DUE DATES

Form 2290 which is also known as Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Form is an excise tax. This tax is levied on heavy highway vehicles with a gross weight of 55,000 lbs. and more, and is used on public highways. This tax is levied on vehicles that travel on the highway and have a gross weight of 55,000lbs or more.The Internal Revenue Service has framed certain rules for filing tax form 2290, thus the form should be filed accordingly.

 

• Due dates for filing Form 2290 - Form 2290 must be filed for each month when a taxable vehicle is first used on public highways during the current period. The current period begins on July 1, 2021 and ends on June 30, 2022 of the following year. The Heavy Vehicle Use Tax (HVUT) Form 2290 must be filed by the last day of the month following the month of first use. The filing rules apply whether you are paying the tax or reporting suspension of the tax.

 

• Vehicles used or acquired after July – In case you acquire a vehicle and use it on the public highways in any month other than July, you are liable for the tax for the prorated tax period. You must file IRS Form 2290 and pay the tax by the last day of the month after the month you first use the vehicle.

 

•What if due date falls on Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday? - In case the due date for filing form 2290 falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, it should be filed on the next business day.

 

PENALTIES

• Penalties: - The penalty for failing to file IRS Form 2290 by August 31st is equal to 4.5 percent of total tax due, assessed on a monthly basis up to five months. Late filers not making an HVUT payment also face an additional monthly penalty equal to 0.5 percent of total tax due. Additional interest charges of 0.54 percent per month accrue as well.

 

Based on these rates, an HVUT liability that was originally $550 would climb to over $700 by the end of the five-month period of law-breaking. In addition to these federal penalties, many states suspend the registrations of vehicles for which proof of HVUT payment has not been provided.

 

HVUT evasion penalties can be even more significant, resulting in fines and incarceration, as illustrated in the case of one owner of a small trucking company who was found guilty of HVUT evasion through the continuous retitling of his vehicle. For his crime, the owner of the small trucking company was sentenced to serve four months in prison and an additional four months of electronically monitored home confinement. He was also ordered to pay a $2,000 fine.

 

Penalties for HVUT non-compliance for states are even more costly. The Secretary of Transportation has the authority to withhold up to 25 percent of the state's Interstate Maintenance funds [23 U.S.C. 104(b)(5)] if it fails one of its periodic compliance reviews