Missouri Used Car Sales Tax: Rates, Deadlines & Penalties

Sales tax on a used car in Missouri runs 4.225% to the state plus a local rate set by your home address, for a combined bill between 4.225% and 10.725% of the taxable price.1Missouri Department of Revenue. Motor Vehicle Sales Tax Rate Chart You pay it when you title the vehicle at a Department of Revenue license office, and you have 30 days from the purchase date to do that.2Missouri Department of Revenue. Buying a Vehicle

How Your Combined Rate Is Built

Every used-vehicle purchase is taxed at the state rate of 4.225%, no matter where the car was located or who sold it.2Missouri Department of Revenue. Buying a Vehicle County and city taxes are then added based on where you live, not where the seller is. Two buyers on the same street who buy identical cars from sellers in different parts of the state owe the same tax.

Local add-ons range from zero in some rural areas to as much as 6.5% in certain municipalities.1Missouri Department of Revenue. Motor Vehicle Sales Tax Rate Chart On a $15,000 car, that difference puts the tax bill somewhere between roughly $634 and about $1,609. Before you buy, look up your exact rate using the Department of Revenue’s online tax calculator.3Missouri Department of Revenue. Tax Calculator

What Gets Taxed

Missouri taxes the sale price shown on your bill of sale, less any trade-in allowance or rebate.2Missouri Department of Revenue. Buying a Vehicle

Dealer Trade-In

Trade a car in as part of the same transaction and the dealer’s allowance comes off the price before tax. Buy a $20,000 car and trade yours in for $5,000, and tax is calculated on $15,000.4Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 144.025 – Transactions Involving Trade-in or Rebate, How Computed

Private-Sale Credit (180 Days)

You get a similar break between two private deals. Sell your old car to one person, buy a replacement from another, and the sale price of the car you sold is credited against the price of the car you bought. The sale and the purchase have to fall within 180 days of each other, and you need to bring both bills of sale to the license office. If titling takes longer, you can still claim the credit as long as the purchase or contract was finalized inside the 180-day window.5Missouri Revisor of Statutes. RSMo Section 144.025 A lot of private buyers miss this because they assume trade-in credits only apply at dealerships.

When You Don’t Owe Missouri Tax

Genuine Gifts

A vehicle received as a true gift, with no money or anything of value exchanged, is not taxed. The giver completes the gift section of Form 768, the General Affidavit, swearing nothing was paid.6Missouri Department of Revenue. General Affidavit Form 7687Missouri Department of Revenue. Additional Motor Vehicle Form Information The new owner brings the completed affidavit and the assigned title to the license office. If any money changed hands, even well below market value, it isn’t a gift, and the affidavit is a sworn legal statement.

Vehicles Bought Out of State

If you owned and operated the vehicle in another state for at least 90 days before titling it in Missouri, no additional Missouri sales tax is owed. Owned it for less than 90 days? Missouri credits whatever sales tax you already paid elsewhere, and you owe the difference up to Missouri’s combined rate. If the other state charged more, you don’t get a refund, but nothing is due here. Bring proof of the tax paid.8Missouri Department of Revenue. Motor Vehicle Titling and Registration The 30-day titling deadline still applies.

The 30-Day Deadline and Late Penalties

You have 30 days from the purchase date to title the vehicle and pay the tax at a license office.2Missouri Department of Revenue. Buying a Vehicle Miss day 30 and a $25 penalty attaches on day 31, growing by another $25 every 30 days up to a $200 cap.8Missouri Department of Revenue. Motor Vehicle Titling and Registration This applies whether you bought from a dealer or a private party; both types of purchase currently go through the license office the same way.

Other Fees Due at the Same Visit

Buying a used electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid adds an annual special fuel decal: $150 for fully electric passenger vehicles and $75 for plug-in hybrids, plus a $9 processing fee.10Missouri Department of Revenue. Special Fuel Decals Plug-in hybrids must be model year 2018 or newer. Standard hybrids are not subject to the decal.

What to Bring to the License Office

Arriving without the right paperwork means a second trip. Bring:

  • The original title, signed over to you, with the VIN and seller’s signature legible.
  • Bill of Sale (Form 1957) showing purchase price, sale date, and vehicle details.11Missouri Department of Revenue. Bill of Sale or Even-Trade Bill of Sale
  • Odometer disclosure recording mileage at sale.
  • A paid personal property tax receipt from your county collector, or a statement of non-assessment from your county assessor if none was due. Missouri will not register the vehicle without one.12Missouri Revisor of Statutes. RSMo Section 301.025
  • If claiming the 180-day private-sale credit, bills of sale for both the vehicle you sold and the one you bought.

The personal property tax requirement is the one that catches new residents off guard. If you’ve recently moved to Missouri, call your county assessor’s office for the non-assessment statement before you head to the counter.