Connecticut highway use fee: who pays, the rate per mile and the 2026 due dates
The Connecticut highway use fee is a per-mile charge of $0.0250/mi to $0.1750/mi (2.5 to 17.5 cents) by gross weight, on multi-unit trucks of 26,000 lb or more in FHWA classes 8 to 13, for driving on Connecticut highways since January 1, 2023. Carriers register on myconneCT and file every quarter, by the last day of the month after the quarter, with or without Connecticut miles.
Open the connecticut highway use fee calculator
Who pays the Connecticut highway use fee
Any person that operates, or causes to be operated, an eligible motor vehicle on a Connecticut highway (any public road). An eligible motor vehicle has a gross weight of 26,000 lb or more and is in FHWA vehicle class 8 to 13. In plain words, the classes are:
- Class 8: two units, one of them a tractor or straight-truck power unit, with four axles or fewer.
- Class 9: two units with five axles.
- Class 10: two units with six axles or more.
- Classes 11 to 13: three or more units, one of them a tractor or straight-truck power unit.
So a tractor-trailer pays, and so does a straight truck pulling a trailer. A straight truck running alone is a class 5, 6 or 7 vehicle and is not an eligible motor vehicle. Carriers register for a highway use fee permit with an application on myconneCT.
The rate per mile: 28 bands by gross weight
The rate starts at $0.0250/mi at 26,000-28,000 lb, rises about 0.29 cents per 2,000 lb band to $0.1000/mi at 78,001-80,000 lb, then jumps to $0.1750/mi above 80,000 lb. DRS publishes it band by band, 28 rows, not as a handful of tiers.
| Gross weight | Per mile | On 1,000 miles |
|---|---|---|
| 26,000-28,000 lb | $0.0250/mi | $25.00 |
| 28,001-30,000 lb | $0.0279/mi | $27.90 |
| 30,001-32,000 lb | $0.0308/mi | $30.80 |
| 32,001-34,000 lb | $0.0337/mi | $33.70 |
| 34,001-36,000 lb | $0.0365/mi | $36.50 |
| 36,001-38,000 lb | $0.0394/mi | $39.40 |
| 38,001-40,000 lb | $0.0423/mi | $42.30 |
| 40,001-42,000 lb | $0.0452/mi | $45.20 |
| 42,001-44,000 lb | $0.0481/mi | $48.10 |
| 44,001-46,000 lb | $0.0510/mi | $51.00 |
| 46,001-48,000 lb | $0.0538/mi | $53.80 |
| 48,001-50,000 lb | $0.0567/mi | $56.70 |
| 50,001-52,000 lb | $0.0596/mi | $59.60 |
| 52,001-54,000 lb | $0.0625/mi | $62.50 |
| 54,001-56,000 lb | $0.0654/mi | $65.40 |
| 56,001-58,000 lb | $0.0683/mi | $68.30 |
| 58,001-60,000 lb | $0.0712/mi | $71.20 |
| 60,001-62,000 lb | $0.0740/mi | $74.00 |
| 62,001-64,000 lb | $0.0769/mi | $76.90 |
| 64,001-66,000 lb | $0.0798/mi | $79.80 |
| 66,001-68,000 lb | $0.0827/mi | $82.70 |
| 68,001-70,000 lb | $0.0856/mi | $85.60 |
| 70,001-72,000 lb | $0.0885/mi | $88.50 |
| 72,001-74,000 lb | $0.0913/mi | $91.30 |
| 74,001-76,000 lb | $0.0942/mi | $94.20 |
| 76,001-78,000 lb | $0.0971/mi | $97.10 |
| 78,001-80,000 lb | $0.1000/mi | $100.00 |
| 80,001 lb and over | $0.1750/mi | $175.00 |
What a quarter costs: worked examples
The fee is the Connecticut miles times the rate of the gross weight band. A few weights on a quarter's miles:
| Gross weight | Per mile | 500 miles | 1,000 miles | 2,500 miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26,000 lb | $0.0250/mi | $12.50 | $25.00 | $62.50 |
| 40,000 lb | $0.0423/mi | $21.15 | $42.30 | $105.75 |
| 60,000 lb | $0.0712/mi | $35.60 | $71.20 | $178.00 |
| 80,000 lb | $0.1000/mi | $50.00 | $100.00 | $250.00 |
| 80,001 lb | $0.1750/mi | $87.50 | $175.00 | $437.50 |
Sample data: 300 Connecticut miles at 80,000 lb x $0.1000/mi = $30.00. To work out your own trucks, use the Connecticut highway use fee calculator; on 1,000 miles at 80,000 lb it gives $100.00.
When to file: the 2026 due dates
| Return | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1st quarter 2026 (January to March) | Thursday, April 30, 2026 | — |
| 2nd quarter 2026 (April to June) | Friday, July 31, 2026 | — |
| 3rd quarter 2026 (July to September) | Saturday, October 31, 2026 | A weekend: file by the Friday before to be safe |
| 4th quarter 2026 (October to December) | Sunday, January 31, 2027 | A weekend: file by the Friday before to be safe |
On or before the last day of the month after the quarter, filed on myconneCT, for every quarter even without Connecticut miles. Saturday, October 31, 2026 and Sunday, January 31, 2027 fall on a weekend; DRS gives no weekend rule, so file by the Friday before to be safe. Returns are filed and paid electronically; in myconneCT Schedule 1 can be imported from a CSV file.
The fee started with monthly returns: the last monthly return was for September 2023, due October 31, 2023. Under 2023 Conn. Pub. Acts 204, Section 366, returns are quarterly from the quarter that began October 1, 2023, and the first quarterly return was due January 31, 2024. The due dates of all five weight-distance states are on the due dates page.
Late filing: penalty and interest
Interest and penalty apply to any part of the fee not paid by the original due date. The penalty for an incomplete or late return is 10% of the fee due and unpaid or $50, whichever is greater. Interest runs at 1% per month or fraction of a month until the fee is paid in full.
Highway use fee, IFTA and the other weight-distance states
The highway use fee is a separate Connecticut return on myconneCT, not part of IFTA: fuel tax is still filed with your base jurisdiction. IFTA fuel tax for the same quarter: FuelTaxTally. Kentucky, New York, New Mexico and Oregon also tax trucks by weight and mile, each with its own threshold and return: see which states have a weight-distance tax.
Sources
- CT fee rates and eligibility: Connecticut Department of Revenue Services, Highway Use Fee Information — https://portal.ct.gov/drs/businesses/highway-use-fee/huf, read on 2026-09-30
- Filing and due date: CT DRS, Highway Use Fee Information — https://portal.ct.gov/drs/businesses/highway-use-fee/huf, read on 2026-09-30
Frequently asked questions
- What is the Connecticut highway use fee?
- A per-mile fee Connecticut charges since January 1, 2023 (2021 Conn. Pub. Acts 177, Section 1) on multi-unit trucks of 26,000 lb or more in FHWA classes 8 to 13 for driving on its highways: 2.5 to 17.5 cents a mile by gross weight, registered, filed and paid quarterly on myconneCT.
- Who has to register for a Connecticut highway use fee permit?
- Anyone who operates, or causes to be operated, an eligible motor vehicle on a Connecticut highway: a gross weight of 26,000 lb or more and FHWA class 8 to 13. The application is made on myconneCT.
- What are the Connecticut highway use fee rates per mile?
- 28 bands by gross weight: $0.0250/mi at 26,000-28,000 lb up to $0.1000/mi at 78,001-80,000 lb, and $0.1750/mi above 80,000 lb.
- When is the Connecticut highway use fee due in 2026?
- Thursday, April 30, 2026; Friday, July 31, 2026; Saturday, October 31, 2026; Sunday, January 31, 2027, for the four quarters of 2026. Saturday, October 31, 2026 and Sunday, January 31, 2027 fall on a weekend and DRS gives no weekend rule, so file by the Friday before to be safe. Registered carriers file every quarter, with or without Connecticut miles.
- Do I file if I had no Connecticut miles this quarter?
- Yes. Every carrier registered for the highway use fee files a return for every quarter, whether or not its vehicles ran in Connecticut that quarter.
- Is the Connecticut highway use fee a toll?
- No. It is computed from your own mileage records by gross weight and reported on a quarterly return filed and paid on myconneCT; nothing is collected on the road.
More guides
- New Mexico weight distance tax rates 2026: the 35% increase
New Mexico weight distance tax rates 2026: 14.86 to 59.10 mills a mile from July 1, up 35% on 2004. Old and new per class and the cost per 1,000 miles.
- Which states have a weight-distance tax, and who must file?
Kentucky, New York, New Mexico and Oregon tax trucks by weight and mile, Connecticut charges a highway use fee: thresholds, returns and due dates in one table.
- Oregon weight-mile tax changes in July 2027 (HB 3991): the 10 new rates
From July 1, 2027 Oregon replaces its weight-mile tables with ten rates by registered weight. The new table, what changes and today's rates side by side.
- NY HUT: gross weight method vs unloaded weight method
How New York's two highway use tax methods work, which tables they use and what the same truck pays under each, worked out from the Schedule 1 rates.
Last updated 2026-10-03. Estimates from the official rate tables of Kentucky, New York, New Mexico, Oregon and Connecticut for the period shown. Not tax advice. File with each state and check its figures. Not affiliated with any state agency.