HVUT Credits: Selling & Purchasing Vehicles

We’re a few weeks into 2016, and by this point you might have grown your fleet with a used (or new to you) truck. Or maybe you’re an Owner-Operator who is replacing an old vehicle. I mean, it looks like some sleeper trucks are just getting cheaper and cheaper. While you’re excited to be on the road in the new rig, it’s vital that you have your HVUT accounted for. With ExpressTruckTax, adding a credit for sold vehicles to your 2290 is easy.

How Do HVUT Credits Work?

When a vehicle is purchased from another owner who already paid their HVUT fees, the vehicle is covered until the end of the month of purchase. From the first day of the following month, it’s up to the new owner to pay the vehicle’s HVUT from the first day of that month to the end of the tax year.

With that said, it’s important to understand that the heavy vehicle use taxes DO NOT transfer from one owner to another. You’re required to file a Form 2290 and pay taxes on any qualifying taxable vehicle. The taxes also don’t transfer from your old vehicle to your new one! So if you sold your old truck after buying a new one, it’s the same process (just with the roles reversed). It’s annoying, sure, but you still have to do it.

Basically, the seller gets credited for the taxes they paid before they sold the vehicle, and the buyer owes the difference. And if you’re a seller, there are two ways to approach the credit. You can get the credit for the tax paid on your next Form 2290 filed or the refund can be claimed through Form 8849, if you don’t want to wait until the tax period ends.

Why don’t we just see how it’s done real quick?

What Are the Tax Implications When Buying or Selling a Suspended Vehicle?

• Your name, address, and EIN,
• VIN Number,
• Date of the sale,
• Odometer reading at the beginning of the period,
• Odometer reading at the time of sale, and
• Buyer’s name, address, and EIN.

If everything is reported like above and the use of the vehicle exceeds the mileage use limit for the period after the purchase (including highway mileage recorded by the former owner), the new owner would be liable for the tax on the vehicle. If the former owner didn’t provide the required statement to the new owner, then the former owner would be held liable for that tax period.

With your new rig ready for the road, you can get back out there to the long haul. Don’t forget, after you pay your HVUT for this tax period, you’ll still be liable to pay for the new period that starts July 1st, 2016!

If you run into any questions about credits on ExpressTruckTax, our US-based bilingual support team is available through phone, email, and even live chat. Reach us by phone at 704.234.6005, or by email at support@expresstrucktax.com.