Georgia Vehicle Bill of Sale
Georgia offers Form T-7, and titling triggers a one-time TAVT of 7.0% of fair market value.
Introduction
A Georgia vehicle bill of sale records the sale of a car, truck, motorcycle, or trailer between a private seller and buyer. Georgia publishes an official named form for this, the Form T-7, Motor Vehicle Division Bill of Sale, issued by the Georgia Department of Revenue. The T-7 is optional and supplementary, used as evidence that the transaction took place and to carry the odometer declaration, while the title assignment on the back of the certificate of title is the operative document that transfers ownership. The T-7 has no notary block, and notarization is not required for the bill of sale or the title transfer. Federal odometer disclosure still applies, with vehicles twenty model years old and older exempt. You title and register at the county tag office of the Georgia DOR Motor Vehicle Division in the county where you live, and the title application must be received within 30 days of the transfer under O.C.G.A. 40-3-32. What sets Georgia apart on tax is the Title Ad Valorem Tax, or TAVT, a one-time tax of 7.0% of the vehicle's fair market value paid when the vehicle is titled. Vehicles subject to TAVT are exempt from sales and use tax and from the annual ad valorem tax, and TAVT is assessed on the state's fair market value rather than the bill-of-sale price. DocDraft drafts a Georgia vehicle bill of sale from your facts, with attorney review available before you sign.
Key Things to Know
- 1
Georgia has an official form, the Form T-7 Bill of Sale. The Georgia Department of Revenue Motor Vehicle Division publishes the Form T-7, Motor Vehicle Division Bill of Sale, which records the transaction and the odometer declaration. Form name and number are confirmed on the DOR page, though the underlying PDF could not be fetched directly, so check dor.georgia.gov for the current version.
- 2
The bill of sale does not need to be notarized. The official Form T-7 contains no notary block, and notarization is not a stated requirement for the Georgia bill of sale or for the title transfer.
- 3
Federal odometer disclosure still applies. The seller must disclose the odometer reading and the buyer must acknowledge it on transfer, and the T-7 integrates that declaration. Vehicles twenty model years old and older are exempt from the disclosure requirement.
- 4
Georgia charges TAVT, not standard sales tax, on titling. The Title Ad Valorem Tax is a one-time tax of 7.0% of the vehicle's fair market value, paid at the time the vehicle is titled. New residents titling a vehicle pay 3%.
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You title at your county tag office within 30 days. Title and TAVT are handled at the county tag office of the Georgia DOR Motor Vehicle Division in the county where the buyer resides, and the title application must be received within 30 days of the transfer under O.C.G.A. 40-3-32.
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The bill of sale is optional and supplementary in Georgia. The T-7 is evidentiary, while the title assignment on the back of the certificate of title is the operative document that transfers ownership. Submit the T-7 along with the required documents and applicable tax.
- 7
TAVT replaces both sales/use tax and the annual ad valorem tax. Vehicles titled in Georgia on or after March 1, 2013 are subject to TAVT and are exempt from sales and use tax and from the annual ad valorem tax. TAVT is assessed on the state's fair market value, not the price written on your bill of sale.
Key decisions before you file
Before you file a Bill of Sale in Georgia, a few decisions shape the document: which option to choose and what each one means. The Bill of Sale guide walks through them.
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Georgia Requirements for Bill of Sale
Georgia publishes the official Form T-7, Motor Vehicle Division Bill of Sale, through the Department of Revenue Motor Vehicle Division. The form records the transaction and the odometer declaration and closes with a certification section. It has no notary block, and notarization is not a stated requirement for the bill of sale or the title transfer. The form name and number are confirmed on the DOR page; check dor.georgia.gov for the current version.
The Form T-7 is evidentiary and supplementary. It documents that the transaction took place, but the title assignment on the back of the certificate of title is the operative document that transfers ownership in Georgia. The T-7 is submitted along with the required documents and applicable tax.
Identify the seller (transferor) and the buyer (transferee) by full name and address. The Georgia Form T-7 captures both parties, and the county where the buyer resides determines where the title application and TAVT are submitted.
Describe the vehicle by VIN, year, make, model, body type, and color, along with the sale price and date of sale. Accurate identification ties the bill of sale to the certificate of title.
Federal regulations require the seller to disclose the odometer reading and the buyer to acknowledge it upon transfer of a vehicle that is not exempt. Vehicles twenty model years old and older are exempt. The Form T-7 integrates this odometer declaration.
Georgia charges a one-time Title Ad Valorem Tax of 7.0% of the vehicle's fair market value, paid at the time the vehicle is titled. TAVT is assessed on the state's fair market value, not the price written on the bill of sale, and new residents titling a vehicle pay 3%.
Vehicles titled in Georgia on or after March 1, 2013 are subject to TAVT and are exempt from sales and use tax and from the annual ad valorem tax. The TAVT must be paid at the time of the initial title application, submitted to the county where the buyer resides.
Title and register at the county tag office of the Georgia DOR Motor Vehicle Division in the county where the buyer resides. The title application must be received within 30 days of the transfer of the vehicle under O.C.G.A. 40-3-32, and the TAVT is paid at the time of the initial title application.
Frequently Asked Questions
A bill of sale is optional and supplementary in Georgia, not the document that transfers ownership. The Georgia Department of Revenue publishes Form T-7, Motor Vehicle Division Bill of Sale, which provides evidence that the transaction took place and carries the odometer declaration, but the title assignment on the back of the certificate of title is the operative document that transfers ownership. Many buyers and sellers still complete the T-7 because it is submitted along with the required documents and applicable tax at the county tag office.
No. The official Georgia Form T-7 Bill of Sale contains no notary block, and notarization is not a stated requirement for the bill of sale or for the title transfer in Georgia. The form uses a certification section in which the parties certify that the statements are true and accurate, signed by the seller and the buyer without a notary.
Yes. The Georgia Department of Revenue Motor Vehicle Division publishes Form T-7, Motor Vehicle Division Bill of Sale. It is used to provide evidence that the transaction between the buyer and seller took place and that the odometer reading was declared by the seller and acknowledged by the buyer. Using it is optional, since the title assignment on the back of the title is what transfers ownership. Check dor.georgia.gov for the current version of the form.
Georgia does not charge standard sales tax on a titled vehicle. Instead it charges the Title Ad Valorem Tax, or TAVT, a one-time tax of 7.0% of the vehicle's fair market value, paid at the time the vehicle is titled. Vehicles subject to TAVT are exempt from sales and use tax and from the annual ad valorem tax. TAVT is assessed on the state's fair market value, not the price written on the bill of sale, and new residents titling a vehicle pay 3%.
You title and register at the county tag office, part of the Georgia DOR Motor Vehicle Division, in the county where you, the buyer, reside. The title application and the TAVT payment must be submitted to that county office, and the title application must be received within 30 days of the transfer of the vehicle under O.C.G.A. 40-3-32. The TAVT must be paid at the time of the initial title application.
A Georgia vehicle bill of sale should identify the seller and buyer, describe the vehicle by VIN, year, make, model, body type, and color, state the sale price and date, and record the odometer reading with the seller's disclosure and the buyer's acknowledgment, unless the vehicle is twenty model years old or older and exempt. The Georgia Form T-7 collects this information across its sections and closes with a certification that the statements are true and accurate, signed by both parties without a notary.