Car Sale Receipt Template

When you sell a car privately, three different documents can be involved, and each does a different job:

• The receipt confirms that the buyer paid the seller: how much, when and how. That is what the template on this page is for.
• A bill of sale records the sale itself: who sold which vehicle to whom, on what date and for what price. Check whether your state's motor vehicle agency has its own bill of sale form or asks for one.
• The title is where ownership changes hands. The seller signs it over to the buyer, who then applies for a new title and registration in their state.

A receipt does not replace the title transfer or any form your state asks for, even when both of you have signed it. The template says so in its footnote: it is not a certificate of title, and transferring the title is a separate step. Before the sale, check with your state's motor vehicle agency (DMV) which documents it needs from the seller and the buyer. Keep the signed receipt with copies of them.

In the US, federal rules require the seller of a motor vehicle to disclose its mileage when ownership is transferred. Under 49 CFR 580.5, a seller in whose name the vehicle is titled makes that disclosure on the physical or electronic title, not on a reassignment document, and signs it. If the seller is not the titled owner, the rule also allows the disclosure on the physical document being used to reassign the title. The disclosure gives the odometer reading, the date of transfer, both parties' printed names and addresses, and the vehicle's make, model, year, body type and VIN. The seller also certifies, to the best of their knowledge, whether the reading reflects the actual mileage.

The odometer reading on this receipt is a useful record, but it is not that disclosure. Complete the odometer section of the title as well.

49 CFR 580.17 lists the vehicles that are exempt. They include:

• vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating over 16,000 pounds;
• vehicles that are not self-propelled;
• vehicles from model year 2010 or earlier, once they are transferred at least 10 years after January 1 of their model year;
• vehicles from model year 2011 or later, once they are transferred at least 20 years after January 1 of their model year. The regulation's own example: for transfers during 2031, model year 2011 and older vehicles are exempt.

Ask your state's motor vehicle agency how it handles the odometer section and whether it has any forms of its own.

Payment method. Write down exactly how the money was paid and the reference that goes with it, so the buyer can show the payment and the seller can match it to their bank account. If the payment is a check or a transfer, the seller may want to confirm the money has arrived before handing over the signed title and the keys.

A deposit. If the buyer paid a deposit to hold the car, give them a receipt for it at the time. On this receipt, enter it on the "Deposit received earlier" line and note how and when it was paid, so the amount paid today plus the deposit equals the sale price.

A loan on the car. If the seller still owes money on the car, contact the lender before the sale about paying it off and releasing its interest in the vehicle. Your state's motor vehicle agency can tell you what it needs to transfer the title in that case.

Installments. This template records a sale that is paid in full, with a balance of 0.00. If the buyer is paying over time, give a partial payment receipt for each payment, showing the balance remaining, and keep the title and sale terms in line with what you agreed on.

• Car rental receipt for a vehicle that is rented and returned, not sold
• Car dealer invoice for a dealer billing a buyer, with dealer fees, government fees, trade-in and deposit
• Payment receipt for confirming payment of a specific invoice
• Acknowledgment receipt for confirming that items or documents were handed over