Important dates | Program guidance documents, forms, & FAQs
Reporting & compliance with ARCS
Important dates for participants through 2026
April 1, 2026
- Effective date of the Clean Transportation Fuel Program rule
- ARCS (coming soon) system is live for participants with:
- Registration guidance
- Fuel Supply Equipment (FSE) guidance
April 1 – May 15, 2026
- Registration period for regulated parties of regulated fuel; other program participants may also register
May 2026
- Release of carbon intensity values for electric distribution utilities (EDUs)
June 30, 2026
- End of first program quarter (calendar Q2)
July 1, 2026 – September 30, 2026
- First program quarter (April 1 – June 30) reporting and finalization period.
- Report data from first program quarter in ARCS by August 15.
- Finalize all reported data in ARCS by September 30.
July 1, 2026
- Program begins accepting Alternative Fuel Pathway and Project Credit applications through ARCS and Alternative Fuel Portal (AFP)
- Release of additional user guides, guidance documents, and tools, including:
- Tier 1 and Tier 2 carbon intensity calculators
- Instructions on applying for an alternative fuel pathway
- Guidance on reporting transportation fuel
- Guidance on viewing and trading credit and deficit balances
October 1, 2026
- First program quarter credits & deficits deposits begin
October 15, 2026
- First FSE credits deposits begin
Quarterly report deadlines
Quarterly reports summarize transaction-level fuel data, including the fuel pathway code, fuel quantity, Energy Economy Ratio (EER) (if applicable), counterparties and other required transaction details. ARCS calculates credits or deficits based on the data reported.
First quarter (calendar Q2): April 1-June 30, 2026
- Data reported in ARCS by: August 15, 2026
- Finalized report due in ARCS: September 30, 2026
Second quarter (calendar Q3): July 1-September 30
- Data reported in ARCS by: November 15, 2026
- Finalized report due in ARCS: January 10, 2027
Third quarter (calendar Q4): October 1-December 31, 2026
- Data reported in ARCS by: February 15, 2027
- Finalized report due in ARCS: March 31, 2027
Fourth quarter (calendar Q1, next year): January 1-March 31, 2027
- Data reported in ARCS by: May 16, 2027
- Finalized report due in ARCS: June 30, 2027
Annual compliance report
Annual reports summarize credits and deficits generated during the year and demonstrate compliance with the applicable carbon intensity standard.
- Due by April 30 for the prior compliance year
- First annual compliance report due (for 2026-2027): April 30, 2028
Additional annual report for residential EV charging credits (if applicable)
Beginning January 1, 2028, electricity distribution utilities and eligible vehicle manufacturers that receive residential EV charging credits must submit a separate annual report by July 1 describing how they used credit revenue.
- Due by July 1 for the prior compliance year
- First annual compliance report for residential EV charging credits due: July 1, 2028
