Bill of Sale Texas: Free Printable Vehicle Form

By Mohamed SkhiriUpdated November 10, 2026Checked against TxDMV and Texas Comptroller pages

Most private car sales in Texas go smoothly. The ones that don't usually fail for the same few reasons: the buyer waits too long to title the car, the seller forgets to report the sale and keeps getting toll bills, or the county taxes the car on a value nobody expected. A good bill of sale for a car in Texas doesn't replace the title paperwork, but it gives both of you a clear record of the deal, and the rest of this page walks through the paperwork it sits beside.

Do you need a bill of sale in Texas?

TxDMV's own checklist for a private sale centers on two documents: the title, signed by the seller, and Form 130-U, the Application for Texas Title and/or Registration, with the sales price filled in. A separate Texas vehicle bill of sale isn't on that list for an ordinary in-state sale. So why make one?

• It's your proof of the price and date. The 30-day titling clock and the seller's 30-day notice both run from the date of sale. A dated, signed bill of sale settles any argument about when that was.
• It records the as-is terms. The title doesn't say what condition the car was in or what the seller promised. The bill of sale does.
• It helps with out-of-state deals. The Comptroller accepts a bill of sale signed by the seller as a record of the price for some vehicles bought outside Texas.
• It covers what the title doesn't. Extra keys, a second set of wheels, a trailer sold separately, a payment plan.

That's why most buyers and sellers still sign a Texas auto bill of sale alongside the title, and why a printable copy for the county office is worth the five minutes it takes.

How to fill in the Texas bill of sale template

Sellers can complete the template above on a phone, standing next to the car, in about the time it takes to count the cash.

1. Check the state and county. Texas is already selected; add the county where the sale happens.
2. Enter both parties. Full legal names as they appear on the title and on the buyer's ID.
3. Describe the vehicle. Year, make, model, body style, color, plate and the 17-character VIN, copied from the title or the dashboard plate. The form checks the VIN's check digit as you type.
4. Set the price or mark it a gift. Use the real price. Writing a lower number doesn't lower the Texas tax, as the SPV section below explains.
5. Add the odometer reading. Federal law requires a written mileage disclosure for most vehicles from model year 2011 on; the form adds the statement automatically when it applies.
6. Print two copies and sign both. One for the seller, one for the buyer, kept with the title paperwork.

The same layout works as a Texas motor vehicle bill of sale for a car, truck, SUV, van or motorcycle. For a boat, trailer or RV, use the matching templates in our bill of sale library; each one asks for the details that type of sale needs.

Selling a car in Texas: the seller's steps

Handing over a signed Texas bill of sale for a car is only part of the seller's job. The rest protects you after the car is gone:

1. Sign the title. Sign and date the back, and write the odometer reading in the space provided. If there's a lien, the lender's release has to come with it.
2. Complete your part of Form 130-U. TxDMV asks the seller to fill in the sales price and sign. Its FAQ notes the county can accept the buyer's application without the seller's signature, but signing protects you both.
3. Take off your license plates. TxDMV's guidance is for the seller to remove them and transfer them, free, to the next vehicle they buy.
4. File a Vehicle Transfer Notification. It's free and online. Filed within 30 days of the sale, it means you can't be held responsible for parking tickets and toll violations the buyer racks up. Filed late, it still updates the record but doesn't guarantee you're off the hook.
5. Keep your copy of the bill of sale. With the transfer notification receipt, it's your proof the car was no longer yours from that date.

Buying a car in Texas: the buyer's steps

1. Run a title check before you pay. TxDMV's Title Check uses the national NMVTIS database to look for salvage, flood, junk and total-loss history. Make sure the name on the title matches the seller's ID.
2. Never leave without the title. TxDMV warns buyers not to finish a private sale without it, and to make sure the seller has entered the price on Form 130-U.
3. Title it within 30 days. Take the signed title, Form 130-U, proof of insurance and payment to your county tax assessor-collector's office. Active-duty military get 60 days.
4. Pay the tax and fees. Motor vehicle sales tax, the title application fee ($28 in most counties, per the title manual) and registration. Bring your signed copy of the bill of sale in case the clerk asks how the price was agreed.

TxDMV also suggests something many buyers skip: take the seller with you to the county tax office. A clerk can tell you on the spot whether the title being signed over is correct and whether it carries salvage or legal problems, before any money changes hands.

The 30-day deadline and late penalty

Texas is strict about the titling deadline. Under TxDMV's title manual, a buyer who files on the 31st day after the sale owes a $25 penalty, plus another $25 for each additional 30 days or part of one, up to $250. The county can't waive it. The date on your car bill of sale in Texas is the date the clock starts, which is another reason to fill it in accurately.

Sales tax and standard presumptive value

Texas taxes private-party car purchases at 6.25 percent, but not necessarily on the price you paid. The Comptroller's rule is the higher of the sales price or 80 percent of the vehicle's standard presumptive value (SPV), a value based on what similar vehicles sell for. TxDMV's website shows the full SPV; the county works from 80 percent of it.

So if you buy a car whose SPV is $10,000, the county taxes at least $8,000, even if the bill of sale says $5,000. The way to be taxed on a genuinely lower price is a certified appraisal, presented within 30 calendar days of the sale (60 for active-duty military). A bill of sale alone won't do it, and an artificially low price on one only creates a document that doesn't match what you paid. The buyer pays the tax to the county tax assessor-collector within 30 days of purchase.

Gifting a vehicle in Texas

A gift is handled differently from a sale. Both the person giving the vehicle and the person receiving it complete Form 14-317, the Affidavit of Motor Vehicle Gift Transfer, which describes the transfer and the relationship between them. Texas charges a $10 gift tax instead of the 6.25 percent sales tax only for transfers that qualify as gifts under the Comptroller's rules; a transfer with no payment that doesn't qualify is taxed as a sale on SPV. Tick the gift box on the form so the bill of sale says no money changed hands, but rely on Form 14-317 for the tax treatment. Since September 1, 2025, no gift tax applies to a vehicle passing from a deceased person's estate.

Texas bill of sale PDF, Word or paper

When the form is complete, print it on letter paper, or save it as a Texas bill of sale PDF from the print window, the simplest way to send a draft to the other side before you meet. You can also download a Word file to change the wording, or print a blank copy to fill in by hand. It's free to use as many times as you like, with no sign-up, and the blank version is a simple form to complete together at the car.

Saved as a PDF, it's the same one-page document whether you call it a Texas car bill of sale PDF or an auto bill of sale PDF, and you can email it to the buyer. Whichever format you choose, the Texas bill of sale template holds the same information: both parties, the vehicle and VIN, the price, the date, the odometer reading and the as-is clause. Many people search for a "state of Texas bill of sale PDF", but there's no special state version to download for a private sale; this one covers what the county clerk and the other party need to see.

After the sale

The buyer's next stop is the title. Our Texas title guide covers the transfer, a lost or damaged title and how to get a certified copy, and the Texas license plate lookup guide explains what TxDMV will and won't release about a plate. If you're buying, a free VIN decode and recall check before you pay takes a minute.

Texas bill of sale checklist

Before you meet the buyer, run through this list. A Texas auto bill of sale should show both names and addresses, the year, make, model and VIN, the odometer reading, the price and the date. Texas doesn't require a notary for it, and the county tax office cares most that the price matches Form 130-U. Print two copies of the Texas motor vehicle bill of sale, sign both, and keep yours with the paperwork from the title transfer.

If you sell more than one car a year, save the blank Texas bill of sale template rather than starting over each time; the form keeps the state preset. A Texas bill of sale for car sales also works for trucks and SUVs, so one printable copy covers most private deals. Prefer a file? Save a Texas bill of sale PDF from the print window and email it to the buyer before you meet, so both of you have read the same Texas auto bill of sale before money changes hands.

Texas bill of sale FAQ