Best fuel cards to streamline IFTA reporting

With fuel costs and tax burdens rising every year, choosing fuel cards that integrate with software platforms to automate International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) reporting is no longer optional for commercial fleets seeking savings and efficiency.

The consolidated expenses, streamlined documentation, and automated reports produced by the most integrated fuel card programs and IFTA reporting software drastically reduce overhead while providing data trails ensuring full regulatory compliance. Keep reading to find out which fuel cards can accomplish your goals.

And when you’re finished, check out the other articles in our ‘IFTA reports’ series:

• What is IFTA?
• Understanding IFTA reporting and common mistakes
• How to calculate an IFTA quarterly tax report
• Best fuel cards to streamline IFTA reports

Quicklook: Top fuel cards for streamlining IFTA reports

• Best for quarterly filing assistance: Fuelman
• Best for real-time data: Motive
• Best for fuel savings or discounts: AtoB
• Best for owner operators: Comdata
• Best for consolidation: EFS

What is IFTA in trucking?

So, what is IFTA tax? The International Fuel Tax Agreement is a cooperative arrangement among the lower 48 U.S. states and Canadian provinces. It simplifies fuel tax compliance for motor carriers (trucking companies) operating across multiple jurisdictions.

How IFTA works

1. Trucking companies must track fuel usage and miles driven in each participating state or province.
2. Instead of paying fuel taxes to each jurisdiction individually, the trucking company files a quarterly IFTA report electronically with their base (the state where the company is registered) by quarterly due dates.
3. The base state then redistributes the taxes owed to the appropriate states or provinces based on the miles driven and fuel consumed in each jurisdiction.

By filing an IFTA return, carriers ensure that fuel taxes are fairly distributed among the jurisdictions where their vehicles operate.

How much does IFTA cost quarterly?

The quarterly cost of IFTA depends on several factors, including the number of miles your fleet travels in each jurisdiction and the amount of fuel purchased in each location. An IFTA license and decals, however, have a fixed cost, usually charged annually by your base jurisdiction. These fees typically range from $10 to $100 per year.

Generally speaking, smaller operations may only owe a few hundred dollars quarterly, depending on mileage and jurisdictional tax rates. Larger fleets or those operating in higher-tax jurisdictions could owe thousands per quarter.

Example calculation

Suppose your fleet traveled 10,000 miles during the quarter, with:

• 2,000 miles in state A
• 3,000 miles in state B
• 5,000 miles in state C

If the fuel tax rates in these states vary, and the taxes you paid at the pump don’t fully cover your usage in higher-tax states, you may owe the difference. On the other hand, if you overpaid taxes in some states, you might receive a tax refund or credit.

Best fuel cards to streamline IFTA reports

If you’re looking for a fuel card to streamline IFTA reporting, you can’t go wrong with any of the options on this list.

Fuelman

Fuelman offers a variety of fleet management reports showing all account activity, including summary reports, employee exception reports, and vehicle reports. Some programs include excise tax and IFTA standard reports to help you submit accurate tax filings.

Furthermore, Fuelman cards are designed to control costs, allowing your business to customize card limits for your specific business needs, ensuring money is only spent on fuel for company vehicles. And with market-leading rebates¹ on gas and diesel fuel with every fill-up and 24/7 customer service, Fuelman is sure to save you time and money.

Best for: Quarterly filing assistance

Features:

• Flexible packages with the deepest rebates available 
• 40,000 fuel stations² 
• 20,000 maintenance locations
• Option for Mastercard^® that works anywhere that accepts Mastercard in the U.S.

Benefits:³

• Up to $0.08 per gallon in rebates, with $0.03 for Mastercard
• One point per gallon⁴
• Option to use it at any gas station
• Environmentally-friendly and carbon neutral options 

Disadvantages: Coverage gaps in parts of Minnesota, Massachusetts, New Mexico and Montana

Pricing: Starting at $39 a month for all the fuel cards you business needs

Motive

With advanced integrations continuing to roll out, Motive aims to link real-time fuel data directly into popular trucking management platforms as an affordable bundled solution for streamlined taxes.

Leveraging GPS and ELD connections, Motive can automatically validate locations down to the pump level and feed directly into IFTA reports to save drivers hours of paperwork each quarter.

As regulations and software options advance, Motive’s flexible hardware options and open API approach position it perfectly to adapt real-time data flows into the best platforms for small fleets to consolidate back-office administration.

Best for: Real-time data

Features:

• IFTA reports
• Spend reports
• Maintenance discounts

Benefits:

• Spend controls
• Detailed reports
• Streamlined IFTA reporting
• Integrated platform
• No annual fee

Disadvantages:

• No set discount rate
• Smaller network compared to competitors

Pricing: One-time activation fee of $25 per card

AtoB

AtoB fuel cards offer significant per-gallon diesel discounts at thousands of truck stops across their merchant network. This means fleets pay less at the pump, which lowers the tax basis for IFTA fuel tax reporting.

Lower net fuel expenses paired with AtoB’s system gathering detailed transaction data makes inputting accurate figures into quarterly tax reports simpler and more affordable.

Best for: Fuel savings or discounts

Features:

• No out-of-network stations
• Get discounts on repairs at Pep Boys, tires at Discount Tire and more through AtoB Perk
• Spend on more than just fuel — oil changes, tolls, lodging and more
• Net seven-day payment terms

Benefits:

• Telematics integration to validate every purchase in real time
• Secure Card Unlock through the AtoB Driver App to ensure cards are only used by authorized drivers
• Optimal Station Selection to enforce drivers to fuel at the most affordable stations
• Allows small businesses to build credit

Disadvantages: Must pay balance within seven days

Pricing: $4/month per active card

Comdata

With advanced integration into top trucking management platforms, Comdata fuel cards capture purchase details like date, location, gallons, and taxes paid automatically with each owner-operator transaction for seamless IFTA reporting.

Solo truck drivers benefit from Comdata’s robust merchant network of over 30,000 nationwide fueling sites to easily manage fuel taxes across jurisdictions without requiring costly software investments.

Comdata’s automated reports driven by fuel card usage simplify the quarterly IFTA filing headache for owner-operators to accurately track deductions and minimize accounting overhead. 

Best for: Owner operators

Features:

• Fuel card program with over 30,000 fueling sites across U.S. and Canada
• Integrates with popular trucking management software
• Provides detailed fueling data and analytics

Benefits:

• Streamlines IFTA reporting and taxes
• Controls driver spending and improves oversight
• Offers loyalty and volume discounts

Disadvantages:

• Higher card fees than competitors
• Can only be used within their merchant network
• Limited support for electric charging

Pricing:

• Monthly card fees plus transaction fees
• Customized enterprise plans
• Discounted volume pricing tiers

EFS

EFS lets fleets choose approved fueling locations to standardize purchases. Drivers can only fuel at certain truck stops and gas stations. By standardizing where fuel transactions occur, EFS makes it easier to collect receipts and mileage per jurisdiction for IFTA tax reports. Consolidated data improves accuracy when filing quarterly fuel taxes.

Best for: Consolidation

Features:

• Merchant control capabilities
• Integrations with ELD systems
• Customizable alerts and notifications

Benefits:

• Consolidated fuel expense reporting
• Optimized preferred fueling locations
• Enhanced oversight of driver spending

Disadvantages:

• Smaller network compared to major fuel card providers
• Mostly US-based truck stops coverage
• Lack of mobile app and driver tools

Pricing:

• Monthly card fees plus transaction fees
• Customized pricing for fleet size
• Bundled discounts available

What is an IFTA sticker?

An IFTA sticker is a credential required to be displayed on all interstate commercial vehicles operating under IFTA. The 2”x5” sticker shows that the vehicle is registered for IFTA fuel tax reporting and serves as proof that the carrier has an IFTA license to traverse between member jurisdictions.

The decal will feature the licensee’s name and IFTA license number, along with the license’s expiration date.

Vehicles need to have a valid, up-to-date IFTA decal clearly affixed to the passenger side of the cab to legally operate across borders without paying additional fuel taxes at every pump. The sticker ensures compliance and simplifies audits for tax collectors.

Who needs an IFTA sticker?

Any commercial motor vehicle operating interstate with a gross vehicle weight of over 26,000 pounds (11,797 kg), has two or more axles, and is used for business must display an accurate IFTA sticker in the cab to indicate active annual fuel tax license registration as part of IFTA.

How to get IFTA stickers

Obtain IFTA decals after successfully processing annual fleet registration with your base jurisdiction’s department of transportation or motor vehicles/carrier division. IFTA stickers featuring your license number and expiration are distributed with license renewal paperwork.

IFTA sticker requirements

Proper IFTA sticker format, visibility, and validity is essential for interstate trucking compliance.

• Must be displayed on the exterior passenger side of the truck’s cab. Common placement is the lower front corner of the passenger door.
• All IFTA registered vehicles must have a sticker to legally operate interstate without paying taxes at each pump.
• The sticker design and layout is standardized across all IFTA member jurisdictions. It must include the carrier’s name, IFTA license number, and expiration date.
• Stickers are typically two inches high by five inches long.
• Must be visible and legible by enforcement officers, usually inspectors at weigh stations. Damaged or unreadable stickers may result in fines.
• Carriers must replace IFTA decals that are damaged or upon license renewal every year. Updated stickers are distributed with each new license.
• Stolen, lost, or illegible stickers must be promptly reported and replaced by contacting the base jurisdiction’s motor carrier division.
• Failure to display a valid IFTA tax sticker can result in costly fines from $50 up to $500 depending on the number of offenses. It may also lead to fuel tax evasion penalties.

File IFTA tax reports accurately with the best fuel cards

Adopting IFTA-simplifying fuel cards should become a top priority as reporting burdens grow. Fleets must act quickly to transition before regulations complicate changes.

The most integrated providers consolidate expenses and location data to automate IFTA filing and eliminate mundane tasks. Early adoption maximizes long-term savings from optimized reimbursements, tax returns, and discounts. Specialized cards that reduce manual tax calculations provide substantial savings and audit protection.

Now is the time to engage forward-thinking partners streamlining fuel taxes.

FAQ

1. Based on a comparison of leading fuel card products as of 2/13/2023. Subject to credit review and approval. ↩︎
2. Fuelman discount sites can be found at https://www.fuelman.com/sitelocator. To receive rebates, invoice must be paid in full and on time. Rebates subject to change beginning 12 months after account setup. ↩︎
3. See Feature Plan Benefits and Rules for complete details: www.fuelman.com/terms/fuelman-basic, www.fuelman.com/terms/fuelman-pro., and www.fuelman.com/terms/fuelman-enterprise. ↩︎
4. To receive points, your Statement must be paid in full and on time. ↩︎