If you are a tractor-trailer operator or run other heavy highway equipment, you are probably already familiar with IRS Form 2290 and the payment of heavy vehicle highway use taxes. In general, this return is due on August 31st, along with payment for your vehicles that are taxed as heavy vehicls.
The deadline generally applies to Form 2290 and the accompanying tax payment for the tax year that begins on July 1, 2012, and ends on June 30, 2013. Returns must be filed and tax payments made by Aug. 31 for vehicles used on the road during July. If you put a new vehicle into service after July 2012, you will need to file another return and pay the tax on that vehicle by the end of next month after placing the vehicle in service. So, if you put a new rig into service in November, the return and the tax are both due on December 31.
The highway use tax applies to highway motor vehicles with a taxable gross weight of 55,000 pounds or more, which generally includes trucks, truck tractors, and buses. Ordinarily, vans, pick-ups, and panel trucks are not taxable because they fall below the 55,000-pound threshold. The tax of up to $550 per vehicle is based on weight, and a variety of special rules apply, which are explained in the instructions to Form 2290.
If you have not yet filed and paid these particular taxes, they are eligible for electronic filing and electronic payment through EFTPS. If you need help with the return, or getting the payment made, feel free to contact one of the tax firms listed in our directory.… Continue reading