Use Form 8849 to claim a full HVUT refund of the overpaid excise taxes from the IRS with these simple-to-follow Form 8849 refund claim instructions.
If you own a single truck or a categorically heavy vehicle, which was taxed beyond its mileage usage or utility period, or if the taxes have been paid in excess to reduce the tax burden in the future, then you can claim a refund of the excess tax amount that you have paid in advance to the IRS.
If your vehicle has been suspended from taxes but you’re still being taxed for a suspended vehicle, you can claim a refund for the same and reduce your tax burden.
Additionally, if you accidentally report the wrong year, or the wrong First Used Month, or the wrong weight of the vehicle, then you may have to undertake an additional tax burden per your reports.
If you see yourself agreeing with any of the above scenarios, chances are that you’re either looking at amending your reports or requesting the IRS to process a refund for the taxes you have already paid.
While filing HVUT 2290 Amendment may be useful to correct the misreported vehicle information, only a credit claim request will help you communicate to the IRS that there was an excess payment of taxes, which needs to be refunded.
So, today, we will be looking at the easiest way to claim a complete refund of the overpaid excise tax – HVUT tax paid in advance.
When You Overpay HVUT Taxes
Large trucking businesses have their accounting teams manage the HVUT payments. Intending to comply with the IRS and reduce tax risk, accounting teams tend to over-estimate the HVUT tax and pay the taxes respectively.
Paying additional tax initially may seem like a burden, but it actually helps companies stay compliant. Unlike underreported taxes, over-reported taxes do not hurt your tax records. However, when the IRS observes that you have made excess payment of the tax, they will process a refund per their fair tax policy, popularly known as the Taxpayer Bill Of Rights.
On the off-chance of the IRS omitting to do so, you can communicate your case to the IRS and claim the refund for the excess tax you have paid.
Using Form 8849 To Claim HVUT Refund
If you have been in the trucking industry long enough, you must know that the IRS encourages taxpayers to follow certain refund protocols to claim the respective tax refunds.
Form 8849 is used to claim the refund of excise taxes paid by an entity or an individual. Providing information about your business, vehicle(s) for which you have paid the excess tax, vehicles that have been suspended from taxes, Employer Identification Number (EIN), Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), and other vital information must be entered in the form to help IRS identity your case and process the refund.
Further, attaching the necessary schedule to help support your claim will work in your favor.
Form 8849 & Types Of Refund Claims
Note: All the schedules listed below are downloadable files for research and understanding purposes only. Do not use them for paper filing.
- Schedule 1 – Nontaxable Use of Fuels
- Schedule 2 – Sales by Registered Ultimate Vendors
- Schedule 3 – Certain Fuel Mixtures and the Alternative Fuel Credit
- Schedule 5 – Section 4081(e) Claims
- Schedule 6 – Other Claims
- Schedule 8 – Registered Credit Card Issuers
Any of the above excise tax scenarios are valid to claim a refund from the IRS.
Suspended Vehicles & 8849 Refund Claims
Sometimes, the IRS may wrongfully tax entities or individuals for vehicles that are suspended from taxes. In such cases, the taxpayer can exercise their right to claim a refund of the tax paid on the suspended vehicle. The IRS will only refund the amount for the period in which the vehicle remains suspended from tax.
For example, if you have been paying taxes for your vehicle from 2008 to 2019, but you have requested the IRS to suspend your vehicles from HVUT tax in 2020 as your vehicles no longer categorically match the HVUT tax policies. If the IRS continues to tax your vehicle even after suspension and requires you to pay the tax, then you may pay the tax and claim a refund on such excess tax paid.
In this example, you will be able to claim a refund of the excess tax paid from 2019-2021 (now), the period in which your vehicle remains suspended.
Easily Claim Form 8849 Refunds With EZ2290
While it is easy to keep a track of the refund claims for one vehicle, more often than not, businesses with large fleets have to claim refunds for multiple vehicles at once. So, tracking and addressing the refund concerns can be complex.
But with a smart and convenient e-file processing platform like EZ2290 will be able to ease things and help you claim your HVUT refunds efficiently.
To give you a little perspective, EZ2290 is an IRS-authorized HVUT e-File provider trusted by 10,000+ trucking companies and self-employed truckers.
We help trucking businesses comply with the IRS tax policies and enable simple and easy-to-use tools, which make way for convenient filing and accurate reporting.
You too can claim your HVUT refund quickly with EZ2290 by your side (even if you did not file with us before!)
All you have to do is Sign Up Here and create your FREE EZ2290 account
- Set up your business profile and provide the necessary business and tax information
- Fill up Form 8849 or have our support team assist you
- e-File Form 8849 within minutes
And that’s it.
Let the IRS come back to you on the refund claim. If you need further assistance, our team would be happy to assist.
If the IRS accepts your refund claim, we will notify you about the credit claim approval.
