IRS Form 720 — Quarterly Federal Excise Tax Return

Report and pay federal excise taxes for the quarter. Most filers owe just one kind of excise tax — choose your category below and we'll show only the lines that apply.

Choose your excise tax category

Pick the tax you're reporting. Filing more than one kind? Use the full Form 720 at the bottom.

Environmental TaxPetroleum Superfund and oil-spill tax, taxable chemicals, and ozone-depleting chemicals (ODCs). Attaches Form 6627.Choose →Communications TaxesLocal telephone service, toll telephone service, and teletypewriter exchange service.Choose →Air Transportation TaxesTransportation of persons or property by air, and use of international air travel facilities.Choose →Fuel TaxesDiesel, gasoline, kerosene, aviation fuels, LPG/CNG/LNG, alternative and inland-waterway fuels, and LUST tax.Choose →Retail Tax (heavy trucks & trailers)12% retail tax on truck, trailer, and semitrailer chassis and bodies, and tractors.Choose →Ship Passenger Tax$3-per-passenger tax on transportation by water (cruise voyages).Choose →Obligations not in registered formExcise tax on the principal of obligations not in registered form.Choose →Remittance transfersExcise tax on remittance transfers.Choose →Foreign Insurance TaxesTax on premiums for policies issued by foreign insurers.Choose →Manufacturers TaxesCoal, taxable tires, gas guzzler (Form 6197), vaccines, and taxable medical devices.Choose →PCOR feePatient-Centered Outcomes Research fee on specified health insurance policies and self-insured plans.Choose →Sport fishing & archery equipmentSport fishing equipment, rods and poles, electric outboard motors, tackle boxes, bows, and arrow shafts.Choose →Indoor Tanning Services10% tax on indoor tanning services.Choose →Corporate stock repurchases1% excise tax on repurchases of corporate stock. Attaches Form 7208.Choose →Designated drugsSales of designated drugs during statutory periods.Choose →
File the full Form 720 (every category)Report several different excise taxes on one return, or pick from the complete list of IRS numbers yourself.

What is Form 720?

Form 720 is the quarterly return businesses use to report and pay federal excise taxes — on fuel, air and water transportation, communications, environmental (Superfund) taxes, manufacturers' and retail taxes, the PCOR fee, and more. Each tax has its own “IRS number” line on the form.

When it's due

Form 720 is filed quarterly. The return is generally due by the last day of the month following the end of the quarter — April 30, July 31, October 31, and January 31. (The PCOR fee on IRS No. 133 is reported once a year, on the second-quarter return due July 31.)

Pricing

Form 720 filing — manually reviewed

$5–25 per filing

  • $5 — a final return, or any return with $50 or less of tax due (a no-tax nil return included)
  • $15 — Part II excises only, including the PCOR fee
  • $25 — any return with a Part I excise (fuel, environmental, communications, air, manufacturers, retail)

One flat price per quarterly return, no matter how many categories you report within a tier. A person reviews and files every return, which keeps out spam and fraudulent filings. After you enter your return you'll review and sign the IRS e-file authorization (Form 8879-EX), then pay; we e-file once it's signed. The excise tax itself is separate and paid to the IRS.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to file Form 720?
$5 to $25 per quarterly return, by category: $5 for a final return or any return with $50 or less of tax due (including a no-tax nil return), $15 for Part II excises (including the PCOR fee), and $25 for any return with a Part I excise (fuel, environmental, communications, air transportation, manufacturers, or retail). It is one flat price per return no matter how many categories you report within a tier.
When is Form 720 due?
Form 720 is filed quarterly. The deadlines are April 30 (Q1), July 31 (Q2), October 31 (Q3), and January 31 (Q4) for the preceding quarter.
Which excise taxes does Form 720 cover?
Federal excise taxes including fuel, environmental (including the Superfund chemical taxes), communications and air transportation, manufacturers and retail excises, the PCOR (Patient-Centered Outcomes Research) fee, indoor tanning, sport fishing and archery, foreign insurance, and the stock repurchase excise, with Schedule A net tax liability.
Do you deliver a filed copy and handle the IRS e-file?
Yes. A person reviews every Form 720, you review and sign the IRS e-file authorization (Form 8879-EX), and we e-file it once it is signed. The excise tax itself is separate and paid to the IRS.