To fill out a bill of sale for a car, enter the date of sale, the buyer’s and seller’s full legal names and addresses, the vehicle’s year, make, model, and VIN, the odometer reading, and the agreed price, then have both parties sign. The document records who sold the car, who bought it, what vehicle changed hands, and how much money was exchanged. Every field matters because the motor vehicle agency will compare the bill of sale against its own records when the buyer applies for a new title, and a wrong or blank field is the fastest way to have the paperwork kicked back.
Gather Everything Before You Write
Collect the documents first so you’re not hunting halfway through. Both parties should have a government-issued photo ID in hand, and the seller should have the current title. From those two sources you can pull almost everything the form asks for:
- Full legal names and current home addresses for both buyer and seller, spelled exactly as they appear on each person’s ID.
- The vehicle’s year, make, model, and the seventeen-character Vehicle Identification Number from the title or the metal plate on the driver’s side dashboard. VINs mix letters and numbers, so copy each character carefully.
- The exact mileage showing on the dashboard at the time of sale.
- The dollar amount both parties agreed on, or a note that the vehicle is a gift if no money is changing hands.
Use your state’s official bill of sale template if one exists. Most motor vehicle agencies post one on their website, and it will include every field your state requires. A generic online template may miss something, and a handwritten note on plain paper, while sometimes legally valid, invites scrutiny at the title counter.
Enter the Date and the Parties
Start with the date of the transaction. This is the date both parties are actually signing, not the date you downloaded the form or plan to visit the title office. That date becomes the legal starting point for your state’s title transfer deadline, so get it right.
Write the seller’s full legal name and home address in the seller section, and the buyer’s full legal name and home address in the buyer section. Match the IDs exactly. A mismatch between the bill of sale and a driver’s license will cause problems at the title office. If two people jointly own the vehicle, both sellers’ names and signatures are needed.
Describe the Vehicle
The vehicle section identifies exactly which car changed hands. Enter the model year, the make (the manufacturer, like Honda or Ford), and the model (the specific vehicle, like Civic or F-150). Some forms also ask for body style and color.
Copy the seventeen-character VIN from the current title rather than from memory. Every letter and digit counts. A single wrong character can cause the motor vehicle office to reject the application because the VIN won’t match the national database. After writing it, have the other party check it back against the title or the dashboard plate.
Write the Sale Price and As-Is Status
Write the total purchase price in both numerals and words. Putting “$4,500” and “four thousand five hundred dollars” on the same line prevents anyone from altering the amount later. The motor vehicle agency uses this number to calculate the sales tax owed at registration, so understating the price to reduce taxes is fraud and easily flagged when the number looks unreasonable for the vehicle’s year and model.
If the car is a gift, write “$0” or “gift” in the price field. Many states apply sales tax based on fair market value rather than the stated price when a vehicle is transferred for free or for a suspiciously low amount, so don’t expect to dodge taxes by listing a $10,000 car for a dollar. Some states waive sales tax on transfers between immediate family members, but the rules vary.
Most private-party sales are understood to be “as-is,” meaning the buyer accepts the car in its current condition with no warranty. Writing that out on the bill of sale makes it explicit and harder to dispute later. A line like “This vehicle is sold as-is with no warranties, express or implied” is enough. If the seller is making any specific promise about the vehicle’s condition, write those terms out in detail. Vague verbal assurances mean nothing once the buyer drives away.
Complete the Odometer Disclosure
Federal law requires the seller to provide a written odometer disclosure when transferring a motor vehicle. Under 49 U.S.C. ยง 32705, the seller must state the cumulative mileage registered on the odometer, or disclose that the actual mileage is unknown if the reading doesn’t reflect the true distance the vehicle has traveled.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 USC 32705 – Disclosure Requirements on Transfer of Motor Vehicles
Write the current odometer reading in the mileage field. Most forms then ask you to check one of three boxes: the mileage is accurate, the mileage reflects the amount the odometer was capable of recording (meaning it has rolled past its mechanical limit), or the actual mileage is unknown. Check the one that applies honestly. A buyer who discovers odometer fraud can sue for three times their actual damages or $10,000, whichever is greater.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 USC 32710 – Civil Actions by Private Persons
When the Odometer Disclosure Doesn’t Apply
Not every vehicle requires an odometer disclosure. Federal regulations exempt vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating above 16,000 pounds, vehicles that are not self-propelled (like trailers), and vehicles sold directly by the manufacturer to a federal agency.3eCFR. 49 CFR Part 580 – Odometer Disclosure Requirements
There is also an age-based exemption. Vehicles from model year 2010 or earlier are exempt once they are at least ten calendar years past their model year. For vehicles from model year 2011 onward, the threshold is twenty calendar years. In 2026, that means any vehicle from model year 2006 or older is exempt under the ten-year rule, and no 2011-or-newer vehicles have yet reached the twenty-year mark. If your vehicle qualifies, you can skip the odometer section or mark it exempt, but you still can’t lie about the mileage if you choose to disclose it.3eCFR. 49 CFR Part 580 – Odometer Disclosure Requirements
Sign the Bill of Sale
Both the buyer and the seller sign and print their names at the bottom of the document. Use blue or black ink. No pencil, no white-out. The signatures confirm that both parties agree to the terms and that the information on the form is accurate. In most states, these two signatures are all you need to make the document legally binding.
A handful of states require the signatures to be notarized. In those states, both parties sign in front of a licensed notary public, who verifies each signer’s identity using a government-issued photo ID, then stamps and signs the document. Notary fees for a standard acknowledgment are capped by state law in most states, typically running between $2 and $25 per signature. Banks and shipping stores often offer notary services, and some states allow remote online notarization. Check your state’s motor vehicle agency website to find out whether notarization is required before you schedule the signing.
Both parties should keep a signed copy. The buyer needs the original for the title office, and the seller needs their own copy as proof the vehicle was sold and on what date. A phone photo of the signed document beats nothing, but a physical or scanned copy is better.
After the Form Is Signed
Two things need to happen after the signing, one for each side.
The seller should file a Notice of Transfer or Release of Liability with the motor vehicle agency. This is the step sellers most often skip. Filing it puts the state on notice that you no longer own the vehicle as of a specific date, so parking tickets, toll violations, and even accident liability don’t land on your record if the buyer is slow to register the car. You’ll need the buyer’s name and address, the license plate number, the last few digits of the VIN, and the odometer reading at the time of sale. Most states let you file online. Do it the same day you hand over the keys.
The buyer takes the signed bill of sale, the signed-over title, and a valid ID to the local motor vehicle office or tax assessor to apply for a new title and registration. Expect to pay a title transfer fee, registration fees, and sales tax. The deadline for completing this transfer varies by state and is shorter than most buyers expect: some states give you as few as ten days from the date of sale, others allow up to thirty. The date on the bill of sale is when the clock starts, which is why getting it right matters. Missing the deadline usually means a late fee, and in some states the penalty grows the longer you wait. Some states also require a safety inspection or emissions test before they’ll complete the transfer, so schedule that before your visit to avoid making two trips.