Form 720 Filing Guides & IRS Updates

June 19, 20264 min readRead →

Can the PCORI Fee Be Paid From Plan Assets?

For ERISA plans, the PCORI fee is the plan sponsor’s obligation and generally must be paid from the employer’s general assets — not plan assets or participant contributions. The DOL rule and the multiemployer-plan exception.

June 19, 20265 min readRead →

PCORI Fee Due Date 2026: July 31 Deadline & When You Can File

The 2026 PCORI fee is due Friday, July 31, 2026 on the second-quarter Form 720. When IRS filing opens, whether an extension exists, what happens if you miss it, and the rate by plan-year end.

June 19, 20266 min readRead →

PCORI Fee for Level-Funded Health Plans: Who Files & How

Level-funded plans are self-insured for PCORI — so the employer, not the carrier, owes the fee and files Form 720. The 2026 $3.84 rate, counting covered lives, the stop-loss rule, and the July 31 deadline.

Tire Tax

Federal Tire Excise Tax Rates 2026 (IRS Nos. 108, 109, 113)

The 2026 federal tire excise tax rates on Form 720 — $0.0945 (Nos. 108, 113) and $0.04725 (No. 109) per 10 lbs of maximum rated load capacity over 3,500 lbs.

Tire Tax

How the Tire Tax Is Calculated: Load Capacity Over 3,500 lbs

The federal tire excise tax is based on maximum rated load capacity, not weight or price — per 10 lbs of capacity over 3,500 lbs. Worked examples for Form 720 Nos. 108, 109, 113.

Tire Tax

Biasply & Super Single Tire Tax: IRS Nos. 109 vs 113

How biasply and super single tires are taxed on Form 720 — the reduced $0.04725 rate (No. 109) vs the full $0.0945 (Nos. 108, 113), and why steering super singles differ.

Air Transportation Tax Rates 2026: Ticket, Segment, International & Cargo

The 2026 federal air transportation excise tax rates on Form 720 — 7.5% domestic ticket tax, $5.30 segment fee, $23.40 international facilities tax, and 6.25% air cargo tax.

The $5.30 Domestic Segment Fee Explained

How the $5.30 domestic flight-segment fee works on Form 720 — what counts as a segment, how it differs from the 7.5% ticket tax, and worked examples.

International Air Travel Tax: The $23.40 Facilities Fee

The international air travel facilities tax on Form 720 (IRS No. 27) — $23.40 per arrival/departure for 2026, the reduced $11.70 Alaska/Hawaii rate, and how it applies.

Heavy Truck Tax

The 12% Heavy Truck Excise Tax Explained

How the 12% federal retail excise tax on heavy trucks, trailers, and tractors works on Form 720 (IRS No. 33) — taxable vehicles, GVW thresholds, and who pays.

Heavy Truck Tax

Heavy Truck Excise Tax Exemptions Explained

The exemptions from the 12% heavy truck retail excise tax on Form 720 — export, government, further manufacture, below-threshold vehicles, and the 6-month/75% repair exclusion.

Heavy Truck Tax

Section 4051(d) Tire Credit on Heavy Trucks Explained

How the Section 4051(d) tire credit reduces the 12% heavy truck excise tax by excluding previously-taxed tires from the taxable sale price — avoiding double taxation.

Indoor Tanning

The 10% Indoor Tanning Tax: What’s Taxable

How the 10% federal indoor tanning services excise tax works on Form 720 (IRS No. 140) — what UV services are taxable, who collects it, and how it is filed.

Indoor Tanning

Tanning Tax on Bundled Packages & Memberships

How to apply the 10% indoor tanning tax to bundled packages and memberships on Form 720 — allocating between taxable UV services and exempt services like spray tans.

Indoor Tanning

Indoor Tanning Tax Exemptions Explained

What is exempt from the 10% indoor tanning tax on Form 720 — spray tans and non-UV services, licensed medical phototherapy, and the qualified physical fitness facility exception.

Sport Fishing

Sport Fishing Equipment Tax: 10% & 3% Rates

The federal sport fishing equipment excise tax on Form 720 — 10% on equipment like reels and lures (No. 41) and rods & poles (No. 110); 3% on tackle boxes (No. 114) and electric outboard motors (No. 42).

June 16, 20263 min readRead →

Sport Fishing

The $10 Per-Article Cap on Fishing Rods & Poles

How the IRC §4161(a) $10-per-article cap on fishing rods and poles works with the 10% sport fishing excise tax — when the cap applies and what it does not cover.

Sport Fishing

Electric Outboard Motor Excise Tax (3%)

The 3% federal excise tax on electric outboard motors under IRC §4161(a) (Form 720, IRS No. 42) — what qualifies, why gasoline motors are exempt, and how it is filed.

June 16, 20263 min readRead →

Communications Tax

The 3% Federal Communications Excise Tax Explained

How the 3% federal communications excise tax works on Form 720 (IRS No. 22) — what local telephone service is taxed, why long-distance is no longer collected, and who remits it.

Communications Tax

What Counts as Local Telephone Service for the Tax

What "local telephone service" means for the 3% federal communications excise tax (Form 720, IRS No. 22), why long-distance is no longer collected, and how VoIP/mobile are treated.

Communications Tax

Communications Excise Tax Exemptions & Who Collects It

Who is exempt from the 3% federal communications excise tax (Form 720, IRS No. 22) — governments, nonprofit hospitals and schools, the Red Cross, and certain services.

Fuel Excise Tax Rates 2026: Diesel, Gasoline, Kerosene & More

The 2026 federal fuel excise tax rates for Form 720 — diesel and kerosene ($0.244/gal), gasoline ($0.184/gal), aviation fuel, CNG, and LNG — and where each is reported.

June 16, 20266 min readRead →

Schedule C Fuel Tax Credits: Nontaxable Uses & How to Claim

How to claim fuel tax credits on Form 720 Schedule C — qualifying nontaxable uses (farming, off-highway, export, buses, government), credit reference numbers, and minimum-claim rules.

Two-Party Exchange & Schedule T on Form 720 Explained

What a two-party exchange of taxable fuel is, who becomes liable for the excise tax, and how it is reported on Form 720 Schedule T for diesel, gasoline, kerosene, and aviation gasoline.

Dyed Diesel Fuel: Rules and the Penalty for Highway Use

What dyed diesel fuel is, who can use it tax-free, and the IRC §6715 penalty (greater of $1,000 or $10/gallon) for using dyed fuel in a registered highway vehicle.

PCORI Fee on Form 720: Lines 133(a)–(d) Explained

How the PCORI fee is reported on Form 720 IRS No. 133 — what lines 133(a), (b), (c), and (d) mean, which rate ($3.47 vs $3.84) and line applies to your plan year, and how the amount is calculated.

Can a TPA File the PCORI Fee? Third-Party Form 720 Filing Explained

Whether a TPA, CPA, or payroll provider can file the PCORI fee on Form 720 for you — what a third party can do, who stays legally liable (the plan sponsor), and how preparer filing works.

PCORI Fee Late Filing: Penalties If You Miss the July 31 Deadline

What happens if you file the PCORI fee late — the failure-to-file and failure-to-pay penalties, interest, what to do if you missed July 31, and how to request penalty abatement.

June 15, 202610 min readRead →

IRS Updates

Form 720 June 2026 Revision: Complete Guide to What Changed

The new IRS No. 155 remittance transfer tax, the $3.84 PCORI fee, expired oil spill liability taxes (Nos. 18 & 21), 2026 inflation-adjusted rates, and the SAF mixture credit termination — everything that changed on the latest Form 720.

June 14, 20268 min readRead →

PCORI Fee 2026: $3.84 Rate, July 31 Deadline & How to File

The 2026 PCORI fee is $3.84 per covered life (IRS Notice 2025-61), due July 31 on Form 720. Rates, who owes it, the four covered-lives counting methods, and a step-by-step filing walkthrough.

Deadlines

Form 720 Due Dates 2026: Every Quarterly & Annual Deadline

The full 2026 filing calendar with weekend-adjusted dates — Q1 April 30, Q2 (and PCORI) July 31, Q3 November 2, Q4 February 1, 2027 — plus EFTPS deposit timing and late-filing penalties.

June 12, 20266 min readRead →

NEW 2026

Remittance Transfer Tax (IRS No. 155): Complete 2026 Guide

The new 1% remittance transfer tax under IRC §4475 — which transfers are taxed, who collects it, how to deposit and file IRS No. 155 on Form 720, key 2026 dates, and penalty relief.

June 10, 20267 min readRead →

June 8, 20267 min readRead →

How to Calculate Average Covered Lives for the PCORI Fee

The four IRS methods for counting covered lives — actual count, snapshot (with the 2.35 factor), member months, and Form 5500 — with worked examples and the special HRA rule.

Form 720 Basics

Who Must File Form 720? A 2026 Guide by Business Type

A plain-English breakdown by industry — fuel sellers, airlines, self-insured employers (PCORI), remittance providers, tire and truck sellers, tanning salons, and more — plus when you don’t need to file.

June 6, 20266 min readRead →

June 4, 20266 min readRead →

PCORI Fee for Self-Insured Plans, HRAs & FSAs

Which self-insured arrangements owe the 2026 PCORI fee — self-funded medical plans, HRAs (one life per employee), and the excepted-benefit FSA exemption — plus the fully-insured-plus-HRA case.