Automate IFTA Fuel Tax Reporting Process (Excel, Power Query, Power Automate, VBA)

# Project Description We are an accounting/tax services company that prepares and files quarterly IFTA Fuel Tax Reports for approximately 100+ motor carriers. Our current process is highly manual and time-consuming. We receive mileage and fuel reports from clients in a variety of formats and then manually enter or import the data into our internal Excel-based IFTA calculator. After calculations are completed, we log in to various state and client IFTA portals to file the returns. We are looking for an experienced automation specialist to analyze our workflow and develop a more efficient process. # Current Workflow 1. Receive mileage and fuel reports from clients. 2. Reports arrive in multiple formats: * Excel * CSV * PDF * Various trucking/telematics system exports 3. Manually clean and standardize the data. 4. Enter data into our IFTA calculator workbook. 5. Calculate miles, fuel purchases, and tax liability by jurisdiction. 6. Log into state and client filing portals. 7. Manually enter data or upload files where supported. # Goals We would like to reduce manual data entry and automate as much of the process as possible. Potential solutions may include: * Excel automation * Power Query * VBA Macros * Power Automate * Python scripting * OCR/document processing for PDF reports * Automated generation of import files (CSV/Excel) for state portals * Browser automation for repetitive filing tasks where appropriate # Desired Deliverables * Review of our existing workflow and IFTA calculator workbook * Recommendations for process improvements * Automated import and transformation of mileage and fuel reports * Standardized data model for multiple report formats * Automatic population of IFTA calculations * Creation of import files for states that support uploads * Documentation and training materials * Scalable solution that can handle 100+ carriers per quarter # Required Experience Please provide examples of experience with: * Excel automation * Power Query * VBA * Power Automate Desktop * Tax or accounting workflow automation * Transportation/trucking industry data (preferred) * IFTA reporting experience (strong plus) # Proposal Requirements Please include: 1. Similar projects completed. 2. Technology you would recommend. 3. Estimated timeline. 4. Expected efficiency improvements. 5. Any experience automating government or tax filing workflows. # Additional Notes The ideal solution would allow us to drop incoming client reports into a folder, automatically standardize the data, update our IFTA calculations, and produce filing-ready reports or upload files with minimal manual intervention. Our primary goal is to significantly reduce the time spent on quarterly IFTA reporting while maintaining accuracy and scalability.