For Truck Drivers and Owner-Operators
Tax Relief Built for Truckers
You keep America moving. We deal with the IRS so tax debt, missed quarterlies, and unfiled returns do not take you off the road.
- Back taxes, unfiled returns, and payroll (2290) issues handled
- We work around your schedule: everything by phone, from anywhere
- Per diem, mileage, and equipment deductions maximized
- Free consultation, no obligation
Get your free case review
Thirty seconds now. We call when you are off the clock.
Why truckers end up owing the IRS
Nobody withheld anything
As an owner-operator or 1099 driver, taxes are 100 percent on you: income tax plus 15.3 percent self-employment tax. One good year with no quarterlies set aside becomes a five-figure balance.
No time to file on the road
Three weeks out, home for two days, repeat. Filing slides a year, then three. Meanwhile every carrier and broker sent your 1099s to the IRS, so the income is on record with none of your expenses.
Per diem and deduction confusion
Per diem rates, mileage versus actuals, depreciation on the tractor, Form 2290 heavy vehicle use tax. Trucking has one of the most complicated deduction pictures of any trade, and doing it wrong costs real money.
The letters started coming
CP notices, intent to levy, maybe a lien that threatens your authority or your CDL renewal peace of mind. Once collections start, the IRS does not slow down on its own.
How it works
Free consultation
Tell us what's going on. We listen, pull the facts, and tell you honestly whether we can help. No pressure, no obligation.
Investigation
With your authorization we contact the IRS for your records, see exactly what's filed, what's owed, and what penalties are stacking, then map your options.
Resolution
We negotiate the best available outcome: filing unfiled returns, payment plans, penalty abatement, hardship status, or an Offer in Compromise if you qualify.
Owner-operator back taxes: what we actually do
Most trucker cases follow the same arc. The IRS knows your gross because every carrier, broker, and factoring company reported it. What is missing is the other side of the ledger: fuel, maintenance, insurance, truck payments, tolls, per diem for every night in the sleeper, dispatch fees, tarps, chains, ELD subscriptions, and the rest of what it really costs to run.
We rebuild that expense picture from settlement statements, fuel card records, and bank statements, then file accurate returns. On a gross of $150,000 or more, the difference between an IRS substitute return and a real Schedule C with trucking deductions is routinely tens of thousands of dollars.
Once the returns are right, we resolve the balance that remains: an installment agreement sized to your actual cash flow, penalty abatement where you qualify, or an Offer in Compromise if the numbers support settling for less.
Can the IRS take my truck?
The IRS can levy business assets, but seizing a working truck is genuinely rare: it is your income source, and the IRS collects more by keeping you driving. The realistic threats are bank levies, holds on factoring payments, and federal tax liens that wreck your ability to finance equipment.
All of those have defenses, and they work better the earlier we start. Once we file a power of attorney, IRS contact goes through us, and in most cases active collection can be paused while a resolution is negotiated.
Missed quarterlies this year? Fix the pattern, not just the past.
Resolving old debt while the current year quietly builds a new one is how drivers end up back where they started. As part of the plan we set up the current year properly: realistic quarterly estimates based on your actual settlements, per diem tracked correctly, and entity questions answered (plenty of owner-operators overpay simply by staying a sole proprietor when an S corp election would cut self-employment tax).
Frequently asked questions
How much do owner-operators usually owe in taxes?
Self-employment tax alone is 15.3 percent on net earnings, before income tax. An owner-operator netting $80,000 with no quarterly payments can easily owe $20,000 or more for a single year, which is why balances snowball so fast when a year or two goes unfiled.
What happens if a truck driver does not file taxes?
The IRS receives 1099s from every carrier and broker that paid you, so it knows your gross income. If you do not file, it can file a Substitute for Return that taxes the full gross with zero trucking deductions, then start collections on the inflated balance. Filing accurate returns, even years late, almost always beats the SFR number.
Do owner-operators have to pay quarterly taxes?
Yes. Anyone self-employed who expects to owe $1,000 or more for the year is required to make quarterly estimated payments. Missing them adds an underpayment penalty on top of the tax, and it is the single most common way drivers fall behind. We help set estimates that match how you actually get paid.
Can the IRS garnish my settlements or factoring payments?
The IRS can levy payments owed to you by third parties, including factoring companies. It is one of the stronger reasons not to ignore collection notices: the defense is getting into a resolution before the levy lands, and representation makes that process much faster.
Is per diem still deductible for truckers?
Owner-operators and other self-employed drivers subject to DOT hours of service can still deduct per diem for nights away from home at 80 percent. Company drivers lost the deduction on their personal returns, which is a common point of confusion. If your past returns skipped per diem, amending or filing correctly can meaningfully cut what you owe.
I have not filed in years and lost my records. Where do I even start?
With a transcript pull, not a shoebox. We request your IRS wage and income records, which list every 1099 filed under your Social Security number, then rebuild expenses from settlement statements, fuel cards, and bank records. Missing paperwork is normal in trucker cases and is not a barrier to filing.
Keep driving. We will handle the IRS.
One free call from the road tells you what the IRS has on file, what you actually owe versus what they claim, and the fastest way to put it behind you.