PCORI Plus Other Excise Taxes on Form 720
You do not file a separate PCORI return. If you already file Form 720 for other excise taxes, the PCORI fee becomes one more item on your regular second-quarter return. IRS Q&A 8 says these filers "will use their Form 720 for the 2nd quarter to report and pay the PCORI fee," and adds: "Only one Form 720 should be filed for each quarter."
So Part I, Part II, and the PCORI fee all travel together on that return. What stays separate is the deposit treatment. That is where filers with mixed liabilities need to pay attention.
Form 720 PCORI fees belong in one quarter only
Over a full year, a quarterly filer's four returns treat the fee differently:
| Return | Other excise taxes | IRS No. 133 line |
|---|---|---|
| First quarter | Report as usual | No entry |
| Second quarter | Report as usual | Report the PCORI fee |
| Third quarter | Report as usual | No entry |
| Fourth quarter | Report as usual | No entry |
The instructions give foreign insurance tax filers (IRS No. 30) as their example of who must leave the line empty on other quarters. On an e-filed return this is enforced. A current IRS business rule rejects a non-zero IRS No. 133 amount unless the quarter ending is one of the June quarters it lists.
For the return covering April through June 2027, the due date is Monday, August 2, 2027. That is one due date for the whole return, the fee and everything else on it. Our Form 720 due dates guide covers the other quarters.
Deposits: PCORI gets an exception, your other taxes may not
Generally, excise taxes must be deposited semimonthly. A semimonthly period is the first 15 days of a month, or the 16th through the last day. The instructions then list the situations where no deposit is required and the tax is simply payable with the return:
| Item on the return | Deposit required? |
|---|---|
| PCORI fee paid with a second-quarter Form 720 | No |
| Part I taxes, net liability of $2,500 or less for the quarter | No |
| Part I taxes above that level | Generally yes, semimonthly |
| Part II taxes, except the floor stocks tax | No |
| Floor stocks tax (IRS No. 20) | Generally a single deposit |
Don't let the PCORI exception spill over. The instructions warn that if you don't deposit as required and instead pay the taxes with Form 720, you may be subject to a penalty. Paying your PCORI fee with the return is fine. Paying a depositable Part I tax the same way is not.
If you do pay the PCORI fee through EFTPS, the IRS says to apply it to the second quarter.
Schedule A covers Part I, not PCORI
Schedule A records net tax liabilities for each semimonthly period. The form says you must complete it if you have a liability for any tax in Part I, and not to complete it for Part II taxes. So a business with Part I taxes and PCORI fills in Schedule A for the Part I taxes only.
An e-filed return with a Part I tax amount and an empty Schedule A is rejected, apart from the one-time gas guzzler filing. A business whose only items are in Part II, such as sport fishing equipment plus PCORI, has no Schedule A to complete.
Worked example: a truck dealer with a self-insured plan
Here is how the totals flow. The business and all numbers are made up, and the example uses the June 2026 form, with its rates and line numbers.
A dealer has $200,000 of taxable retail truck sales in the April to June quarter. It also sponsors a self-insured health plan with a plan year that ended December 31, 2025, and an average of 180 covered lives. It made deposits of $24,000 for the quarter.
| Form 720 entry | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Part I, IRS No. 33 at 12% | $200,000 x 12% | $24,000.00 |
| Part II, line 133(d) at $3.84 | 180 x $3.84 | $691.20 |
| Part III, line 3, total tax | $24,000.00 + $691.20 | $24,691.20 |
| Part III, line 5, deposits made | Per the dealer's records | $24,000.00 |
| Part III, line 9 | No claims or carried-over overpayment | $24,000.00 |
| Part III, line 10, balance due | $24,691.20 - $24,000.00 | $691.20 |
The $691.20 balance due is the fee, paid with the return. Schedule A holds the $24,000 of retail tax liability and nothing for PCORI. You can check the fee part with the PCORI fee calculator, and our guide to line 133 explains why four sub-lines exist.
What if your second-quarter return is already filed without PCORI?
This is the trap for quarterly filers. You filed your usual second-quarter return, then someone in HR mentions the health plan. A second Form 720 for that quarter isn't the fix:
- The IRS says only one Form 720 per quarter.
- E-file rules R0000-914-01 and R0000-915-01 reject a return when the same EIN already has an accepted electronic or paper return for that return type and quarter.
- The instructions say adjustments to liabilities reported for prior quarters go on Form 720-X, not on Form 720.
So the correction is a Form 720-X, with the change shown on line 1 under IRS No. 133. If the result is a balance due, you pay it with that form by check or money order payable to "United States Treasury." Our Form 720-X guide walks through the form.
Preparing a combined return online
A mixed return has more places for totals to drift apart. EasyFile720 covers Part I and Part II categories plus Schedules A, C, and T, so the fee and your other taxes sit on one PCORI fee filing rather than separate worksheets. Rates for the return are built in and the math is calculated after you enter your figures. Validations catch common mistakes before you submit.
Your next step: gather your covered lives, sales figures, and deposits made, since those come from your records, then file your return online. The account is free to create, with no credit card needed to start, and you pay when you file. A quarterly filer can compare $39.95 per filing with the Full Year Plan, $139.99 per business for 4 filing credits, on the pricing page.
FAQ
Can I file a second Form 720 for the same quarter just for PCORI?▼
No. The IRS says only one Form 720 should be filed for each quarter. The e-file rules also reject a return for a quarter when the same EIN already has an accepted return for that quarter.
Does my PCORI fee count toward the $2,500 deposit test?▼
That test looks at net liability for taxes listed in Form 720, Part I. PCORI is in Part II, and the instructions separately say no deposit is required for it when it is paid with a second-quarter Form 720.
We only owe other excise taxes in the third quarter. Where does PCORI go?▼
It still goes on a second-quarter Form 720. If you have nothing else to report for that quarter, the return reports only the fee.
Will my deposits for other taxes cover the PCORI fee automatically?▼
Part III works from totals: line 3 is your total tax and line 5 is deposits made for the quarter. Deposits sized only for your other taxes leave the fee showing as a balance due on line 10, payable with the return.
File your PCORI fee online
Create a free account with no credit card and build your return. You pay $39.95 only when you file. EasyFile720 is an IRS-authorized e-file provider, and you get an acknowledgment when the IRS accepts your return.
Sources: Instructions for Form 720 (Rev. June 2026); Form 720 (Rev. June 2026); Form 720-X (Rev. June 2026); IRS PCORI Questions and Answers; 720 Business Rules Publication 2026Q4v1.0. General information, not tax advice. Confirm how the rules apply to you with a qualified advisor or the IRS.
