How to Fill Out an Arkansas Bill of Sale (Form 10-313)

Arkansas’s Vehicle Bill of Sale and Odometer Disclosure Statement, known as Form 10-313, records the buyer, seller, vehicle, odometer reading, and purchase price for a private-party sale. Fill it out with the seller at the time of the transaction, make sure both parties sign, and bring it to a Revenue Office within 60 days to register the vehicle and pay sales tax. You can download the form from the Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) website or pick up a printed copy at any local Revenue Office.¹

Who Uses This Form

Form 10-313 is for private sales of motor vehicles, trailers, semitrailers, and motorboats. If you buy from a licensed dealer, the dealership handles the paperwork and collects the tax. In a private sale, the bill of sale is how the state confirms what you paid, and that number sets your sales tax bill.²

Filling Out Form 10-313 Section by Section

The form runs one page with nine numbered sections. Both parties should sit down together and complete it at the time of sale so the details match and signatures happen on the spot.

Section 1: Vehicle Identification Number

Copy the full VIN from the dashboard plate or the door jamb sticker. One wrong character will stall the title application, so verify each digit against the vehicle itself, not the seller’s memory.

Section 2: Buyer Information

Enter the buyer’s full legal name and physical street address with city, state, and ZIP. A P.O. Box alone won’t satisfy the DFA.

Section 3: Company Information

Complete this only if the buyer is a business entity. Individual buyers leave it blank.

Section 4: Seller Name and Address

The seller’s full legal name and physical address go here, whether the seller is an individual or a dealership.

Section 5: Purchase Date

Write the exact calendar date of the transaction. This date starts the 60-day clock for registration under Arkansas Code § 27-14-903.³

Section 6: Vehicle Description and Trade-In

List the year, make, model, and colors of the vehicle being purchased. If a trade-in is part of the deal, add the trade-in vehicle’s year, make, model, and VIN in the same section. These fields matter for the tax calculation described below.

Section 7: Odometer Disclosure

The seller writes in the odometer reading with no tenths and checks one of three boxes: the reading reflects actual mileage, the odometer has exceeded its mechanical limits, or an odometer discrepancy exists. A blank or wrong box gets the paperwork rejected. If the odometer has rolled over or been replaced, choose “exceeds mechanical limits” rather than estimating true mileage.⁴

Federal law requires the odometer disclosure for any vehicle less than 20 model years old at the time of sale, with exemptions for vehicles rated above 16,000 pounds gross vehicle weight and non-self-propelled vehicles.⁵ The 20-year threshold applies to model year 2011 and newer. Model year 2010 and older vehicles fall under the earlier 10-year rule and are now fully exempt.⁶

Section 8: Sales Price and Signatures

Write the full sales price, subtract any trade-in allowance, and show the net taxable amount. Both buyer and seller print their names and sign.

Section 9: Fraud Warning

This is not a field to complete. It reminds both parties that understating the purchase price to reduce the tax bill is a felony under Arkansas law.⁴

When You Don’t Need a Separate 10-313

If the seller is surrendering an Arkansas title with a control number of 3003001 or greater, the bill of sale and odometer statement printed on the back of the title itself will do, as long as every field on it is fully completed. You need a standalone Form 10-313 when the Arkansas title has a control number below 3003001 or when the seller is surrendering an out-of-state title.⁷

Why the Price on the Form Matters

Arkansas charges a 6.5% state gross receipts tax on most vehicle purchases, plus applicable local taxes based on the buyer’s county. If the total purchase price is under $4,000, no state sales tax applies. Used vehicles sold from $4,000 to $9,999 fall under a reduced rate schedule, and $10,000 or more pays the full 6.5%.²

The trade-in fields in Section 6 tie into a separate tax break. If you sell a used vehicle within 45 days before or after buying your new one, you can claim a sales tax credit and pay tax only on the net difference. The credit equals the cash proceeds from the sale and cannot exceed what you paid for the replacement vehicle after any trade-in allowance. To claim it, you need a bill of sale from the private sale showing both parties’ names and addresses, the vehicle description and VIN, the sale price, the date, and both signatures — exactly what Form 10-313 captures.⁸ If the sold vehicle brought more than the new one cost, you owe no sales tax on the new purchase, but the surplus is not refunded.⁴

What to Bring With the Form

The completed bill of sale is one piece of the registration package. Miss the 60-day deadline and you owe a 10% penalty on the sales tax before the DFA will issue a registration.² Bring:

The previous owner’s title, properly signed over to you, or the manufacturer’s certificate of origin for a new vehicle.
Form 10-313 completed and signed by both parties (or the back-of-title equivalent as noted above).
Proof of current liability insurance on the vehicle.
A receipt from your county tax collector or stamped assessment papers showing personal property taxes due by the previous October 15th have been paid, plus proof the vehicle has been assessed or listed for assessment for the current year.
A signed lien contract if you financed the purchase.

The title fee is $10.00, a plate transfer from a previous vehicle is $1.00, and lien filing adds $0.50.⁹ Sales tax is collected at the window along with these fees. A vehicle brought in on an out-of-state title with a salvage or similar branded designation also needs a VIN verification by a certified law enforcement officer or the Arkansas State Police before the DFA will process the application.⁷

One point that catches buyers off guard: Arkansas treats privately owned vehicles as personal property, so you cannot finish registration without proof the vehicle has been assessed by your county assessor for the current year. Report the vehicle between January 1 and May 31 to avoid a 10% late-assessment penalty.¹⁰

Boats and Watercraft

Form 10-313 covers motorboats too, but the bill of sale needs different vehicle data. For a watercraft sale, include the hull identification number (HIN), year, make, horsepower, sale amount, date, and both signatures. A trailer included in the sale must be itemized separately on the bill of sale or listed on its own form. Boat owners have 30 days from purchase to register with the DFA.¹¹

Inherited Vehicles

A bill of sale isn’t the right document when you’re inheriting a vehicle. If the previous owner died and the estate is not going through probate, use the DFA’s Affidavit of Inheritance of a Motor Vehicle (Form 10-306) instead. The affidavit lists the vehicle’s year, make, model, body style, and VIN, states that the estate has not been administered, and must be signed by all heirs at law consenting to the transfer.¹²

1
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Motor Vehicle Forms
2
Justia Law. Arkansas Code 26-52-510 – Direct Payment of Tax by Consumer
3
FindLaw. Arkansas Code Title 27 Transportation 27-14-903
4
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Arkansas Vehicle Bill of Sale/Odometer Disclosure Statement
5
eCFR. 49 CFR Part 580 – Odometer Disclosure Requirements
6
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Consumer Alert – Changes to Odometer Disclosure Requirements
7
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Vehicle Tag Renewal
8
Legal Information Institute. 006.05.08 Ark. Code R. 12.1 – Sales Tax Credit for Private Sale of a Used Vehicle
9
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Motor Vehicle Registration Fee Schedule
10
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Individual Personal Property
11
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Motor Boat Registration
12
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Affidavit of Inheritance of a Motor Vehicle