Trouvant
Federal and state fuel-tax recovery for tax-exempt fleets.
01 / Practice
Public fleets pay tax they don’t owe. Trouvant finds it.
Federal and state law refund fuel-tax overpayments to tax-exempt fleet operators every year — but only on claims that get filed. Most public fleets file none.
Settled law, missed claims.
Federal refund pathways under §6427 and §8849 — and the IRA §6417 backfile added in 2022 — return fuel-tax overpayments to tax-exempt fleet operators every year. The refund pools have grown with fuel prices. Most public fleets file none of the claims they’re owed — not because the law is unclear, but because no one inside the agency is paid to chase the refunds.
A practice, not a procurement.
A paid diagnostic names the recoverable surface, the filing pathways, and the total exposure for your fleet — in a report structured for auditor review and consistent with GAGAS §3.08 documentation standards. If you decide to recover, a contingency engagement prepares and files the claims. Recovery structure is adapted to your jurisdiction’s procurement rules. Nothing is owed unless and until the refund lands.
Recovery to the general fund.
Trouvant finds the recoverable surface, prepares the filings, and walks each claim through the channels. The refund returns to your general fund — same accounts, same controls, just funds your fleet had already paid, coming home. A 300-vehicle county fleet recovered $310,000 in federal and state fuel-tax overpayments across a three-year backfile. The refund cleared in two disbursements.
02 / Method
How it works.
Discovery first.
A paid diagnostic that names what’s recoverable for your fleet — fuel categories, filing pathways, total annual exposure, and the three-year backfile available under federal and state law. Two weeks. We work from your existing records: fuel-card statements, on-site dispenser reports, vendor invoices. No new data-gathering from your team. You see the numbers, sized to your fleet, before any further decision.
Recovery on contingency.
If the discovery surfaces something worth pursuing, we prepare and file the claims — across federal channels (§6427, §8849, IRA §6417) and state pathways in your jurisdiction. Recovery structure is adapted to your procurement rules: contingency where permitted, flat-per-claim equivalent where required. You pay only when the refund lands. If nothing comes back, nothing is owed. The risk on the recovery sits with us, not with your general fund.
03 / Inquiry
Find out.
Discovery names what’s recoverable for your fleet — categories, scale, filing pathways, three-year backfile — before you commit to anything further. Paid, fixed scope, two weeks. If there’s nothing worth pursuing, we say so plainly. The recovery work begins only on your decision.
What you bring
- Fuel-card statements or vendor invoices — last one to three years
- Fleet roster: vehicle count, class, fuel type, station assignments
- On-site dispenser reports, if available
If materials aren’t readily at hand, we can initiate from public records already on file and request only what’s missing.
What you get
- Recovery Opportunity Assessment — written report, two-week turnaround
- Named recoverable: fuel categories, filing pathways, total three-year exposure sized to your fleet
- Recommendation on whether to proceed, with an honest assessment if the numbers don’t warrant it
- Report formatted for auditor review, consistent with GAGAS §3.08
- Discovery fee credited toward the recovery engagement if you proceed
Direct line
A two-week diagnostic. A clear number.
Write to us with your fleet size, fuel types, and jurisdiction. We respond within two business days with a scoping outline.
hello@trouvant.co