IFTA records for small carriers

IFTA reporting software: miles and fuel by state, every quarter

IFTA is not hard math, but it needs good records: how many miles each truck drove in each state, and how many gallons it bought in each state. LaneTally builds those totals from your loads and fuel receipts, so the quarter does not start with a shoebox.

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No sign-up. No credit card. Fake data, just look around.

LaneTally is in beta. The demo uses example data, and anything you type in it stays in your browser. Join the waiting list — founding members get early access. Items marked Coming at launch are not working yet.

Information only. LaneTally organizes your miles and gallons. It does not file your IFTA return, does not know the tax rates and is not tax advice. Check with your accountant or your base state.

IFTA in plain words

IFTA (the International Fuel Tax Agreement) is an agreement between the lower 48 US states and 10 Canadian provinces. Instead of paying fuel tax separately to every state you drive in, you get one IFTA license from your base jurisdiction (usually the state where your trucks are registered) and file one return there every quarter.

In general, you need IFTA if you run a qualified motor vehicle in two or more member jurisdictions. A qualified motor vehicle has two axles and a gross vehicle weight or registered weight over 26,000 pounds, or has three or more axles, or is used in a combination over 26,000 pounds. Your base state has the exact rules.

How the quarterly return works

1. Add up the miles driven in each state or province, plus your total miles.
2. Add up the gallons of fuel bought in each state, and your total gallons.
3. Your fleet's miles per gallon is total miles divided by total gallons.
4. For each state, the gallons you used there are the miles in that state divided by your miles per gallon.
5. You owe that state's tax on the gallons used, minus the tax you already paid at the pump on gallons bought there. Some states end up owing you a credit.

Your base state collects the total and sends each state its share.

IFTA due dates

• 1st quarter (January to March): due April 30
• 2nd quarter (April to June): due July 31
• 3rd quarter (July to September): due October 31
• 4th quarter (October to December): due January 31

When a due date falls on a weekend or holiday, it usually moves to the next business day. Most base states expect a return every quarter, even a quarter with no miles. Late returns can bring penalties and interest, and you are generally expected to keep your trip and fuel records for 4 years. For the exact 2026 due dates, the filing steps and a worked example, read how to file IFTA.

What LaneTally does for IFTA

• Miles by state for each quarter, estimated from each delivered load's route.
• You can correct a load's miles by state when the estimate is not right.
• Gallons by state from the fuel receipts drivers send and you approve.
• Gallons used versus bought in each state, and the difference.
• Quarter due dates on the page, and IFTA in your renewals list.
• Download a CSV file (it opens in Excel) to file it yourself or hand it to whoever files for you.
• IFTA by quarter is part of the "Everything for my accountant" zip.

What it does not do: it does not file the return, it does not know the tax rates or work out the tax, it does not cover Canadian provinces yet (only the 48 states of the lower 48), and it does not use GPS miles today. GPS state miles from the phone app are Coming at launch.

Tips for cleaner IFTA records

• Get every fuel receipt in. Missing receipts mean gallons you bought do not count, and you may pay that tax twice. Have drivers send the photo at the pump.
• Count empty miles too. IFTA miles are all miles, loaded and empty.
• Check the miles by state on loads with an unusual route, and fix them before the quarter ends.
• Do not wait for the due date. Look at the quarter's totals every month so surprises are small.

For dispatchers who handle IFTA for carriers

Dispatchers see IFTA for each of their carriers in LaneTally, built from the loads they booked. It fits with the other paperwork you already handle. See truck dispatch software, owner operator software and trucking accounting software.