What is Form 2290? Do I need one?
Are you a truck driver, or a fleet owner? If so, then you need to file a Form 2290 every year. The Form 2290 is used by the IRS to collect any taxes due from you to pay for public highways. Yes, you pay for the great or worse highway systems in our nation.
Exceptions: the only time you do not need to file a Form 2290, is if your vehicle(s) are under 55,000 lbs — that’s including the tractor, and trailer, fully loaded. If you are under mileage, or agricultural, you still need to file, but your tax liability would be $0 on the return.
OK, I need to file. Where do I start?
There are two ways to file your Form 2290: paper file, or e-File (required if you have 25 trucks or more). Each has pros and cons. So let’s break it down:
Paper File Pros and Cons
The filing fee is free. But, you would need to know how to fill it out, pay for postage, envelope, have access to a printer, and cross your fingers that it doesn’t get lost in the mail. It will take about 4–6 weeks before you get the stamped copy back from the IRS. If you do decide to go to a local IRS office, you may be in line for hours, if they will see you as a walk-in — usually it is appointment only.
e-File Pros and Cons
There is a filing fee, usually in the neighborhood of $10 to $30 dollars, depending on which provider you use. But, your filing gets transmitted to the IRS right away, and you get your stamped Schedule 1 back within minutes. There’s no waiting in line, or waiting on the mail, very straight forward.
How to e-File Form 2290
Alright, since I work for EZ2290, I’m biased — I’m not going to be a car salesman and try to sweet talk you into using us, BUT if you did, you’ll be glad because we take pride in providing outstanding customer service and speedy service.
First, you need to make sure you have the following:
- A valid EIN (Employer Identification Number) that’s at least 2 weeks old.
- Legal Business Name or whatever name is tied to your EIN number.
- VIN Number of your truck.
- Fully Loaded Gross Weight of your truck (tractor and trailer) — check your cab/registration card.
- An IRS payment method — they take routing and account number, EFTPS, or mail-in check.
- A debit or credit card to pay the e-File fee.
Then, pull up EZ2290.com, and it looks like this:
- Click Sign Up if it’s your first time, or Login if you already filed with us before.
- Goto Dashboard and either click on Add New Business, or if you are a returning user, click on “select” next to your business.
- Follow through the 2290 process on the site — then it will prompt you to make payment.
- After payment, you will be issued a reference number, and EZ2290 will automatically transmit your application to the IRS computers — it may take 5 to 15 minutes, then you will receive an e-mail with your stamped Schedule 1.
- You can then take this Schedule 1 to the DMV, or whomever you need to, and get your plates!
That’s all there is to it! Don’t make this simple stuff more time consuming and complicated than it is. Just get on the computer and click some buttons. Forget about standing in line at the IRS office or try to mail in something and wait weeks for. Now that I saved you hours of time, hey, buy me a drink when you guys are in town?
