By Haul Handbook editorial team· Updated Sep 28, 2026
Connecticut DRS licenses Connecticut-based IFTA carriers through myconneCT. A USDOT number and an FEIN or SSN matching the FMCSA record are required. Licenses run January 1 to December 31, decals cost $10 per vehicle under C.G.S. 12-487, and quarterly returns must be filed electronically by the last day of the month after each quarter.
Connecticut IFTA administration
- Agency
- Connecticut Department of Revenue Services (DRS), Business Tax Subdivision / Excise Tax Field Unit
- License fee
- DRS publishes no separate IFTA license fee. The charge is the per-vehicle registration and decal fee set by C.G.S. 12-487(b)(1), paid when decal sets are ordered or renewed in myconneCT.
- Decal fee
- $10 (C.G.S. 12-487(b)(1) requires a carrier based in Connecticut to register each qualified motor vehicle operated in interstate commerce with the Commissioner of Revenue Services for a fee of ten dollars per vehicle, renewable annually, and DRS supplies the identification markers (decals). The DRS FAQ says payment is submitted with each decal order or renewal in myconneCT. Licensees receive two decals per qualified vehicle.)
- Application: methods
- Register with DRS as a Connecticut business and complete the IFTA/Motor Carrier registration through myconneCT, then create a myconneCT username and password. DRS processes the application and mails the license and decals with the IFTA account number. Returns, payments, decal orders and renewals are all done in myconneCT. Since 2023 DRS no longer mails paper renewal Form OR-204 or additional-decal Form REG-10.
- Application: requirements
- A valid USDOT number in good standing, and an FEIN or SSN that matches the one used to register with FMCSA (DRS recommends an FEIN). The IFTA account number is 13 characters: CT, then the licensee FEIN, then two internal digits.
- Application: contact
- DRS Business Tax Subdivision / Excise Tax Field Unit, 860-541-3222, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Filing frequency
- Quarterly. Returns are due the last day of the month after the quarter ends (April 30, July 31, October 31 and January 31) and must be filed electronically through myconneCT, even when no taxable fuel was used. DRS does not allow annual filing. A weekend or legal holiday moves the due date to the next business day.
- Base jurisdiction: summary
- A carrier may license its vehicles in Connecticut if it is a Connecticut-based interstate motor carrier, keeps operational control and records for the vehicles in Connecticut or can make them available to DRS, and its qualified vehicles actually travel on Connecticut highways.
- Base jurisdiction: qualified motor vehicle
- A vehicle used, designed or maintained for transporting persons or property with two axles and a gross or registered weight over 26,000 pounds, three or more axles regardless of weight, or a combination weight over 26,000 pounds. Recreational vehicles are exempt.
- Base jurisdiction: trip permit alternative
- A carrier may instead satisfy fuel use tax trip by trip with trip permits; trip permits last at most ten days and no single IFTA trip permit covers every jurisdiction.
- Late-filing penalty
- Penalty of $50 or 10 percent of the tax due, whichever is greater, plus interest at the applicable IFTA annual interest rate. DRS may estimate the liability of a non-filer, withhold decals or require a bond.
More Connecticut IFTA rules
- Filing portal: account setup
- Register as a Connecticut business with DRS and add the IFTA/Motor Carrier registration in myconneCT; log in to obtain the CT Registration Number. Decals are ordered through the Order IFTA Decals link on the IFTA license account, which also handles annual renewal.
- Filing portal: due dates
- Last day of the month after each calendar quarter; electronic filing is mandatory and no returns are mailed.
- Filing portal: late penalty
- Failure to file or late filing: $50 or 10 percent of the balance due, whichever is greater, plus interest at the IFTA annual interest rate on each jurisdiction's late tax.
- Credentials: license
- One license per fleet, valid January 1 to December 31. Keep the original safe and place a copy in each vehicle; since January 1, 2019 the license and temporary decals may be carried as an electronic image.
- Credentials: decals
- Two decals per qualified vehicle, placed on the lower rear exterior of each side of the cab. Missing decals can bring a trip permit purchase, a citation, or both. C.G.S. 12-487(c) sets a $90 infraction fine for operating a qualified motor vehicle without properly affixed markers.
- Credentials: temporary permit
- A temporary permit, valid 30 consecutive days, may be carried while permanent decals are affixed.
- Renewal: detail
- Renew each year in myconneCT by ordering renewal decal sets and paying for them. DRS says IFTA and MOC decal renewal orders go out in late November, and a renewal may be denied when outstanding liabilities remain or the carrier has filed no return showing miles outside Connecticut for the past three quarters.
- Bond requirement: detail
- First-time applicants post no bond unless they have a history of late reporting or payment to Connecticut. A licensee delinquent in reporting or paying for any two periods in 12 months must post a bond equal to twice its average quarterly liability and keep it for two calendar years; cash, corporate surety or a certificate of deposit endorsed to the State is accepted.
- Record retention: detail
- Keep IFTA records for four years from the filing date. Trip reports must show the licensee, fleet and unit numbers, origin and destination, dates, routes, odometer readings, miles by jurisdiction and total trip miles; fuel receipts must show purchaser, vendor, date, unit number, fuel type, price and gallons.
Licensing rules, records, and penalties
Which vehicles the licence covers, how long it runs, what Connecticut can ask you to post or produce, and what a late or wrong return costs. Each one is sourced.
- Application: Methods
- Register with DRS as a Connecticut business and complete the IFTA/Motor Carrier registration through myconneCT, then create a myconneCT username and password. DRS processes the application and mails the license and decals with the IFTA account number. Returns, payments, decal orders and renewals are all done in myconneCT. Since 2023 DRS no longer mails paper renewal Form OR-204 or additional-decal Form REG-10.
- Application: Requirements
- A valid USDOT number in good standing, and an FEIN or SSN that matches the one used to register with FMCSA (DRS recommends an FEIN). The IFTA account number is 13 characters: CT, then the licensee FEIN, then two internal digits.
- Application: Contact
- DRS Business Tax Subdivision / Excise Tax Field Unit, 860-541-3222, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Credentials: License
- One license per fleet, valid January 1 to December 31. Keep the original safe and place a copy in each vehicle; since January 1, 2019 the license and temporary decals may be carried as an electronic image.
- Credentials: Decals
- Two decals per qualified vehicle, placed on the lower rear exterior of each side of the cab. Missing decals can bring a trip permit purchase, a citation, or both. C.G.S. 12-487(c) sets a $90 infraction fine for operating a qualified motor vehicle without properly affixed markers.
- Credentials: Temporary permit
- A temporary permit, valid 30 consecutive days, may be carried while permanent decals are affixed.
- Renewal: Detail
- Renew each year in myconneCT by ordering renewal decal sets and paying for them. DRS says IFTA and MOC decal renewal orders go out in late November, and a renewal may be denied when outstanding liabilities remain or the carrier has filed no return showing miles outside Connecticut for the past three quarters.
- Penalties: Revocation
- Failing to file or pay suspends the license; DRS then mails a hearing notice at which the license may be revoked. A suspended or revoked carrier cannot legally operate in any member jurisdiction.
- Penalties: Cancellation
- Return the decals and original license with a written statement of the last operating date, or a notarized statement of their destruction, to DRS, Attention: Walk-In Registration Unit, 450 Columbus Blvd., Suite 1, Hartford, CT 06103-1837.
- Bond requirement: Detail
- First-time applicants post no bond unless they have a history of late reporting or payment to Connecticut. A licensee delinquent in reporting or paying for any two periods in 12 months must post a bond equal to twice its average quarterly liability and keep it for two calendar years; cash, corporate surety or a certificate of deposit endorsed to the State is accepted.
- Record retention: Detail
- Keep IFTA records for four years from the filing date. Trip reports must show the licensee, fleet and unit numbers, origin and destination, dates, routes, odometer readings, miles by jurisdiction and total trip miles; fuel receipts must show purchaser, vendor, date, unit number, fuel type, price and gallons.
Who licenses for IFTA in Connecticut
Connecticut can be your base jurisdiction when you are a Connecticut-based interstate carrier, keep operational control and records for your qualified vehicles in the state or can make them available to DRS, and your qualified vehicles run on Connecticut highways. A qualified vehicle follows the IFTA definition: two axles over the IFTA weight line, three or more axles at any weight, or a combination over the line.
A carrier that runs only inside Connecticut does not license for IFTA. It registers each qualified truck with DRS for the motor carrier road tax and puts the state markers on the doors.
Applying and getting decals
Register with DRS as a Connecticut business, add the IFTA and motor carrier registration in myconneCT, and DRS mails the license and decals. You need a USDOT number in good standing and a tax ID that matches your FMCSA record; DRS recommends an FEIN.
Connecticut charges no separate license fee. The charge is the per-vehicle registration and decal fee set by statute, paid with each decal order in myconneCT. Place one decal on each side of the cab, keep a copy of the license in every truck (an electronic image counts), and use a DRS temporary permit for a new truck while its decals arrive.
Quarterly filing and the Highway Use Fee
Returns are due the last day of the month after each quarter and must be filed electronically in myconneCT, even when you used no taxable fuel. DRS mails no returns and does not allow annual filing. A weekend or legal holiday moves the due date to the next business day.
In the same myconneCT login sits the Highway Use Fee, the per-mile charge on heavy trucks in the covered federal classes. It runs on the same quarterly calendar and is due even for a quarter with no Connecticut miles, so a heavy fleet files two returns each quarter.
Penalties, bonds, renewal and records
A late or missing return draws the IFTA penalty, a flat amount or a share of the tax due, whichever is greater, plus IFTA interest. Failing to file or pay suspends the license, and DRS then holds a hearing at which it can be revoked. New applicants post no bond unless they have a late history, but repeat delinquency brings a bond sized to past liability.
Renewal decal orders open in late November, and DRS can deny renewal over unpaid liabilities. Keep trip reports and fuel receipts for the full retention period DRS sets. To cancel, return the decals and license to the DRS Walk-In Registration Unit in Hartford.
The tax rates live in the quarterly matrix
IFTA rates change every quarter, so we keep them in one refreshed store instead of copying them onto every state page. The current quarter is 4Q 2026, effective Oct 1, 2026 through Dec 31, 2026, provisional until Dec 4, 2026. Use the IFTA rates by state table for the full matrix, or the IFTA calculator to run your miles and gallons against the current rates.
For the registration-to-return process in order, follow the Connecticut IFTA filing walkthrough.
What pairs with IFTA
IFTA and IRP travel together: the same interstate operation that needs a fuel tax license usually needs apportioned plates through Connecticut IRP. If you are still setting up, the full order of operations is in start a trucking company in Connecticut.