Did you wait for the last week before your IFTA filing is due to start working on it? You’re not alone. Just like the lines outside the post offices on April 15th (long before we could file electronically), we know that waiting for the very last minute is how many people handle their taxes. It’s all good if you can still make the deadline, right?
Sure it is. If you have absolutely everything you need ready to file.
What You Find the Last Week Before IFTA
Unless you don’t.
My ability to lose a small piece of paper is legendary. I don’t mind the two-mile-long receipts from CVS anymore, because they’re too long for me to lose. (Not true. I lost one yesterday.)
The point is this: when you depend on paper to track purchases, you may end up without the papers when you need them. Sure, almost nobody buys fuel with cash anymore. Since that’s the key piece of paper you need, then losing those records can create havoc.
Or, if you write down your mileage records on a random piece of paper you could reach while you were driving… and it’s gone. Lost in a puddle in Omaha? In a snow pile in Minneapolis?
Coping with Records
There are those people in the world who can manage paper. Clearly, I’m not one of them. So what are the other options?
Images
The power of a smartphone camera is huge. The camera industry nearly crashed after Apple put a phone into an iPhone. Now we can take a picture without a second thought.
But we have to remember where we put that picture. With the freedom to take a picture, we need to be able to find it. When you have hundreds of pictures on your phone, how do you search for the pictures of your mileage? And how do you remember which state line did you just cross?
Maybe you invest in some software to download pictures to your desktop. Maybe you upload all images to the cloud and have some sorting options. Or you send yourself the picture with the state’s name in the subject line. Ways to help you find your data are only limited by your imagination and your budget. During the last week before IFTA is due, you can use those images – when you can find them.
Software
Using a complete trucking software program that tracks your miles by dispatch makes all your record-keeping problems go away. PC*Miler handles the routing for your loads – and they’re recognized by the government as acceptable. So instead of trying to track mileage per state, you can use your trucking software to give you the numbers you need. TruckingOffice PRO takes care of all of your IFTA numbers.
By entering your fuel purchases directly into TruckingOffice’s expense form, your fuel purchases will be tracked. TruckingOffice PRO provides an immediate report for you to use to file IFTA. Waiting until the last week before IFTA isn’t a problem when you use TruckingOffice.
Got Questions About IFTA
We’ve got the IFTA Resource Center if you’ve got questions about IFTA. We know it’s critical to get those filings done on time and to the penny. You know the consequences of failing to file, including fines, penalties and maybe getting pulled off the road.
It’s the last week before IFTA is due. You might be the one who wants to file at the last possible minute. If you’re using TruckingOffice PRO trucking software, that’s not a problem.
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