License & Registration

To determine if you need to register with Illinois as an IFTA carrier you first need to decide if your vehicles are considered "qualified motor vehicles." A qualified motor vehicle is a motor vehicle traveling interstate and is used, designed, or maintained for transportation of persons or property and either

• having two axles and a gross vehicle weight or registered gross vehicle weight exceeding 26,000 pounds
• having three or more axles regardless of weight; or
• used in combination and the gross vehicle weight or the registered gross vehicle weight of the combined vehicles exceeds 26,000 pounds.

If you meet these qualifications, you must register with us. Once properly registered, you will be licensed and we will send you motor fuel use tax decals which will allow you to travel in all IFTA jurisdictions.

As a condition of IFTA registration in Illinois, you must first obtain a U.S. DOT number.

• MFUT-53, Illinois Motor Fuel Use Tax Carrier Compliance Manual

IFTA license and decals are valid from January 1 to December 31 of each year. A grace period extends through the last day of February of the following year so that you will have time to affix your IFTA decals to your trucks or buses. There is no fee for licensing, however decals cost $3.75 per qualified vehicle.

Click here to fill out Form MFUT-12, Motor Fuel Use Tax, Application for Motor Fuel Use Tax License and Decals.

If you make only occasional trips into or out of Illinois, a Single Trip Permit (STP) may be an alternative to obtaining an IFTA license and decals (and then filing quarterly returns). These STPs are good for 96 hours, and are available through most wire services for an additional fee.

In addition to Form MFUT-12, Motor Fuel Use Tax, Application for Motor Fuel Use Tax License and Decals, Form REG-1, Illinois Business Registration Application, must be completed by Illinois based commercial motor carriers. IFTA does not administer other state requirements such as vehicle licensing, operating authority, and non-highway fuel tax refunds. When required, a bond shall be equal to at least twice the estimated average tax liability of a quarterly return or $1,000, whichever is greater.

The only qualified motor vehicles exempt from registering for the Motor Fuel Use Tax in Illinois are:

• school buses (must have school bus license plates)
• recreational vehicles (cannot be used for business endeavors)
• state of Illinois or federal vehicles, and
• qualified motor vehicles operating solely within Illinois for which all motor fuel is purchased within Illinois.

Your license is free, the decals cost $3.75 per vehicle.

No. IFTA is a base-state agreement. This means your Illinois IFTA license is good in every state in the US (except Alaska and Hawaii) and most of Canada.

IFTA licenses are effective from January 1 through December 31 each year. You must renew with us every year (usually beginning in late October) and may begin displaying your decals for the following year beginning December 1st. Current-year decals must be affixed to your vehicles by February 28th.

No…not for first-time applicants. Bonds may be required for just-cause (e.g., when you do not file your reports on time, you did not pay the proper tax, or when an audit indicates problems that warrant a bond).

No. "Replacement" decals ($2.00) are intended for those decals that may have been stolen, lost, or damaged. Vehicles being placed into service must have a new IFTA decal ($3.75) affixed. Click here to obtain additional decals.

Yes. But instead of getting a license and decals (and filing quarterly returns), you may opt for a Single Trip Permit (STP). These STP's cost $40, are good for 96 hours, and are available through most wire services for an additional fee.

When ordering decals online for your company, we suggest you order an extra set or two of decals at that time. By doing so, you will have a set ready to go at anytime. Additional decals ordered through MyTax Illinois are typically packaged and mailed the next business day. You can order IFTA licenses and decals through your MyTax Illinois account anywhere you have an internet connection. Decals are no longer available for purchase in Springfield in the Willard Ice Building lobby. We no longer maintain internet terminals in our Springfield lobby.

If you are conducting business in another state in addition to Illinois, this activity is known as interstate commerce, and you will need to obtain federal operating authority from the U.S. Department of Transportation, if you have not already done so, prior to registering for IFTA with the Illinois Department of Revenue. Once you have your USDOT number, access MyTax Illinois to apply for IFTA registration and decals. For IFTA-specific questions, call 217 785-1397 weekdays between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. The application approval or denial process usually takes a few days. Typically, you’ll receive the IFTA License and Decals or a Denial Letter within a week.  Taxpayers may opt to provide a pre-paid overnight label to cut down on the mail time. Prepaid overnight labels must be for the taxpayer’s Illinois physical address and emailed to rev.ifta@illinois.gov.