(35 ILCS 173/5-25)

Sec. 5-25. Self-assessing purchaser; direct return and payment of tax. Except for purchasers who have chosen the alternate tax rate to be paid to a delivering supplier maintaining a place of business in this State, the tax imposed in Section 5-10 of this Law shall be paid to the Department directly by each self-assessing purchaser who is subject to the tax imposed by this Law. Each self-assessing purchaser shall, on or before the 15th day of each month, make a return to the Department for the preceding calendar month, stating the following:

(1) His or her name and principal address.

(2) The total number of therms used by him or her during the preceding calendar month and upon the basis of which the tax is imposed.

(3) The purchase price of gas used by him or her during the preceding calendar month and upon the basis of which the tax is imposed.

(4) Amount of tax (computed upon items 2 and 3).

(5) Such other reasonable information as the Department may require.

In making such return, the self-assessing purchaser may use any reasonable method to derive reportable "therms" and "purchase price" from his or her billing and payment records.

If the average monthly liability of the self-assessing purchaser to the Department does not exceed $100, the Department may authorize his or her returns to be filed on a quarter-annual basis, with the return for January, February, and March of a given year being due by April 30 of such year; with the return for April, May, and June of a given year being due by July 31 of such year; with the return for July, August, and September of a given year being due by October 31 of such year; and with the return for October, November, and December of a given year being due by January 31 of the following year.

If the average monthly liability of the self-assessing purchaser to the Department does not exceed $20, the Department may authorize his or her returns to be filed on a annual basis, with the return for a given year being due by January 31 of the following year.

Such quarter-annual and annual returns, as to form and substance, shall be subject to the same requirements as monthly returns.

Notwithstanding any other provision in this Law concerning the time within which a self-assessing purchaser may file his or her return, in the case of any such self-assessing purchaser who ceases to engage in a kind of business which makes him or her responsible for filing returns under this Law, such person shall file a final return under this Law with the Department not more than one month after discontinuing such business.

Each self-assessing purchaser whose average monthly liability to the Department under this Law was $10,000 or more during the preceding calendar year, excluding the month of highest liability and the month of lowest liability in such calendar year, and who is not operated by a unit of local government, shall make estimated payments to the Department on or before the 7th, 15th, 22nd, and last day of the month during which tax liability to the Department is incurred in an amount not less than the lower of either 22.5% of such person's actual tax liability for the month or 25% of such person's actual tax liability for the same calendar month of the preceding year. The amount of such quarter-monthly payments shall be credited against the final tax liability of the self-assessing purchaser's return for that month. Any outstanding credit, approved by the Department, arising from the self-assessing purchaser's overpayment of his or her final tax liability for any month may be applied to reduce the amount of any subsequent quarter-monthly payment or credited against the final tax liability of such self-assessing purchaser's return for any subsequent month. If any quarter-monthly payment is not paid at the time or in the amount required by this Section, such person shall be liable for penalty and interest on the difference between the minimum amount due as a payment and the amount of such payment actually and timely paid, except insofar as such person has previously made payments for that month to the Department in excess of the minimum payments previously due.

The self-assessing purchaser making the return provided for in this Section shall, at the time of making such return, pay to the Department the amount of tax imposed by this Law. All moneys received by the Department under this Law shall be paid into the General Revenue Fund in the State treasury.

(Source: P.A. 93-31, eff. 10-1-03.)