By Al Bennett - August 2020

Beginning this 1 July, fuel tax in Virginia increased to 21.2¢ per gallon.  The good news for us boaters is that the tax we pay on the fuel we use in our boats is refundable from the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).  At first read, 21.2¢ per gallon does not seem to be that much; however, it amounts to $21.20 for every 100 gallons purchased.

Another good news item is that the process for obtaining a refund is very simple and honor system based.  The one item you do need is a receipt for each fuel purchase and the receipt should contain the following information:

• Exact date of purchase, which cannot exceed 12 months from the date DMV receives the application for refund
• Seller's name and Virginia location address from which the fuel was purchased
• Number of gallons of fuel purchased (each purchase must be for 5 gallons or more)
• Type of fuel purchased, and
• Amount paid for fuel.

The receipts are to be kept for your records and they do not need to be submitted to the DMV.

To apply for a refund online, go to: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/dmv-fueltax/#/ The first time you go to this site you will be asked to establish an account. For subsequent visits, you will log into your account and just provide requested information - calendar period of your receipts, total number of gallons purchased, and your boat registration number (e.g. VA 9402 BH).

You can also submit a paper application to obtain a fuel tax refund.  The application can be obtained from: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/webdoc/pdf/ts217.pdf. 

You may complete the application online or offline and then mail it to the address specified.

The two above website links have been added to the LACA website (lakeannavirginia.org).  You can find the links under “About the Lake” and then “Lake Links”.