The short version
- The buyer has 30 days to apply for a title at a DMV office, with the signed title, a bill of sale and a sales tax form.
- Sales tax runs 7% to 8.875%, depending on where the buyer lives. Sales between spouses, parents and children, and stepparents and stepchildren are exempt.
- The seller keeps the plates and surrenders them before canceling the car’s insurance.
New York titles are handled by the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), and the buyer registers and titles the car in one visit.
Not a private-sale title transfer?
- Getting a car from family? Same steps, but transfers between close relatives aren’t taxed.
- Inherited a car? If the owner left a single car worth $25,000 or less, it passes to the surviving spouse. Otherwise, the estate’s executor or administrator signs the title.
- Moving to New York with your car? Register it within 30 days of becoming a resident. Our guide to changing an out-of-state license to New York covers your license.
How to Sign Over a New York Title as the Seller
Complete the Title and Bill of Sale
Sign the transfer section on the back of the title, including the odometer reading for 2011 and newer models. Cars eight model years old or newer also need the damage disclosure statement, and the DMV won’t register them without both.
Then sign a Vehicle Bill of Sale (Form MV-912) with the buyer, listing the year, make, VIN, sale date and price. Use $0 and note “gift” if you’re giving the car away. The buyer takes the original to the DMV, so keep a copy.
If There’s a Loan on the Car
You don’t have to clear the lien from the title first. Pay off the loan and give the buyer the original lien release with the title, or the lender stays on the buyer’s new title.
Remove and Surrender Your Plates
The plates stay with you. Take them off, frames too, and destroy the windshield stickers. Then move them to another car you own, or surrender them:
- By mail: Send them in an envelope with Form PD-7 to NYS DMV, 6 Empire State Plaza, Room B240, Albany, NY 12228. The postmark counts as the surrender date.
- In person: Take them to a DMV office.
Cancel the insurance only after the plates are surrendered, and keep the FS-6T receipt as proof.
How to Title a Car Bought From a Private Seller in New York
The 30-Day Deadline
You have 30 days from the sale to apply for a title. You can’t drive the car until it’s registered, since the seller takes the plates.
What to Bring to the DMV
- The signed title, or the signed transferable registration for a 1972 or older car
- The original MV-912 bill of sale
- Form DTF-802, the sales tax statement
- Form MV-82, the registration and title application
- A New York insurance ID card in your name
- Proof of identity, such as your New York driver’s license
- Payment
Register and Title the Car
You’ll do both at once at a DMV office. Our guide to NYC DMV appointments explains booking in the city. After paying the tax and fees, you’ll leave with plates, a registration and a 10-day inspection extension. The title comes by mail within 90 days.
Get It Inspected Within 10 Days
The seller’s inspection sticker doesn’t carry over, so get the car inspected before the extension runs out.
Moving the Car Before It’s Registered
To move it elsewhere in New York to register it, get a 30-day in-transit permit for $12.50. Our guide to the New York temporary plate explains how.
New York Sales Tax on a Private Car Sale
You’ll pay the rate where you live: the 4% state tax plus local tax, for 7% to 8.875% in all, with New York City and Yonkers at the top. The tax is on the price you paid, including any loan balance you take over.
Family and Gift Exemptions
- Family: Sales and gifts from a spouse, parent, child, stepparent or stepchild are tax-free, even when money changes hands. Siblings and grandparents don’t qualify.
- Gifts from anyone else: A genuine gift is generally tax-free, but the donor has to complete Section 6 of the DTF-802.
- Below-value sales: The seller explains the low price in Section 6, too.
If the seller skips Section 6 when it’s needed, you’ll be taxed on the car’s fair market value.
New York Title Transfer Fees
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Title certificate | $50 |
| License plates | $25 |
| Two-year registration | $26 to $140 by weight; $56.50 for a 3,500-lb car |
| County use tax, where it applies | $10 to $60 for two years; $30 in New York City |
| MCTD supplemental fee | $50 for two years |
| Sales tax | 7% to 8.875% of the price |
| In-transit permit | $12.50 |
| Duplicate title | $20 |
| Example: $12,000 private sale, 3,500-lb sedan registered in Brooklyn | $1,276.50 ($1,065 sales tax + $50 title + $25 plates + $56.50 registration + $30 use tax + $50 MCTD fee) |
The MCTD fee applies in the five boroughs and seven suburban counties, and our guide to New York registration renewal lists the full weight table.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Sales and gifts between parents and children are exempt, as are those between spouses and between stepparents and stepchildren, so he’ll owe $0 tax.
Only after the plates are surrendered or moved to your next car. If you mail them, the postmark date counts as the surrender date.
No. The car has to be registered and insured first, and the seller keeps the plates. A 30-day in-transit permit only covers moving it elsewhere in New York to register it.
Yes, if you sold or gave away the old car and its registration hasn’t expired. Transfer them at a DMV office when you register the new car.
No. The title and bill of sale don’t need a notary, though related paperwork can, such as a power of attorney or a surviving spouse’s Form MV-349.1.
The seller has to replace it first with Form MV-902, which costs $20. Don’t pay until you have it, since you can’t register the car without it.
Conclusion
A New York private sale comes down to a signed title, an MV-912 bill of sale and a DTF-802, with the buyer applying for a title within 30 days. Sellers should complete the disclosures, keep their plates and cancel insurance only after surrendering them. Buyers should budget their local sales tax rate of 7% to 8.875%, plus $50 for the title and the registration fees, and get the car inspected within 10 days. Sales between close family members are tax-free.
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