In The News

IRS no longer sends reminders, so heads up on the Form 2290

The big note on your SuperRigs calendar for July reads “HUT.” Son’s football camp starts? You and the family are off to a secluded beach vacation? Nope, it’s “2290 time” in the trucking world.

Truckers are all too familiar with the federal highway use tax for heavy vehicles, also known as the HUT or HVUT tax. It’s that $550 fee you pay each year when you file an IRS Form 2290.

For trucks and other taxable vehicles in use during July, the Form 2290 and payment are due on Aug. 31. State governments are required to receive proof of payment of the federal heavy vehicle use tax as a condition of vehicle registration.

The tax year begins on July 1, and ends on June 30. The balance due shown on the Form 2290 must be paid in full by the due date of the return. In most cases, the deadline for filing the return and paying any tax due is Aug. 31.

Fleets with 25 or more vehicles must pay online with the IRS. Smaller fleets still have the option of paying by check or money order, either mailed or walked into an IRS office.

A truck driver or operator will need several specifications in order to have the ability to file for Form 2290, including the following: employer identification number, vehicle identification number, and taxable gross weight. The Form 2290 can be found at www.irs.gov.

Although you can make this payment yourself, the Business Services staff at the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association provides a service for OOIDA members to help them get the tax paid.

“For a service fee, OOIDA Permits and Licensing Department offers members the convenience and speed of filing the Form 2290s online,” said OOIDA’s Cathy Koncilia. “It’s a special service for our members, and they like knowing this gets done right away.”

By the way, Koncilia says the IRS is no longer mailing out reminders for the 2290.

In general, the federal heavy vehicle use tax applies to trucks, truck tractors and buses with a gross taxable weight of 55,000 pounds or more. Ordinarily, vans, pickups and panel trucks are not taxable because they fall below the 55,000-pound threshold.

The tax is based on weight and normally ranges from $100 to $550 per vehicle. A variety of special rules, discussed in the instructions for Form 2290, apply to vehicles with minimal road use; logging or agricultural vehicles; vehicles transferred during the year; and those first used on the road after July.

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