A Wisconsin vehicle bill of sale is an optional document that records the terms of a private vehicle sale between individuals. The state does not require one to transfer ownership — the signed title does that — but completing WisDOT Form MV2928, or an equivalent written record, creates a paper trail that protects both parties if a dispute arises about the sale price, the vehicle’s condition, or the date it changed hands.1Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Selling Your Vehicle The form is free, and filling it out takes only a few minutes.
What to Gather First
Before you sit down with the form, pull together the information you’ll need. Working from the vehicle’s paperwork rather than memory prevents the kind of small errors that cause problems at the DMV later.
- The 17-character vehicle identification number from the dashboard near the windshield or the driver’s door jamb. Copy it character by character.
- The year, make, and model as shown on the title.
- The odometer reading at the time of sale.
- The agreed purchase price. The buyer will owe Wisconsin sales tax based on this figure.
- The original Wisconsin title, signed on the back by the seller to assign ownership.
Buyers should also run the VIN through WisDOT’s online lien holder search before paying anything.2Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Lien Holder Search If a lender still holds a lien, the seller cannot legally transfer a clear title until the loan is paid off. A five-minute search prevents a serious mess.
How to Complete Form MV2928
Form MV2928 is available on the WisDOT vehicle forms page as a downloadable PDF.3Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Vehicle Registration Forms and Publications If you prefer, you can draft your own document with the same information; the state does not require a specific format.1Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Selling Your Vehicle
Whichever version you use, include the VIN, year, make, model, odometer reading, purchase price, and the full names and addresses of both the buyer and the seller. Both parties sign and date it. Wisconsin does not require a notary — two signatures and a date are enough to make the document valid.
Print two copies so each side keeps one. The buyer’s copy proves the purchase price when sales tax is calculated at registration, and the seller’s copy is evidence the vehicle left their possession on a specific date. Store it somewhere you can find it years from now.
Odometer Disclosure
Wisconsin Statute 342.155 requires every seller to disclose the vehicle’s mileage in writing to the buyer at the time of transfer.4Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 342.155 – Mileage Disclosure Requirements of Transferors and Transferees The disclosure must say whether the reading is the actual mileage, whether it is unreliable, or whether the odometer has exceeded its mechanical limit. The buyer prints their name and signs the disclosure as well.
This disclosure is typically made on the back of the title itself, not on the bill of sale. WisDOT’s eMV Public system specifies that sellers of vehicles model year 2011 and newer must write the odometer reading on the title at the date of sale.5Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Title and Register Your Vehicle With eMV Public Older vehicles are generally exempt.
Getting this wrong carries real penalties. A seller who knowingly provides a false mileage reading faces a forfeiture of up to $1,000 for a standard violation, and a false reading made with intent to defraud becomes a Class H felony under Wisconsin law.4Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 342.155 – Mileage Disclosure Requirements of Transferors and Transferees Federal law adds a civil remedy under 49 U.S.C. § 32710: a buyer who discovers odometer fraud can sue for three times actual damages or $10,000, whichever is greater, plus attorney’s fees, within two years.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 USC 32710 – Civil Actions by Private Persons
Gifts and Family Transfers
Vehicles given as gifts or transferred between certain family members are exempt from Wisconsin sales tax, provided the vehicle already carries a Wisconsin title.7Wisconsin Department of Transportation. eMV Public Glossary The purchase price on the bill of sale and the title application is entered as zero. Qualifying relationships include:
- Spouse or ex-spouse
- Parent or stepparent
- Child or stepchild, including a child’s spouse
- Mother-in-law or father-in-law
- A sole proprietor transferring to a family member
Transfers using an out-of-state title do not qualify for the family exemption; the vehicle must already be titled in Wisconsin.8Wisconsin Department of Transportation. eMV Public FAQs – Purchase Price Information Even for exempt transfers, a bill of sale documenting the gift keeps the record clean.
If the vehicle’s fair market value is high enough, the giver may also need to file IRS Form 709. The 2026 annual gift tax exclusion is $19,000 per recipient.9Internal Revenue Service. What’s New — Estate and Gift Tax Tax is rarely owed, but the form is required when the value exceeds the exclusion.
What Sellers Do After the Sale
Signing the title and the bill of sale is only part of the job. Three tasks remain.
Notify WisDOT
Wisconsin law requires the seller to notify WisDOT within 30 days of a private sale.10Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 342.16 The quickest way is through the Seller Notify tool, where you enter the VIN, buyer’s identity, sale date, and sale price.11Wisconsin Department of Transportation. WisDOT – Seller Notify Save or print the confirmation page, because the notification is not recorded on the vehicle record itself; the confirmation is your only proof you filed it.12Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Seller Notification WisDOT is explicit that seller notification supplements, rather than replaces, the title transfer process.
Take Your Plates
In Wisconsin, plates on autos and light trucks of 8,000 pounds or under belong to the owner, not the vehicle. Never leave them on a vehicle you sell.13Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Selling a Vehicle If you’re buying another vehicle, you can transfer the plates. Otherwise, destroy them by cutting them up. They cannot be used by anyone else.
Call Your Insurer
Contact your insurance company once the title is signed, the bill of sale is complete, and the seller notification is in. Have a copy of the bill of sale ready as proof you no longer own the vehicle. If you’re replacing the vehicle, ask your insurer to switch coverage to the new one rather than canceling; a gap in coverage can push up your next policy’s premium.
What Buyers Do After the Sale
Buyers must title and register the vehicle before driving it legally in Wisconsin. There are two routes: online through eMV Public, or in person at a DMV service center.5Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Title and Register Your Vehicle With eMV Public Online, you’ll need a Wisconsin driver’s license or ID, the last four digits of your Social Security number, the signed title, and any lien release document if a prior loan has been paid off. Paying with a checking or savings account through ACH avoids the surcharges attached to credit cards, debit cards, and PayPal. After paying online, you still mail the original signed title and your printed receipt to WisDOT. In person, bring the signed title, the bill of sale, and payment to any Wisconsin DMV office.
Fees
The title transfer fee is $214.50 as of October 1, 2025.14Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Vehicle Title Fees On top of that, you owe Wisconsin’s 5% state sales tax on the purchase price, plus any county or city sales tax where the vehicle will be kept.15Wisconsin Department of Revenue. DOR Tax Rates The Department of Revenue publishes a rate lookup tool for the combined rate at your address.16Wisconsin Department of Revenue. Wisconsin State and Local Sales Tax Rate Lookup Registration fees are separate and vary by vehicle type.
Temporary Plates
Wisconsin requires vehicles weighing up to 8,000 pounds to display a permanent or temporary plate within two business days of purchase.17Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Temporary License Plates Through eMV Public, you can print a temporary plate valid for 90 days while your permanent plates are processed. If you’re transferring plates from a vehicle you already own, put them on the new vehicle before driving.
If the Vehicle Still Has a Lien
When a vehicle still carries an outstanding loan, the seller cannot hand you a clean title until the lien is cleared. The lien holder search tells you immediately whether the title was delivered to the owner or to a lender.2Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Lien Holder Search If a lien is present, the seller must contact their lender for the exact payoff amount and clear the balance, from the sale proceeds or out of pocket. Only after the lender releases the lien with WisDOT can the seller sign a clean title over to you.
Do not hand over the full purchase price until you have the title in hand with no lienholder listed, or a valid lien release accompanying the title. A bill of sale alone does not transfer ownership. Only the title does that.