Your IFTA return prepared and checked before it's due, every quarter
Fuel Ledger turns your ELD jurisdiction miles and fuel receipts into a checked quarterly IFTA return for your base jurisdiction. You review it, then file and pay it yourself in a few minutes, and the quarter's workpapers are kept in case of an audit.
Updated
- Miles by state and province from your ELD export or trip sheets, reconciled against fuel purchases, with gaps and odd MPG flagged before filing.
- Tax and credits worked out with the quarter's IFTA rate table, and the return laid out line by line the way your base jurisdiction's form asks for it.
- A reminder three weeks before every due date, and a zero return prepared in quarters with no miles, because a return is due either way.
Colorado's penalty for a late return is the greater of $50 or 10% of the tax due, plus interest at the IFTA annual rate for each month or part month unpaid (Colorado Department of Revenue).
Source: tax.colorado.govColorado requires electronic filing and payment for licensees with 80,000 or more miles in 2025, starting with the period ending 31 March 2026, and for all licensees starting with the period ending 31 March 2028 (Colorado Department of Revenue).
Source: tax.colorado.govFour deadlines a year, and each one is a weekend of receipts
IFTA is simple in theory: miles and gallons by jurisdiction, once a quarter. In practice it is a pile of fuel receipts, an ELD report that misses the days the tablet was off, and a state portal you only open four times a year. Late returns cost money, and a return with no miles is still a return.
The ELD gives you miles, but nobody checks them against the fuel. A missing receipt means paying tax you already paid at the pump. A missing trip means under-reporting. Both show up in an audit years later, after the paperwork has gone.
Most small carriers either do it themselves on a Sunday or pay a bookkeeper by the hour. Fuel Ledger is the middle option: a flat fee per quarter, a checked return, and workpapers you can hand to an auditor.
Without it
- Filing it yourself: Free apart from your time, and your ELD already totals the miles. It works well if your fuel records are complete and…
- ELD and trucking software reports: Motive, Samsara and trucking software can produce IFTA mileage reports. They give you the miles; they don't chase…
- Done-for-you filing services: motorcarrier.ai publishes $49 per quarter plus $99 for registration (checked 7 November 2026); other services quote on…
With Fuel Ledger
- Miles by state and province from your ELD export or trip sheets, reconciled against fuel purchases, with gaps and odd MPG flagged before filing.
- Tax and credits worked out with the quarter's IFTA rate table, and the return laid out line by line the way your base jurisdiction's form asks for it.
- A reminder three weeks before every due date, and a zero return prepared in quarters with no miles, because a return is due either way.
- Miles and fuel reconciled
- Rate table applied
How it works
- 1
Check of your last return
Send last quarter's return with its mileage and fuel records. Within two business days we tell you what we would have done differently, if anything.
- 2
Upload once a quarter
After the quarter ends, upload your ELD IFTA mileage export (or trip sheets) and your fuel card statement or receipt photos. We send a reminder with the upload link.
- 3
We prepare and check
Within 3 business days of complete records we reconcile miles with fuel, flag gaps, apply the quarter's rates and lay out the return. Questions come to you by email in one batch.
- 4
You file in minutes
You get the return, a line-by-line guide to entering it in your base jurisdiction's portal, and the amount to pay. You file and pay; we keep the workpapers.
Features
Miles and fuel reconciled
Jurisdiction miles are checked against fuel purchases. Days with fuel but no miles, trips with no fuel, and MPG outside your usual range are flagged before the return is built.
Rate table applied
Taxable gallons, tax-paid credits and net tax per jurisdiction, using the IFTA rate table for the quarter, including any surcharge the rate table lists.
Base-jurisdiction layout
The return is laid out in the order your base state or province asks for it, so entering it in the portal is copying lines, not doing maths.
Deadline reminders
An email three weeks before each due date, and another one week before if your records are still missing. Due dates follow your base jurisdiction's calendar.
Zero returns
If a truck sat all quarter, we still prepare the return, so a quiet quarter does not become a late one.
Audit workpapers
Each quarter's mileage source, fuel list, reconciliation and return are kept as one PDF and spreadsheet that you can download at any time or hand to an auditor.
A look inside
What you see day to day: the working view and the monthly summary.
Illustration of the layout, built from this page's own feature list. It shows no real results.
Who it's for
Owner-operators with their own authority
One truck, your own IFTA license and no office. You upload two files a quarter and get a return to file.
Small fleets of 2 to 15 trucks
Several ELD accounts and fuel cards, one return. You get one reconciled return for the fleet and a list of which trucks had gaps.
Dispatch and back-office services
You handle paperwork for carriers. Order one plan per carrier and hand each one a checked return every quarter.
Works with
- Motive (KeepTruckin) IFTA mileage reports
- Samsara IFTA reports
- Other ELD and GPS exports (CSV or PDF)
- Paper or spreadsheet trip sheets
- Fuel card statements (CSV or PDF)
- Receipt photos
- Base-jurisdiction online filing portals
- QuickBooks (CSV export of fuel tax paid)
Pricing
Billed per quarter, cancel before any quarter starts. We confirm the plan by email before you pay, and every plan starts with a check of your last return. Prices cover preparing the return; you file it and pay the tax yourself to your base jurisdiction. The lowest done-for-you price we found published was $49 per quarter plus $99 for registration, on motorcarrier.ai's service page (checked 7 November 2026). Founding customer pricing stays fixed while you remain subscribed. We onboard new accounts within 2 business days.
Orders are subject to the Fuel Ledger terms.
One truck
$39 per quarter
Owner-operators with one qualified vehicle
- 1 truck
- Miles and fuel reconciliation
- Return prepared for your base jurisdiction
- Filing guide and amount to pay
- Deadline reminders
- Quarterly workpapers
Small fleet
$89 per quarter
Fleets of 2 to 5 trucks
- Up to 5 trucks
- Everything in One truck
- Several ELD accounts and fuel cards combined
- Per-truck gap list
- License renewal reminder before 31 December
- Email support within one business day
Fleet
$179 per quarter
Fleets of 6 to 15 trucks
- Up to 15 trucks
- Everything in Small fleet
- Amended return for one past quarter per year
- Audit document pack on request
- Review call before each filing
Compared with the alternatives
- Filing it yourself
- Free apart from your time, and your ELD already totals the miles. It works well if your fuel records are complete and you check them against the miles every quarter.
- ELD and trucking software reports
- Motive, Samsara and trucking software can produce IFTA mileage reports. They give you the miles; they don't chase missing receipts or check the return before you file.
- Done-for-you filing services
- motorcarrier.ai publishes $49 per quarter plus $99 for registration (checked 7 November 2026); other services quote on request. Fuel Ledger starts lower and includes a check of your last return.
- A bookkeeper or accountant
- The right choice if they already do your books and know IFTA. Hourly rates usually cost more than a flat fee for a job that is the same every quarter.
What changed
- The third-quarter 2026 IFTA return was due on 2 November 2026, and the fourth-quarter 2026 return is due on 1 February 2027 (Georgia Department of Revenue, checked 7 November 2026). Source: dor.georgia.gov
- Licensees must file every quarter whether or not they have activity to report, and one return covers the whole IFTA fleet (Colorado Department of Revenue). Source: tax.colorado.gov
- Colorado's penalty for a late return is the greater of $50 or 10% of the tax due, plus interest at the IFTA annual rate for each month or part month unpaid (Colorado Department of Revenue). Source: tax.colorado.gov
- Colorado requires electronic filing and payment for licensees with 80,000 or more miles in 2025, starting with the period ending 31 March 2026, and for all licensees starting with the period ending 31 March 2028 (Colorado Department of Revenue). Source: tax.colorado.gov
Your first quarter
We onboard new accounts within 2 business days. If you join mid-quarter, the first return we prepare is the one for the quarter that just ended.
- Day 1: send last quarter's return and records for the first check.
- Day 2–3: we send the check result and your upload link.
- After the quarter ends: you upload miles and fuel; we send a reminder.
- Within 3 business days of complete records: your return and filing guide.
Security and data
- We never ask for your state portal login or bank details: you file and pay yourself.
- ELD exports, receipts and returns are stored encrypted on servers in the EU or US and seen only by the people preparing your return.
- Your workpapers can be downloaded at any time and are deleted 60 days after you cancel, or sooner if you ask.
Questions
Do you file the return for me?
We prepare and check it, and you submit and pay it in your base jurisdiction's portal with a line-by-line guide. That keeps your login and payment details with you. It takes most carriers a few minutes.
What if I'm late this quarter already?
Send us your records anyway. We prepare the late return so you can file it as soon as possible, because penalties and interest grow with time. Your base jurisdiction sets the penalty.
What records do you need?
Jurisdiction miles for each truck (an ELD IFTA report or trip sheets) and every fuel purchase with date, location, gallons and tax paid. Fuel card statements usually have all of this.
Do you handle Canadian provinces?
Yes, if your IFTA license is issued by a member jurisdiction and you travel in Canadian provinces. Canadian-based carriers are welcome too; tell us your base province when you request.
Is this tax advice?
No. Fuel Ledger is a return preparation and record-keeping service, not tax advice. You remain responsible for filing and paying. For audits, assessments or questions about whether a vehicle is qualified, confirm with your base jurisdiction or your accountant.
What if I cancel?
Cancel before the next quarter starts. Download your workpapers at any time; we keep them 60 days after your last quarter and then delete them, unless you ask us to keep them longer.
Make the next IFTA quarter the easy one
A check of last quarter's return first, then a reconciled return ready before every due date. From $39 per quarter.
Request service