IFTA Q3 closed September 30. Many states list returns due November 2.

IFTA third quarter covers every taxable mile and gallon from Wednesday, July 1, 2026 through Wednesday, September 30, 2026. Even if the truck sat all quarter, most base states still want a return while your license is open, even for a zero-mile quarter. Confirm that on your own DOR or DMV page.

When it's due

1. The standard due date is the last day of the month after the quarter. For Q3 that's Saturday, October 31, 2026.
2. When that lands on a weekend or holiday, jurisdictions push it to the next business day. Nebraska DMV states this directly.
3. Georgia Department of Revenue's 2026 table lists Q3 due November 2, 2026. Colorado's IFTA table lists the same July 1 through September 30 window due November 2, 2026.

So don't assume October 31 is your date. Look up your base state's 2026 due-date table. The date on their page is the one that counts for your license.

Gather your records

The quarter closed September 30. Don't wait until the night before you file. Gather your fuel receipts with the jurisdiction printed, bulk-fuel logs, trip sheets or ELD jurisdiction miles, and the Q3 tax-rate matrix once your state posts it. Don't round miles to the nearest thousand. Complete receipts hold up far better in an audit than records rebuilt from memory.

Keep it separate from Form 2290

If a 55,000-pound highway truck was first used on public highways in August, its HVUT return was due Wednesday, September 30, 2026, so that deadline has passed. If first use was in September, IRS instructions put that 2290 on Monday, November 2, 2026, the same day many Q3 IFTA returns are due. They're two separate filings with two separate agencies, so track both.

Who files

If you have your own interstate authority and an IFTA license in your name, you file. If you're leased on, read your lease. Many one-truck leases leave IFTA with the carrier, and some put it on you. If your name's on the IFTA license, it's your return, even in a light quarter.

IFTA late penalties aren't set by FMCSA. Your base jurisdiction sets IFTA late penalties and interest under the Agreement and its own rules. File even if you owe nothing, and don't assume one state's penalty amount applies everywhere.

Court update

Lujan v. FMCSA, D.C. Cir. 26-1032, was argued Tuesday, September 15, 2026, and there's still no opinion. California DMV v. DOT, D.C. Cir. 26-1027, was argued September 11, 2026, and there's no opinion there either. In the Illinois CDLIS case (E.D. Va. 1:26-cv-02547), the court issued a written preliminary injunction on Wednesday, September 17, 2026 (Doc. 113). It keeps the plaintiff states' Master Pointer Records in place and blocks CDLIS funding threats against those states until further order. The federal government has appealed that injunction to the Fourth Circuit and asked for a stay, but the court hasn't ruled on the stay, so the injunction is still in force. None of that changes your fuel return or your CDL class.

Before you file

1. Open your base-state IFTA portal or paper instructions and confirm the Q3 2026 due date for your jurisdiction. Many list Monday, November 2, 2026.
2. Gather your July through September fuel receipts, bulk logs, and jurisdiction miles.
3. Check whether your lease or carrier paperwork makes you the IFTA licensee this quarter.
4. If a September-first-use Form 2290 is also due November 2, 2026, keep that IRS filing separate.
5. File and pay, or file the zero return, by your state's posted date. Keep the confirmation in the truck file.

Mark November 2, 2026 on your calendar now.

Sources

• Georgia Department of Revenue, IFTA Due Dates (2026 table: 3rd QTR due 11/02/2026)
• Colorado Department of Revenue, 4Q25 IFTA Newsletter (2026 filing table: Jul 1 to Sep 30, 2026 due Nov 2, 2026)
• Nebraska DMV FAQ: When are the IFTA returns due to be filed? (last day of the month following the quarter; next business day if weekend or holiday; third quarter listed as October 31)
• IFTA, Inc. (agreement home)
• Instructions for Form 2290 (07/2026) (September first use due November 2, 2026; separate from IFTA)
• CourtListener: Jorge Lujan v. FMCSA, 26-1032 (oral argument held September 15, 2026; no opinion as of October 20, 2026)
• CourtListener: California Department of Motor Vehicles v. DOT, 26-1027
• CourtListener: State of Illinois v. United States Department of Transportation (preliminary injunction granted September 17, 2026, Doc. 113; federal notice of appeal Doc. 134; federal stay motion pending as of October 20, 2026)

Access date for linked pages: September 16, 2026; court status rechecked October 20, 2026. Updated September 18, 2026 (Illinois preliminary injunction granted), October 1, 2026 (Q3 closed September 30), and October 20, 2026 (Illinois appeal added). Not legal advice. Check IFTA due dates, filing methods, penalties, and lease duties with your base jurisdiction and the primary sources before you act.