{"id":6042,"date":"2026-08-11T12:46:44","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T12:46:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ustruckingdirectory.com\/blog\/?p=6042"},"modified":"2026-08-11T12:46:45","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T12:46:45","slug":"what-records-should-i-keep-for-ifta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ustruckingdirectory.com\/blog\/what-records-should-i-keep-for-ifta\/","title":{"rendered":"What Records Should I Keep for IFTA?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Understanding the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ustruckingdirectory.com\/ifta.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA)<\/a><\/strong> requires first of all impeccable record keeping. For you who may be either fleet managers, owner operators or motor carriers, the idea of collecting your receipts and trip sheets at the end of every quarter is very costly in terms of audits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Knowing what documents you need to keep for IFTA guarantees that you will save your IFTA credits, will make your quarterly report easy and will pass any state motor fuel audit without trouble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The Core Rule: Four Years of Retention<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before discussing specific documents, let us reiterate the most important rule when dealing with IFTA: keep all relevant documentation for at least four years after the due date of the filing or after filing it, whichever comes later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">State auditors are always ready to ask for these documents to prove that your distance and fuel consumption correspond to your filings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Category 1: Distance and Mileage Records (IVDRs)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In order to determine the tax due to each jurisdiction for using your QMV, it is mandatory that you monitor all the miles traveled by the vehicle\u2014intrastate or interstate, loaded or empty, commercial or deadhead trips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Regardless of whether you employ manual trip sheets <strong>(Individual Vehicle Distance Record &#8211; IVDR)<\/strong> or some form of telematics technology, your distance tracking must cover the following details:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Trip Details:<\/strong> Starting and ending dates of the trip, along with trip origin and destination (including city and state\/province).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Routing Information:<\/strong> Specific highways or routes travelled.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Odometer Tracking:<\/strong> Beginning and ending readings from the dashboard odometer, hub odometer, or Engine Control Module (ECM) for each trip.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Jurisdictional Breakdown:<\/strong> Total miles travelled in each individual state or province.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Asset Identifiers:<\/strong> Vehicle unit number or Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>GPS \/ Telematics Warning:<\/strong> If you rely on an <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ustruckingdirectory.com\/eld-systems.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Electronic Logging Device (ELD)<\/a><\/strong> or GPS tracking system, static images like PDFs or screenshots are <strong>not<\/strong> acceptable to auditors. You must store raw electronic data (such as CSV or Excel spread sheets) showing vehicle tracking positions at least every 10 minutes when the engine is running.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Category 2: Fuel Purchase and Receipt Records<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You cannot be able to use tax-paid credits on your IFTA report unless you have a valid receipt detailing the cost of the fuel. This applies whether you are getting fuel at the over-the-road level or from your bulk tanks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Over-the-Road (OTR) Retail Fuel Receipts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Acceptable documentation includes original receipts, credit card slips, or automated vendor invoices. Every retail receipt must explicitly display:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Date of purchase<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Seller\u2019s name and full address<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Number of gallons (or liters) purchased<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fuel type (e.g., diesel, gasoline, LNG, CNG, electricity)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Price per gallon or total amount paid<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Purchaser\u2019s name (the IFTA licensee)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Vehicle Identification:<\/strong> The unit number or license plate number of the truck into which the fuel was pumped.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Bulk Fuel Storage Records<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you store fuel in your own bulk tanks rather than fueling at retail stops, your requirements are stricter. You must maintain:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Invoices and delivery tickets for all bulk fuel purchases<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tank capacity details and monthly\/quarterly inventory reconciliations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bulk Withdrawal Logs:<\/strong> Daily or trip-specific logs showing the date, gallons withdrawn, fuel type, and the specific vehicle unit number receiving the fuel.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Category 3: Supplementary Source Documents<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Auditors look favorably on cross-verification. While mileage and fuel logs are mandatory, keeping secondary documentation helps validate your operations if primary records have gaps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Driver\u2019s daily logs and<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ustruckingdirectory.com\/hos.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> Hours of Service (HOS)<\/a><\/strong> records<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dispatcher logs, load sheets, and bill of lading (BOL) documents<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Scale tickets and port-of-entry receipts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Payroll or driver settlement sheets<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Best Practices for Stress-Free IFTA Audits<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Automate Where Possible:<\/strong> Adopt fleet management software that syncs ELD ping data directly with fuel card imports to minimize human error.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Audit Your Own Records Quarterly:<\/strong> Don&#8217;t wait four years to find out a driver forgot to write down unit numbers on fuel receipts. Reconcile miles and gallons every three months.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Centralize Digital Storage:<\/strong> Keep scanned copies of paper receipts in an organized cloud-folder system categorized by year and quarter.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By maintaining clean, accessible, and itemized records, you&#8217;ll breeze through your next IFTA audit and maximize your rightful fuel tax credits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Disclaimer:<\/strong>\u00a0The information provided in this blog post is for general informational purposes only. While we strive to keep the content accurate and up to date, we do not guarantee its completeness, reliability, or accuracy. Any actions you take based on this information are strictly at your own risk. We are not responsible for any losses, damages, or inconveniences that may arise from the use of this blog. For professional advice, please consult a qualified expert.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Understanding the International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) requires first of all impeccable record keeping. For you who may be either fleet managers, owner operators or motor carriers, the idea of collecting your receipts and trip sheets at the end of every quarter is very costly in terms of audits. Knowing what documents you need to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6043,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[77],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6042","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ifta"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ustruckingdirectory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6042","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ustruckingdirectory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ustruckingdirectory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ustruckingdirectory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ustruckingdirectory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6042"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ustruckingdirectory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6042\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6044,"href":"https:\/\/www.ustruckingdirectory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6042\/revisions\/6044"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ustruckingdirectory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6043"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ustruckingdirectory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6042"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ustruckingdirectory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6042"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ustruckingdirectory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6042"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}