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Illinois Vehicle Bill of Sale

Illinois has no official bill-of-sale form; private buyers owe RUT-50 tax by vehicle model year under $15,000.

Introduction

An Illinois vehicle bill of sale records a private car, truck, or motorcycle sale: the parties, the vehicle, the price, the odometer, and an as-is statement. Illinois does not publish an official bill-of-sale form. The Secretary of State instead transfers title using an Application for Vehicle Transaction(s) (Form VSD 190) with the odometer reading certified on the back of the title, and the seller files a separate Seller's Report of Sale (Form VSD 703). A bill of sale is supplementary, not a required document to title or register. The standout Illinois rule is the Private Party Vehicle Use Tax, reported on Form RUT-50 and due within 30 days of acquiring the vehicle. For most purchases under $15,000, the tax is set by the vehicle's model year and age, not by the price written on the bill of sale; only at a selling price of $15,000 or more does the stated price drive the tax (check the current Form RUT-50 instructions, because this $15,000 model-year split is a point to confirm with the Department of Revenue). No notarization is required. You title at the Illinois Secretary of State, Vehicle Services Department, where Form RUT-50 and any tax are submitted with your title application. DocDraft drafts an Illinois vehicle bill of sale from your facts, with attorney review available.

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Key Things to Know

  1. 1

    There is no official Illinois bill-of-sale form. The Secretary of State publishes a Seller's Report of Sale (Form VSD 703) and an Application for Vehicle Transaction(s) (Form VSD 190), but no standalone bill-of-sale form, so a bill of sale is a supplementary record you create yourself.

  2. 2

    No notarization is required. Illinois transfers title through the certified odometer section on the back of the title plus Form VSD 190, and neither the bill of sale nor the title assignment has to be notarized for a private-party transfer.

  3. 3

    Odometer is certified on the title, not on the bill of sale. Be sure the odometer reading is certified properly on the back of the title with the date of sale; the federal baseline (49 CFR 580) requires disclosure on transfer for model-year-2011-and-newer vehicles under 20 model years old.

  4. 4

    The Private Party Vehicle Use Tax is set by model year under $15,000. For a purchase price under $15,000 the RUT-50 tax amount is set by the vehicle's model year and age, and only when the selling price is $15,000 or more does the price you write on the bill of sale determine the tax. Confirm the current $15,000 model-year split on the Form RUT-50 instructions.

  5. 5

    You title at the Illinois Secretary of State within a 30-day tax window. Title at the Secretary of State, Vehicle Services Department (501 S. 2nd St., Springfield, IL 62756); Form RUT-50 and any tax are due within 30 days of acquiring the vehicle and are submitted to the Secretary of State with your title application. The title fee is $165.

  6. 6

    A bill of sale is optional, but RUT-50 is required. Title transfer is accomplished with Form VSD 190 plus the assigned title; the required tax submission is Form RUT-50 with payment, so a bill of sale supports the transaction rather than completing it.

  7. 7

    The RUT-50 model-year rule is the Illinois distinctive. Because tax below $15,000 follows the vehicle's age rather than the stated price, what the bill of sale records affects your tax only at or above the $15,000 threshold, which is genuinely specific to Illinois.

Key decisions before you file

Before you file a Bill of Sale in Illinois, a few decisions shape the document: which option to choose and what each one means. The Bill of Sale guide walks through them.

Open the Bill of Sale guide

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ILLINOIS VEHICLE BILL OF SALE\n\n(Illinois does not publish an official bill-of-sale form. This document is a supplementary record of a private-party vehicle sale. Title transfer is completed with an Application for Vehicle Transaction(s) (Form VSD 190) and the assigned title with the odometer certified on the back; the seller separately files a Seller's Report of Sale (Form VSD 703); and the buyer files Form RUT-50 for the Private Party Vehicle Use Tax.)\n\nSELLER\nName: [SELLER NAME]\nAddress: [SELLER ADDRESS]\n\nBUYER\nName: [BUYER NAME]\nAddress: [BUYER ADDRESS]\n\nVEHICLE\nYear: [YEAR] Make: [MAKE] Model: [MODEL]\nBody Type: [BODY TYPE] Color: [COLOR]\nVehicle Identification Number (VIN): [VIN]\n\nSALE PRICE\nThe Seller sells the vehicle described above to the Buyer for $[SALE PRICE].\nDate of Sale: [DATE]\n\nODOMETER DISCLOSURE\nThe Seller states the odometer reads [ODOMETER] miles. (Federal law, 49 CFR 580, requires the transferor to disclose the mileage on transfer for covered vehicles. In Illinois the odometer reading is also certified on the back of the certificate of title in the assignment section, with the date of sale.) The reading is:\n[ ] the actual mileage [ ] in excess of its mechanical limits [ ] not the actual mileage (WARNING: odometer discrepancy)\n\nAS-IS\nUnless stated otherwise here, the Seller sells the vehicle AS-IS, with no warranty of any kind, and the Buyer accepts the vehicle in its present condition.\n[Optional warranty terms: ____________________]\n\nILLINOIS TAX NOTE\nThe Buyer is responsible for filing Form RUT-50 (Private Party Vehicle Use Tax) within 30 days of acquiring the vehicle. For a purchase price under $15,000 the tax is generally set by the vehicle's model year and age; for a selling price of $15,000 or more the tax is based on the selling price. Confirm the current amount on the Form RUT-50 instructions.\n\nSIGNATURES\nSeller Signature: ________________________ Date: __________\nPrinted Name: [SELLER NAME]\n\nBuyer Signature: ________________________ Date: __________\nPrinted Name: [BUYER NAME]\n\n(No notarization is required for a private-party vehicle transfer in Illinois.)

Illinois Requirements for Bill of Sale

No Official Form; No Notarization

Illinois does not publish an official bill-of-sale form, so a written bill of sale is a supplementary record you create. No notarization of the bill of sale or the title assignment is required for a private-party vehicle transfer.

Use VSD 190 and VSD 703 for the Transfer

Title transfer is completed with the Secretary of State's Application for Vehicle Transaction(s) (Form VSD 190) and the assigned title. The seller separately files a Seller's Report of Sale (Form VSD 703). The bill of sale supplements these, it does not replace them.

Vehicle Description and VIN

Record the VIN, year, make, model, body type, and color of the vehicle, along with the seller and buyer names and the date of sale, so the bill of sale matches the title and the RUT-50 filing.

Odometer Certified on the Title

Be sure the odometer reading is certified properly on the back of the title in the assignment section, with the date of sale. The federal baseline (49 CFR 580) requires disclosure on transfer for model-year-2011-and-newer vehicles under 20 model years old. Recording the reading on the bill of sale keeps a matching copy.

Private Party Vehicle Use Tax (Form RUT-50)

File Form RUT-50 within 30 days of acquiring the vehicle. For a purchase price under $15,000 the tax is set by the vehicle's model year and age; for a selling price of $15,000 or more the tax is based on the selling price. Confirm the current $15,000 model-year split on the Form RUT-50 instructions.

Record Model Year and Price

Because tax under $15,000 follows the vehicle's model year and only the price at or above $15,000 drives the tax, record both the model year and the sale price on the bill of sale so your RUT-50 figures are easy to support.

Title at the Secretary of State Within 30 Days

Title at the Illinois Secretary of State, Vehicle Services Department (501 S. 2nd St., Springfield, IL 62756). Submit Form VSD 190, the assigned title, and Form RUT-50 with any tax due. The title fee is $165, and RUT-50 is due within 30 days of acquiring the vehicle.

Bill of Sale Optional, RUT-50 Required

A bill of sale is optional and supplementary; it is not required to title or register. The required submissions for a private-party purchase are Form VSD 190 with the assigned title and Form RUT-50 with payment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Illinois does not require a bill of sale to transfer or register a vehicle. Title transfer is accomplished with an Application for Vehicle Transaction(s) (Form VSD 190) plus the assigned title with the odometer certified on the back, and for private-party purchases Form RUT-50 with any tax due. A bill of sale is supplementary. It is still useful as a dated record of the parties, the vehicle, the price, and an as-is sale.

No. Illinois does not require a vehicle bill of sale or the title assignment to be notarized for a private-party transfer. Title transfers through the certified odometer section on the back of the title plus Form VSD 190. Signatures from the buyer and the seller are enough to make the bill of sale a useful record of the transaction.

No. The Illinois Secretary of State does not publish an official bill-of-sale form. It does publish a Seller's Report of Sale (Form VSD 703) that the seller files and an Application for Vehicle Transaction(s) (Form VSD 190) used to apply for title, but neither is a bill of sale. You can use a written bill of sale as a supplementary record of the sale.

Private-party buyers owe the Private Party Vehicle Use Tax on Form RUT-50, due within 30 days of acquiring the vehicle. When the purchase price is under $15,000, the tax amount is set by the vehicle's model year and age rather than by the price. When the selling price is $15,000 or more, the tax is based on the selling or purchase price. Confirm the current amounts on the Form RUT-50 instructions.

You title at the Illinois Secretary of State, Vehicle Services Department (501 S. 2nd St., Springfield, IL 62756). Submit the Application for Vehicle Transaction(s) (Form VSD 190), the assigned title with the odometer certified on the back, and Form RUT-50 with any tax due. The title fee is $165, and Form RUT-50 is due within 30 days of acquiring the vehicle.

Include the seller and buyer names, the vehicle's VIN, year, make, model, body type, and color, the odometer reading and date of sale, the sale price, an as-is or warranty statement, the date, and both signatures. Because Illinois certifies the odometer on the back of the title and computes RUT-50 tax by model year under $15,000, the bill of sale also records the model year and price for your file.