Heavy Vehicle Tax: Navigating the E-filing Option Excise Form 2290

James Druman
January 3, 2010

James Druman
http://www.superiorcontentcreation.com

Operating heavy vehicles like semi trucks is a stressful, time-consuming business endeavor. Any business is rife with things to do, but when you're in charge of running a fleet of trucks on our nation's highways and keeping everything running like clockwork, you hardly have the time to stop by the Internal Revenue Service and pay the Heavy Vehicle Tax.

But did you know that as of August 2007, the Excise Tax Form 2290 can be filed electronically?

Thanks to the Excise Tax e-file and Compliance project, the HVUT can now be filed over the internet, and in fact, truck companies or operators with more than 25 trucks on the road are required to file over the web. But you cannot just handle this at the Internal Revenue Service web page.

Instead, private e-file companies exist independently , and you can log into their sites and pay a small fee to get up to date on your responsibilities as a taxpayer. Not all Excise tax papers can be filed on the internet'the only ones with this available option are the Form 2290, the Form 720, and the Form 8849. All others must be filed in the traditional manner.

The purpose of this system is to provide an efficient way to file with far less chance of mistakes. And while the Internal Revenue Service is not currently suggesting any particular websites to file with, all must be approved by the IRS itself.

In addition, the IRS offers support and training to the companies so that all of them are qualified to offer help for taxpayers who have difficulty with the new system.

For many truck-drivers, a big concern about the new system is that they will be stuck without a stamped copy of their Schedule One, which can cause problems when leasing or purchasing insurance, but the e-filing companies have handled this problem by providing an electronic copy of the schedule one with a company logo or watermark, which can then be printed out immediately.

For vehicle owners that only have one truck or a small fleet under 25, it is still possible to go in and file the heavy vehicle tax in person or by mail; however, most business owners and operators will agree that finding the time to do this or waiting for the Schedule One in the mail is far from convenient. You are required to file the Form 2290 for every single month that your vehicle is on our nation's highways, and if you get caught avoiding this tax or pulling sneaky tactics to pay a lower fee, you can face additional penalties, legal fines, or even incarceration.

But with the new e-filing option, there's really no reason why you can't get it paid on time. It makes it a snap to get heavy vehicle tax taken care of from the comfort of your office or home, and it doesn't get much more convenient than that.

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To find out more about filing for your heavy vehicle tax electronically, go to http://www.YourTruckTax.com .