IFTA Tax Rates in Maine (2026)

Key numbers at a glance

Maine is the end of the line for I-95 and the gateway lane for freight moving between New England and the Maritime provinces. Whether you are based in Portland or just deliver to Bangor and Houlton, every Maine mile carries fuel tax at the state's long-fixed rates. Per Maine Revenue Services, the rates effective July 1, 2011 remain in effect today: $0.300 per gallon on gasoline and $0.312 on diesel. Maine once indexed its fuel tax to inflation annually, but that adjustment was repealed, so the numbers only change by legislative act.

Stability cuts both ways. Maine carriers can budget a fixed 31.2 cents on diesel for years at a time — no July 1 surprises like Maryland's — but the state sits mid-pack in New England: above New Hampshire, below Connecticut, New York and Rhode Island on diesel. Canadian carriers crossing at Houlton or Calais face much higher provincial rates, which shapes fueling plans on both sides of the border. The full national map is on the IFTA rates by state hub.

IFTA tax rates in Maine

Per Maine Revenue Services, fuel tax rates per gallon. Rates as of Q4 2026 — confirm the current official IFTA matrix before filing.

The Tax Foundation's July 2026 comparison counts about 31.5 cents of total gasoline tax in Maine once fee components are included, close enough to the statutory 30 cents to keep planning simple. The diesel figure of 31.2 cents is the one that lands on IFTA returns for the trucks that dominate the Maine Turnpike and Route 9 to the border.

Fueling strategy: Maine versus its neighbors

Maine borders one state and two Canadian provinces, and every one of them treats diesel differently. Rates below are from the current IFTA matrix (as of Q4 2026 — confirm the current official IFTA matrix; a dash means the jurisdiction does not list that fuel on the matrix).

Northbound, the play is New Hampshire: at 22.2 cents on diesel, roughly 9 cents below Maine, filling 120 gallons in Portsmouth or Effingham prepays about $11 of tax against Maine miles you would owe at 31.2 anyway. Southbound through New England, Maine and Vermont are near parity, while New York's 38.05-cent diesel is the rate to avoid carrying an empty tank into. Cross-border runs reverse the math hard: New Brunswick diesel at about 42.5 cents and Quebec at about 55.6 cents mean smart carriers fill in Maine before Houlton and keep every receipt for the credit. As always, weigh out-of-route miles before chasing a border stop — the deadhead miles guide prices that trade — and model the route in the IFTA calculator.

How Maine IFTA affects your filings

Maine-based carriers license and file quarterly through Maine Revenue Services; pass-through carriers carry Maine lines on their base-state return. The arithmetic is standard: taxable gallons equal Maine miles divided by truck MPG, times the rate. Drive 300 Maine miles at 6.5 MPG and you burn 46.2 gallons — 46.2 times $0.312 is $14.41 of Maine fuel tax. Sum every jurisdiction including the Canadian provinces if you cross, subtract the tax embedded in your receipts, and the result is your net due or refund.

Two Maine-specific habits keep returns clean. First, log border crossings precisely: miles driven in New Brunswick or Quebec belong on those provinces' lines at their higher rates, and sloppy GPS splits are a classic audit finding. Second, because Maine's rates never move, any drift between your estimates and filed numbers points at MPG changes or missing receipts — not rate changes — so investigate early. Deadlines are April 30, July 31, October 31 and January 31, with late penalties typically $50 to $100 plus interest, and a required filing even in zero-net quarters. Auditors generally request four consecutive quarters of receipts, per-jurisdiction distance records, and the MPG calculation behind the return.