How to Complete and Submit the California DMV Refund Form (ADM 399)

The California DMV refund form ADM 399 is the one-page application you use to get money back from the Department of Motor Vehicles when you’ve overpaid or paid a fee you didn’t owe. It covers vehicle and vessel registration fees, driver license and ID card fees, and special certificate or financial responsibility fees. Fill it out, attach proof of payment and proof of the reason for the refund, and mail it to Sacramento or hand it in at any DMV field office. The DMV will respond within about 30 days of receiving your packet, and any refund check is issued from DMV Headquarters in Sacramento.¹

When a Refund Is Available

California Vehicle Code Section 42231 lets you apply whenever a fee or penalty was more than legally required, wasn’t owed at all, or resulted from a DMV calculation error.² Typical situations: paying the same registration bill twice, being charged a late penalty you shouldn’t have owed, or paying for a full year of registration on a vehicle that was sold, stolen, totaled, or junked before the new period began.

You have three years from the date of the original payment to file. Miss it and the DMV has no obligation to consider the claim, no matter how obvious the overpayment.³

Fees the DMV Won’t Refund

Some of what you paid isn’t eligible to come back. The DMV excludes the base registration fee, the weight fee, and miscellaneous fees from refunds.¹ The Vehicle License Fee is generally refundable in situations like a total loss, but a $28 service fee is deducted from any partial VLF refund on a totaled vehicle. If that $28 fee equals or exceeds the VLF you’d otherwise get back, no refund is issued.⁴ Knowing this before you write a number in Item 10 keeps your request within what the DMV will actually pay.

What to Gather Before You Start

The last three characters of the Vehicle Identification Number or Hull Identification Number. For a registration refund, you do not need the full 17-digit VIN.⁵
Your license plate number, vessel CF number, one-trip permit number, commercial requester account number, or IRP fleet number, depending on the type of refund.
Your driver license or receipt number, if the refund is for a driver license, commercial driver license, special certificate, or financial responsibility fee.
Proof of payment: the original registration receipt, a copy of the canceled check, or a credit card statement showing the charge.
Proof the vehicle left your possession, if that’s the reason: a bill of sale, a junk certificate from a licensed dismantler, or an insurance total-loss statement.
The exact date you paid and which DMV office, business partner, or Auto Club location handled the transaction.

Filling Out the Form

Download the current ADM 399 from the California DMV website. It’s a single page with 14 numbered items, and there’s no online submission option. Print it, complete it by hand or on the PDF, and either mail it or bring it in.¹

Items 1 Through 3: Name and Address

Item 1 is the name of the person or company entitled to the refund, last name first, then first name and middle initial. Spell it exactly as it should appear on the check. If the refund should go to someone other than the original payer, Item 5 is where you name that original payer. Items 2 and 3 are your complete mailing address, including city, state, and ZIP. For a “care of” address, put the c/o name first on the address line.⁵

Items 4 Through 9: Vehicle and Payment Details

Item 4 is the last three characters of the VIN or HIN, and applies only to registration refunds. Item 6 is your plate number, vessel registration number, or the relevant account or receipt number for the fee type. Item 6a has four checkboxes: Registration, Driver, Occupational, and Misc. Mark the one that matches your refund; anything that doesn’t fit the first three goes under Misc.

Item 7 is the date you paid. Item 8 is the DMV office or location where you paid. Item 9 asks whether you paid by credit card. Mark the appropriate box, because credit card refunds may be handled differently than check refunds.

Items 10 Through 14: Amount, Reason, and Signature

Item 10 is the exact dollar amount, including cents. Request only fees that are actually refundable, not the full amount you paid if some of it falls into the non-refundable categories above.

Item 11 is the most important field on the form. Check the box for the reason (duplicate payment, vehicle sold, and so on) and write a clear, specific statement in the space provided. Something like “Paid 2026 registration on 12/15/2025; vehicle sold on 12/20/2025 before registration period began” gives the reviewer the facts they need in one line. Vague explanations invite follow-up questions and delay the check.

Items 12, 13, and 14 are the date, your signature, and a daytime phone number. The DMV may call if something needs clarification, so use a number you’ll actually answer.⁵

Where to Send It

You can bring the completed form and supporting documents to any DMV field office, or mail everything to the central processing address:⁵

Department of Motor Vehicles
PO Box 942869 MS A235
Sacramento, CA 94269-0001⁶

If you mail it, use a trackable service. The 30-day response clock starts when the DMV receives the packet in Sacramento, not when you drop it in the mailbox. Keep a full photocopy of the signed form and every attachment, because if anything is lost in transit you’ll need to rebuild the packet from scratch.

After You Submit

The DMV will contact you within roughly 30 days of receiving the application, either with a refund check or with a request for more information.¹ Checks are issued from DMV Headquarters in Sacramento and mailed to the address you gave in Items 2 and 3.

If the DMV asks for more, respond quickly with exactly what they requested. A slow reply won’t restart the three-year deadline, but it can stretch the process out for months. If the request is denied, the letter should say why. Common reasons: asking for fees that aren’t refundable (like the base registration fee), missing proof of sale or disposal, or filing after the three-year window has closed.

Once the check arrives, deposit or cash it promptly. State-issued checks that sit uncashed long enough are transferred to the California State Controller’s Office as unclaimed property, and getting the money then means filing a separate claim through that program instead of just endorsing the check.

Total-Loss Vehicles

If your vehicle is declared a total loss by an insurance company, you can claim a partial refund of the Vehicle License Fee for the unused portion of the registration period. The DMV automatically subtracts the $28 total-loss VLF refund service fee from whatever you’re owed.⁴ Attach a copy of the insurance settlement or total-loss statement to the ADM 399 so the DMV can verify the loss date and prorate the VLF. The base registration fee and weight fee are not part of this refund, even in a total loss.¹

1
California DMV. Payments & Refunds
2
California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 42231 – Refund of Fees and Penalties
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California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 42232 – Refund of Fees and Penalties
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California DMV. Registration Fees
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California Department of Motor Vehicles. ADM 399 – Application for Refund
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California DMV. Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual – Refunds-General