IFTA due dates
Four deadlines a year, one month after each quarter ends. The return and the payment are due on the same day, and a quarter with no travel in it still needs a return.
| Quarter | Period | Return and payment due |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | January – March | 30 April |
| Q2 | April – June | 31 July |
| Q3 | July – September | 31 October |
| Q4 | October – December | 31 January |
The weekend rule
When a due date falls on a Saturday, a Sunday or a legal holiday in your base jurisdiction, it moves to the next business day. That is standard across IFTA, but "legal holiday" is defined by your base jurisdiction, not by the calendar on your phone — so if you are filing on the deadline itself, check theirs.
Why the zero return matters
The licence, not the activity, creates the obligation. A truck that sat all quarter, a seasonal operation, a driver who was out with an injury — all still owe a return. The penalty for missing one is $50 or 10% of the net tax due, whichever is greater, and on a zero return that is a clean $50 for nothing.
Repeated late filing also puts the licence itself at risk, which is the expensive version — see IFTA penalties.
Filing early is the whole trick
Everything you need exists on the last day of the quarter. Fuel receipts are in the folder, the mileage is in the ELD, and the rate matrix for the quarter you are filing is already published. A return prepared in the first week takes an hour; the same return on 29 January takes an evening and a phone call to a truck stop about a lost receipt.
Put the four dates in the calendar with a reminder ten days ahead, which is enough time to chase a missing receipt but not so much that you ignore it.
Questions
When are IFTA returns due?
30 April for the first quarter, 31 July for the second, 31 October for the third and 31 January for the fourth. The return and the payment are both due on that date.
What if the due date is a weekend or holiday?
It moves to the next business day. Base jurisdictions publish their own holiday calendars, so if you are filing on the last day, check theirs rather than assuming.
Do I have to file if I didn't run that quarter?
Yes. A zero return is required for every quarter your licence is active, and missing one carries the same minimum penalty as missing a real return.
Is the payment due at the same time as the return?
Yes. Filing on time and paying late still attracts interest, and in most jurisdictions the penalty too.
When can I file for a quarter?
As soon as the quarter ends. Filing in the first week of the new quarter, while the receipts are still in front of you, is the single easiest way to stop IFTA being stressful.