Instructions For Form 720 - Quarterly Federal Excise Tax Return

Trust fund recovery penalty. If communications and air

Private delivery services cannot deliver items to

transportation taxes are collected but not paid to the

P.O. boxes. You must use the U.S. Postal Service

United States Treasury or are willfully not collected, the

to mail any item to an IRS P.O. box address.

CAUTION

trust fund recovery penalty may apply. The penalty is the

full amount of the unpaid tax.

Photographs of Missing Children

The Internal Revenue Service is a proud partner with the

The trust fund recovery penalty may be imposed on all

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

persons who are determined by the IRS to be

Photographs of missing children selected by the Center

responsible for collecting, accounting for, and paying

may appear in instructions on pages that would otherwise

over these taxes, and who acted willfully in not doing so.

be blank. You can help bring these children home by

A responsible person can be an officer or employee of

looking at the photographs and calling 1-800-THE-LOST

a corporation, a partner or employee of a partnership, an

(1-800-843-5678) if you recognize a child.

employee of a sole proprietorship, an accountant, or a

volunteer director/trustee. A responsible person may also

include one who signs checks for the business or

Specific Instructions

otherwise has authority to cause the spending of

business funds.

Name and Address

Willfully means voluntarily, consciously, and

The first time you file Form 720, type or print your name,

intentionally. A responsible person acts willfully if he or

address (including the suite, room, or other unit number),

she knows the required actions are not taking place.

and the quarter ending date (month and year). After that,

the IRS will mail you a Package 720 with a preaddressed

Additional Information

Form 720 every quarter. If your address changes, make

You may find the following products helpful when

the corrections on Form 720 and check the address

change box above Part I of Form 720.

preparing Form 720 and any attachments:

•

Publication 510, Excise Taxes for 2006, contains

P.O. box. If the Post Office does not deliver mail to the

definitions and examples that will help you prepare

street address and you have a P.O. box, show the box

Form 720. Pub. 510 also contains information on fuel tax

number instead of the street address.

credits and refunds previously in Pub. 378.

Foreign address. Enter the city, province or state, and

•

Publication 509, Tax Calendars for 2006, has deposit

country. Follow the country’s practice for entering the

and payment due dates for all federal excise taxes.

postal code. Do not abbreviate the country name.

•

Notice 2005-4. You can find Notice 2005-4 on page

Employer Identification Number (EIN)

289 of Internal Revenue Bulletin 2005-2 at

pub/irs-irbs/irb05-02.pdf.

If the EIN on the preaddressed Form 720 is wrong or you

•

Notice 2005-24. You can find Notice 2005-24 on page

did not receive a preaddressed Form 720, enter the

757 of Internal Revenue Bulletin 2005-12 at

correct number. If you are a one-time filer, you may not

pub/irs-irbs/irb05-12.pdf.

need an EIN. See Gas guzzler tax on page 5. If you do

•

Notice 2005-62. You can find Notice 2005-62 on page

not have an EIN, you may apply for one online. Go to the

443 of Internal Revenue Bulletin 2005-35 at

IRS website at businesses and click on the

pub/irs-irbs/irb05-35.pdf.

“Employer ID Numbers (EINs)” link. You may also apply

•

Notice 2005-80. You can find Notice 2005-80 on page

for an EIN by calling 1-800-829-4933 (hours of operation

953 of Internal Revenue Bulletin 2005-46 at

are Monday - Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. local time),

pub/irs-irbs/irb05-46.pdf.

or you can fax or mail Form SS-4, Application for

Employer Identification Number, to the IRS.

You may also call the business and specialty tax line

at 1-800-829-4933 with your excise tax questions. The

Signature

hours of operation are Monday - Friday, 7:00 a.m. to

Form 720 must be signed by a person authorized by the

10:00 p.m. local time.

entity to sign this return.

Private Delivery Services

Third Party Designee

You can use certain private delivery services designated

If you want to allow an employee of your business, a

by the IRS to meet the “timely mailing as timely filing/

return preparer, or other third party to discuss your

paying” rule for tax returns and payments. These private

Form 720 with the IRS, check the “Yes” box in the Third

delivery services include only the following:

Party Designee section of Form 720. Also, enter the

•

DHL Express (DHL): DHL Same Day Service, DHL

designee’s name, phone number, and any five digits that

Next Day 10:30 am, DHL Next Day 12:00 pm, DHL Next

person chooses as his or her personal identification

Day 3:00 pm, and DHL 2nd Day Service.

number (PIN).

•

Federal Express (FedEx): FedEx Priority Overnight,

By checking the “Yes” box, you are authorizing the

FedEx Standard Overnight, FedEx 2Day, FedEx

IRS to call the designee to answer any questions relating

International Priority, and FedEx International First.

•

to the processing of or the information reported on

United Parcel Service (UPS): UPS Next Day Air, UPS

Form 720. You are also authorizing the designee to:

Next Day Air Saver, UPS 2nd Day Air, UPS 2nd Day Air

•

Exchange information concerning Form 720 with the

A.M., UPS Worldwide Express Plus, and UPS Worldwide

IRS and

Express.

•

Respond to certain IRS notices that you have shared

The private delivery service can tell you how to get

with your designee relating to Form 720. The IRS will not

written proof of the mailing date.

send notices to your designee.

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Instructions For Form 720 - Quarterly Federal Excise Tax Return - 2006 Page 2

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