# IFTA in Illinois: How to File and Stay Compliant

Illinois runs every IFTA transaction — registration, renewal, decals, filing and payment — through MyTax Illinois, with no licence fee and decals at $3.75 per qualified vehicle. Here's how it works for a fleet based in the country's largest freight interchange.

Source: https://www.highpointgps.com/resources/ifta-illinois-filing-guide
By Israel Margulies, CEO & Founder — published 2026-09-18, updated 2026-09-18

## Who Administers IFTA in Illinois

The Illinois Department of Revenue administers IFTA for carriers based in the state. The requirement applies to qualified motor vehicles — generally over 26,000 pounds gross weight or with three or more axles — operating in Illinois and at least one other IFTA jurisdiction. With Chicago the largest rail and freight interchange in North America, an Illinois carrier is usually running both metro drayage and long interstate hauls, and the second half of that makes it an IFTA carrier.

Illinois charges no licence fee. Decals are $3.75 per qualified vehicle, ordered for each truck that will operate interjurisdictionally.

## MyTax Illinois Is Not Optional

Every IFTA transaction in Illinois goes through MyTax Illinois — the initial application, the annual renewal, decal orders, the quarterly return and the payment. There is no paper alternative, so the first step for a new carrier is a MyTax Illinois account with the IFTA program added to it. Returns are due April 30, July 31, October 31 and January 31, or the next business day, and a quarter with no interjurisdictional travel still needs a zero return filed there.

The licence renews annually. The renewal window and the decal order for the new year happen in the same portal, and a carrier that lets the licence lapse rather than cancelling it keeps accruing the quarterly obligation against an open account.

## Two Fleets in One State

Many Illinois carriers effectively run two fleets: local trucks that never leave the Chicago area and do not need IFTA, and interstate trucks that do. The return should cover only the qualified vehicles that operate interjurisdictionally, which is a vehicle-group question in the telematics platform: run the distance-by-jurisdiction report on the interstate group, so the local trucks' miles do not inflate it. Wisconsin and Indiana are a short run from Chicago, and a single day's dispatch can put a truck in three jurisdictions; a GPS record is what keeps those miles in the right column.

## Records That Survive an Illinois Audit

Records supporting each return are kept four years from the due date or filing date, whichever is later, under the IFTA Procedures Manual. An Illinois Department of Revenue audit asks for trip-level distance by jurisdiction and fuel purchases by jurisdiction, tied to a vehicle and a date. A GPS distance report with the trip logs behind it, kept with the fuel-card export, is the record that answers it.

## FAQ

### Who administers IFTA in Illinois?

The Illinois Department of Revenue, entirely through MyTax Illinois — application, renewal, decals, quarterly returns and payment.

### What does Illinois IFTA cost?

There is no licence fee. Decals are $3.75 per qualified vehicle.

### Can I file an Illinois IFTA return on paper?

No. Illinois requires all IFTA transactions to go through MyTax Illinois.

### Do my Chicago-only trucks need to be on the return?

No. Only qualified vehicles that operate in Illinois and at least one other member jurisdiction. Keep them in a separate vehicle group so their miles stay off the report.

### How long must records be kept?

Four years from the return's due date or filing date, whichever is later.

## Sources

- [MyTax Illinois](https://mytax.illinois.gov/)
- [Illinois Department of Revenue: Motor Fuel Taxes](https://tax.illinois.gov/)
- [IFTA, Inc.](https://www.iftach.org/)