How to Fill Out a Texas Title for Vehicle Transfer

Filling out a Texas title for vehicle transfer comes down to two documents and one deadline: complete the assignment section on the back of the Certificate of Title (odometer reading, seller signature, buyer information, and any new lienholder), then the buyer files that title along with Form 130-U and fees at any county tax assessor-collector’s office within 30 days of the sale.¹ Everything else is detail on how to get those fields right the first time.

What to Have Ready Before You Write on the Title

Both parties should sit down with the same set of facts so the title and Form 130-U match when the county clerk reviews them. Mismatches are the most common reason paperwork gets kicked back.

Full legal names and current addresses for every party, exactly as they should appear on the new title.
Driver’s license or state ID numbers for the buyer and seller.
The odometer reading at the moment of sale.
The agreed sale price and the date of sale.
A lien release from the seller’s lender if the vehicle was financed and is now paid off.
The new lienholder’s name, mailing address, and account number if the buyer is financing.

If a lender still holds an electronic lien on the vehicle, no paper title exists yet. The lienholder must notify TxDMV electronically within 10 days of the loan being satisfied, and a paper title is then mailed to the owner.² Wait for that paper title before setting a sale date.

Seller: Completing the Back of the Title

Odometer Disclosure

The odometer disclosure is the section federal and state investigators care about most. Texas Transportation Code Section 501.072 requires the seller to give the reading in compliance with federal law.³ For model year 2011 and newer vehicles, NHTSA extended the required disclosure window to 20 years, so nothing in that group becomes exempt until at least 2031.⁴ Vehicles model year 2010 or older remain exempt under the original 10-year rule.⁵

Write the exact number showing on the odometer at the time of sale. If the odometer has rolled past its mechanical limit, or you know the reading is not accurate, check the box on the title that says so. Do not round, estimate, or adjust. Odometer fraud is a federal offense.

Signature, Date, and Plates

Print and sign your name exactly as it appears on the front of the title. If two owners are listed and joined by “and,” both have to sign. If they’re joined by “or,” either signature is enough. Enter the date of sale. That signature releases your ownership.

Before the buyer drives off, remove the license plates and registration sticker. Texas law puts that on the seller. Plates can be moved to another vehicle you own or surrendered to TxDMV.⁶

Buyer: Completing the Back of the Title

The buyer’s fields are simpler but need to be right. Enter your full legal name and current mailing address in the buyer section. Record the purchase price. That number feeds directly into your sales tax calculation, so it has to be truthful and match what you’ll write on Form 130-U.

If a lender is financing the purchase, write the lienholder’s name, mailing address, and account number in the lien section. Those details need to match what the lender gave you, character for character; small differences can hold up the title. If you paid cash and there is no lien, leave the lien section blank.

Sign and print your name to accept the transfer. The title assignment is now complete.

Filing Form 130-U at the County Tax Office

The completed title alone does not put the vehicle in your name. The buyer also has to fill out Form 130-U, the Application for Texas Title and/or Registration, and submit it with the assigned title at any county tax assessor-collector’s office.⁷

Form 130-U asks for VIN, year, make, model, body style, and odometer reading (all of which should match the title), plus your county of residence, the previous owner’s name, and whether you want a title, registration, or both. Fields worth double-checking:

Applicant type: individual, business, government, trust, or non-profit.
Photo ID number and ID type.
Odometer reading, identical to the seller’s disclosure.
Lien information, including lienholder ID number and lien date if applicable.
Box 38 tax checkboxes, where you flag special situations like the $10 gift tax, the $90 new resident tax, or a tax exemption.

Keep copies of everything you sign. The county tax office processes the application and forwards it to TxDMV, and the new title arrives by mail in a few weeks.

Seller: File the Vehicle Transfer Notification

This is the step sellers most often skip. After the sale, file a Vehicle Transfer Notification with TxDMV. Once TxDMV receives it, the motor vehicle record is updated to show the vehicle as sold.⁶

If you file within 30 days of the sale date, you cannot be held responsible for parking tickets and toll violations the buyer racks up.⁶ Without it, the vehicle stays linked to your name until the buyer transfers the title, which they may or may not do promptly. The notification is filed online and takes a few minutes.

The 30-Day Deadline and Penalties

The buyer has 30 days from the date of sale to file the title, Form 130-U, and fees with the county tax office. Miss it and a $25 penalty applies immediately, with another $25 added for each month the title remains untransferred.¹ The county tax office and TxDMV cannot waive or reduce these penalties.

Active-duty military personnel get an additional 30 days, for a total of 60 before penalties start.¹ Everyone else should treat the 30-day window as hard.

What the Buyer Will Pay

Motor Vehicle Sales Tax

Texas charges 6.25% motor vehicle sales tax on private-party purchases, but the tax is calculated on the sales price or 80% of the vehicle’s Standard Presumptive Value (SPV), whichever is higher.⁸ SPV is a wholesale value the Comptroller assigns based on year, make, model, and mileage.

If you bought a truck for $15,000 but its SPV is $22,000, tax is owed on $17,600 (80% of $22,000) rather than the $15,000 you paid. If you genuinely paid less than 80% of SPV because of undisclosed mechanical problems or other defects, you can obtain a certified appraisal using Comptroller Form 14-128 and pay tax based on the appraised value.⁸ Getting the appraisal before your county visit avoids a second trip.

Title and Registration Fees

On top of sales tax, expect a title application fee (commonly around $33) and a base registration fee of $50.75 for passenger vehicles at or under 6,000 pounds.⁹ County fees are added to the base amount, so the total varies by county. A $7.50 inspection program replacement fee is also collected at registration, since non-commercial vehicles no longer need to pass a safety inspection before registering.¹⁰

Gift and Family Transfers

When an eligible family member gives a vehicle with no money changing hands, the recipient pays a flat $10 gift tax instead of 6.25%. Check the $10 gift tax box on Form 130-U and attach Comptroller Form 14-317. Community property transfers between spouses owe no motor vehicle tax at all.¹¹ Family transfers that do not meet the Comptroller’s eligibility rules, or that involve any payment, are taxed at the standard 6.25% rate.

1
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. State Law Requires Private Sale Vehicle Buyers to Title in 30 Days
2
LII / Legal Information Institute. 43 Texas Administrative Code 217.104 – Electronic Lien Title Program
3
State of Texas. Texas Transportation Code Chapter 501
4
Federal Register. Odometer Disclosure Requirements
5
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Consumer Alert: Changes to Odometer Disclosure Requirements
6
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Buying or Selling a Vehicle
7
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Application for Texas Title and/or Registration (Form 130-U)
8
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Standard Presumptive Value (SPV) – Motor Vehicle Tax Guide
9
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Schedule of Texas Registration Fees
10
Texas Department of Public Safety. Vehicle Safety Inspection Program Changes Now in Effect
11
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Family Transfers – Motor Vehicle Tax Guide