at the mercy of the IRS. The nearest office could be many miles away, and once you are there is no way to know how long it could take. People have reported that on a busy day at the IRS office, you may have to wait in line for as long as 6 hours.  

For these reasons it is easiest to use an online e-filing tool such as Express Truck Tax for your 2290 filing needs. Since it is authorized by the IRS for e-filing, that shows it is a trustworthy and reliable service. Another benefit to using this particular service is that they have a team of Truck Tax experts that can take calls, emails, and online chats regarding any Truck Tax question you may have. 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 and the experts will respond within 24 hours.