Mississippi Vehicle Bill of Sale
Mississippi taxes a casual car sale at 5% of true value, not the stated price, at the county tax collector.
Introduction
A Mississippi vehicle bill of sale records a private car, truck, or motorcycle sale, the parties, the vehicle, the price, the odometer reading, and the as-is terms. Mississippi does not publish an official state bill of sale form. The Department of Revenue title-forms index lists an Odometer Disclosure Statement (Form 78-015) but no form named Bill of Sale, and what conveys and titles the vehicle is the assigned certificate of title, not the bill of sale. The detail that sets Mississippi apart is where and how you pay. You title and register at your local county Tax Collector's office, not a central DMV, and a casual sale from a non-dealer is taxed under Miss. Code Ann. 27-65-201 at 5 percent of the vehicle's true value taken from the state's official motor-vehicle assessment schedule, not the price written on your bill of sale. At that same county counter the buyer also pays the road and bridge privilege tax, the ad valorem (county property) tax, and registration fees, a distinctly Mississippi multi-tax combo collected together as a prerequisite to registration. A standard private in-state bill of sale is not notarized. Per the Department of Revenue, a newly purchased vehicle should be registered within 30 business days of the purchase date. DocDraft drafts a Mississippi vehicle bill of sale from your facts, with attorney review available.
Key Things to Know
- 1
There is no official Mississippi state bill of sale form. The Department of Revenue title-forms index publishes an Odometer Disclosure Statement (Form 78-015) but no form named Bill of Sale, so a Mississippi bill of sale is a private supporting document. Title transfer runs through the assigned certificate of title.
- 2
A standard private in-state Mississippi vehicle bill of sale does not need to be notarized. The Department of Revenue lists a notarized bill of sale only among required documents for foreign (out-of-country) vehicle imports; for an ordinary in-state sale, signatures of buyer and seller are sufficient.
- 3
Odometer disclosure uses the standalone Department of Revenue Odometer Disclosure Statement (Form 78-015), confirmed in the title-forms index. The federal baseline under 49 CFR 580 applies, with the post-2021 disclosure period extending to 20 model years.
- 4
A casual (non-dealer) Mississippi sale is taxed at 5 percent under Miss. Code Ann. 27-65-201, but on the vehicle's TRUE VALUE from the state's official motor-vehicle assessment schedule, NOT the price written on the bill of sale. So unlike most states, the stated price does not set the tax, the assessment schedule does. Confirm the current schedule value with your county Tax Collector.
- 5
You title and register at your local county Tax Collector's office, not a central DMV. Vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of 10,000 pounds or less register at the county Tax Collector. Per the Department of Revenue, register a newly purchased vehicle within 30 business days of the purchase date.
- 6
A bill of sale is optional and supplementary for a standard private sale. The assigned title transfers ownership, and the Department of Revenue instructs that the seller fill out all title-assignment sections except the buyer's printed name and signature. A bill of sale is referenced mainly for foreign-vehicle, salvage, or replacement-title situations.
- 7
The standout Mississippi rule is the county-tax-collector multi-tax combo. At one counter the buyer pays the 5-percent casual-sale tax on true value, the road and bridge privilege tax, the ad valorem (county property) tax, and registration fees together, as a prerequisite to registration. Ad valorem is assessed at 30 percent of original MSRP, depreciated over 10 years, times the county millage rate, less the 1994 Legislative Tag Credit of 5 percent of assessed value.
Key decisions before you file
Before you file a Bill of Sale in Mississippi, 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 guideCustomize your Bill of Sale Template with DocDraft
Mississippi Requirements for Bill of Sale
Mississippi does not publish an official state bill of sale form. The Department of Revenue title-forms index lists an Odometer Disclosure Statement (Form 78-015) but no form named Bill of Sale. The assigned certificate of title transfers ownership; the Department of Revenue instructs the seller to complete all title-assignment sections except the buyer's printed name and signature. A bill of sale, when used, is a private document.
A standard private in-state Mississippi vehicle bill of sale does not need to be notarized. The Department of Revenue lists a notarized bill of sale only among the documents required for foreign (out-of-country) vehicle imports. For an ordinary in-state sale, signatures of the buyer and seller are sufficient and no notary block is required.
Identify the vehicle by VIN, year, make, model, body style, and color, and identify the seller and buyer by name and address, with the sale price and the date of sale.
Mississippi uses the Department of Revenue standalone Odometer Disclosure Statement (Form 78-015), confirmed in the title-forms index, following the federal baseline under 49 CFR 580 (post-2021, the disclosure period extends to 20 model years). Complete it at transfer and confirm current exempt-vehicle rules with the Department of Revenue.
A casual (non-dealer) Mississippi sale is taxed at 5 percent under Miss. Code Ann. 27-65-201, levied on the vehicle's true value from the state's official motor-vehicle assessment schedule, not on the bill-of-sale price. The county Tax Collector collects it at the time of, and as a prerequisite to, registration. Confirm the current schedule value with your county Tax Collector.
Mississippi also levies a road and bridge privilege tax and a motor-vehicle ad valorem (county property) tax, paid together with the casual-sale tax and registration fees at the county Tax Collector. Ad valorem is assessed at 30 percent of original MSRP, depreciated over 10 years, times the county millage rate, less the 1994 Legislative Tag Credit of 5 percent of assessed value.
Title and register the vehicle at your local county Tax Collector's office, not a central DMV. Vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of 10,000 pounds or less register at the county Tax Collector. Bring the assigned certificate of title and the Odometer Disclosure Statement (Form 78-015).
Per the Department of Revenue, register a newly purchased vehicle within 30 business days of the purchase date; the Department states that failure to register within 30 days results in standard late penalties plus an additional $250 penalty. Confirm the current deadline and penalty with the Department of Revenue or your county Tax Collector.
Frequently Asked Questions
A bill of sale is optional in Mississippi for a standard private sale, not a requirement to transfer or title the vehicle. The assigned certificate of title conveys ownership, and the Department of Revenue instructs the seller to complete all title-assignment sections except the buyer's printed name and signature. A bill of sale is a useful private record of the price, odometer reading, and as-is terms, and is referenced mainly for foreign-vehicle, salvage, or replacement-title situations.
No, not for a standard private in-state vehicle sale. The Mississippi Department of Revenue lists a notarized bill of sale only among the documents required for foreign (out-of-country) vehicle imports. For an ordinary in-state private sale, the assigned title conveys the vehicle and signatures of the buyer and seller are sufficient documentation of the sale, with no notary block required.
No. The Mississippi Department of Revenue title-forms index does not publish a form named Bill of Sale. It does list an Odometer Disclosure Statement (Form 78-015), but no general bill of sale form. Title transfer runs through the assigned certificate of title, and titling is handled at the county Tax Collector's office rather than a central DMV. A bill of sale, when used, is a private document.
A casual (non-dealer) Mississippi sale is taxed at 5 percent under Miss. Code Ann. 27-65-201, levied on the vehicle's true value from the state's official motor-vehicle assessment schedule, not on the price written on the bill of sale. The county Tax Collector collects it as a prerequisite to registration, along with the road and bridge privilege tax, the ad valorem (county property) tax, and registration fees. Confirm the current schedule value and rates with your county Tax Collector.
You title and register a vehicle in Mississippi at your local county Tax Collector's office, not a central DMV. Vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of 10,000 pounds or less register at the county Tax Collector. Per the Department of Revenue, register a newly purchased vehicle within 30 business days of the purchase date. At the counter you pay the 5-percent casual-sale tax on true value, the road and bridge privilege tax, the ad valorem tax, and registration fees.
A Mississippi vehicle bill of sale should identify the seller and buyer, describe the vehicle by VIN, year, make, model, body style, and color, state the sale price, record the odometer reading and disclosure, state that the vehicle is sold as-is unless a warranty is given, and include the date of sale and both signatures. Mississippi does not require notarization for a standard private sale. Keep the Odometer Disclosure Statement (Form 78-015) with it, and bring the assigned title to the county Tax Collector.