Bookkeeping › Kansas › Topeka › Trucking bookkeeping

Bookkeeping for trucking companies in Topeka, KS.

For owner-operators and small fleets. Your books done the day you upload your statements, checked against your bank, for $79 a month.

Free to join. The first 1,000 in get their catch-up free.

Sales tax

Kansas' sales tax is 6.5%, and cities and counties add their own, about 8.69% in all on average. If what you sell is taxable, you collect it and file returns with the state.

State income tax

Kansas taxes income at 5.2% to 5.58% in 2026, including the profit from your business.

Federal tax

Working for yourself, you pay 15.3% self-employment tax on most of your profit, plus federal income tax, usually in four estimated payments: April 15, June 15, September 15 and January 15.

Contractors

Paid a contractor $2,000 or more in 2026? Send them a 1099-NEC by January 31.

What every business in Topeka (about 130,000 people) keeps track of in 2026. Rates change, so check with your accountant before you file.

Trucking companies in Topeka, by the numbers

Shawnee County, home to Topeka, has 63 trucking companies with employees (Census Bureau, 2023).

That's 3% more than in 2018 (61).

Another 141 are run by one person with no employees, mostly self-employed owners.

Across Kansas there are 1,769 with employees, so about 4% are in Shawnee County.

Every one of them has books to keep: sales to match to the bank, costs to sort and tax to work out.

Why trucking companies need different books

Fuel bought in many states or provinces, loads paid weeks later through factoring or brokers, meals on the road, a truck worth more than the rest of the business, and fuel tax returns every quarter. Trucking books are mostly about fuel and distance.

What a bookkeeper for trucking companies in Topeka keeps track of

  • Fuel by state or province, for IFTA
  • Distance by jurisdiction
  • Loads billed and paid
  • Meals on the road
  • Truck and trailer costs and depreciation

Taxes for trucking companies in Kansas

Freight services aren't subject to sales tax in most states.

  • IFTA returns are due each quarter, from fuel bought and miles driven in each state.
  • Drivers under DOT hours-of-service rules can deduct 80% of meals on the road, not 50%.
  • Heavy trucks of 55,000 pounds or more need Form 2290 each year.

What SumSwift does for owner-operators and trucking companies, for $79 a month

  • IFTA returns worked out from your fuel receipts and ELD or GPS files
  • Meals at 80% for long-haul trips
  • Fuel receipts read for litres or gallons and the place you bought them
  • Big purchases get one question, "Is this equipment?", so they're written off over the right years
  • Every statement checked against the balances your bank printed, to the cent, with personal spending kept off your profit
  • A year-end package and free access for your accountant

Up to 3 accounts included. Prices in USD. Your accountant still files your tax return, with clean books and free access.

Questions.

How much does a bookkeeper for trucking companies cost in Topeka?

Published price guides put most small businesses at $300 to $1,500 a month for a bookkeeper, more when the books are busy, as they often are for trucking companies. SumSwift does the monthly work for $79 a month, the day you upload your statements.

Can SumSwift do my IFTA?

It works out the return from your fuel receipts and your ELD or GPS distance files. You file it with your base jurisdiction.

What meals can I deduct?

Long-haul drivers can deduct 80% of meals on the road. SumSwift applies it to the share of meals that are on eligible trips.

Does SumSwift know Kansas's tax rules?

Freight services aren't subject to sales tax in most states. IFTA returns are due each quarter, from fuel bought and miles driven in each state.

Behind on my books. Can you catch me up?

Yes. A catch-up of up to 12 months is $599, once, checked against your bank to the cent.

Other businesses in Topeka.

Trucking bookkeeping elsewhere in Kansas.

Trucking bookkeeping in Kansas

Clean books for your trucking company in Topeka.

Upload your statements and see your books in minutes. $79 a month, cancel anytime.

Free to join. The first 1,000 in get their catch-up free.