What you sign, what you do with the plates, what you tell the DMV, and how much a trade-in saves in sales tax in Wisconsin. Last checked 2026-10-31.
Short answer: to sell a car privately in Wisconsin, sign and date the title as the seller, fill in the odometer statement, the selling price and the buyer's name and address, and take your plates off: they stay with you, and if you don't move them to another car you destroy them (no refund, don't mail them to the DMV). Then file a seller notification with the DMV within 30 days. The buyer should title and register the car within two business days, pays the $214.50 title fee, and pays sales tax on the price. If you trade in at a dealer instead, Wisconsin taxes the price of the car you buy minus your trade-in, new or used: on a $10,000 trade-in that's $500 less state sales tax.
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| Make sure the title is in your name | Only a licensed dealer may sell a vehicle titled to someone else. Lost the title? Apply for a replacement and give the buyer that one (Wisconsin DMV: Selling your vehicle). |
| Clear any loan first | Pay off the loan, then get the title and a lien release from the lender. The buyer needs both to title the car (same DMV page). |
| Sign the right owners | Sign and date in the selling owner area. If the owners' names are joined by "and", every owner signs; if joined by "or", any one of them can sign (same DMV page). |
| Odometer and brands | For model year 2011 and newer, write the mileage and check Actual, Not Actual or In Excess of Mechanical Limits. If, while you owned it, the car was a taxi, police car or public transit vehicle, or was salvaged or flood damaged, disclose the brand: hiding it carries penalties up to $5,000 (same DMV page). |
| Price and buyer | Write the selling price and the buyer's name and address on the title. The DMV notes that the Department of Revenue investigates suspiciously low prices (same DMV page). |
| Take your plates off | On a car or light truck the plates stay with you. Move unexpired plates to a similar vehicle titled to you, your spouse or your domestic partner, or destroy them. There's no refund for the time left, and you don't return them to the DMV (Wisconsin DMV: Points to remember). If plates were left on the car, cancel them with form MV2514. |
| Notify the DMV | For a sale between two individuals, file a seller notification within 30 days: the VIN, the buyer, the price and the date of sale (Wis. Stat. 342.41). It's online and free. |
| Keep a record | A bill of sale isn't required. If you write one, include the year, make, model, VIN, odometer reading, both names, addresses and phone numbers, the price, the date and both signatures, and keep a copy. The DMV's MV2928 instructions are not a bill of sale. |
The DMV's checklist for sellers doesn't include a notary.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Title transfer | $214.50 (Wisconsin DMV: Title fees) |
| Lien, if they finance it | $10 to list it on the title |
| Sales tax | 5% state tax on the purchase price, plus county and city tax where the car will be kept, collected by the DMV when they title it |
| Plates | Their own: a new registration, or a transfer of plates they already have |
If the buyer will drive the car, they should title and register it within two business days of buying it (Wisconsin DMV).
On a private sale you don't collect any tax. The Wisconsin Department of Revenue says the buyer pays it when titling or registering, and county tax depends on where the car will be kept: 0.5% in the department's examples, 0.9% in Milwaukee County plus the City of Milwaukee's 2% since January 1, 2024 (Wisconsin DOR Fact Sheet 2113). Transfers to a surviving spouse, domestic partner or qualifying family member have no title fee.
Federal law requires a written mileage disclosure when ownership changes. Cars from model year 2011 on stay covered until they're 20 years old; model year 2010 and older are exempt (49 CFR 580.17). Wisconsin's title asks for it the same way: write the actual number from the odometer the day you sell.
Wisconsin taxes the price minus the trade-in when you trade a car in to the dealer as part of the purchase, whether the car you're buying is new or used (Wis. Admin. Code Tax 11.83; the DMV defines purchase price as "the money paid for the purchase of the vehicle, minus any trade-in allowance", WisDOT). At the 5% state rate:
| Trade-in value | State sales tax saved (new or used) |
|---|---|
| $5,000 | $250 |
| $10,000 | $500 |
| $15,000 | $750 |
| $20,000 | $1,000 |
County and city tax add a little more. Sell the car yourself and buy from a dealer, and you pay tax on the full price of the next car. That saving is what a private sale has to beat. Trade in or sell it yourself? · Trade-in tax in other states
Who keeps the license plates when you sell a car in Wisconsin? The seller. On a car or light truck, remove the plates before the buyer drives away. You can move unexpired plates to a similar vehicle titled to you, your spouse or your domestic partner; otherwise destroy them. The DMV gives no refund for the time left and doesn't want the plates back.
Do I have to tell the Wisconsin DMV I sold my car? Yes, for a sale between two individuals. File a seller notification online within 30 days with the VIN, the buyer's name, the price and the date of sale. It's free. A dealer trade-in doesn't need one.
Does a Wisconsin car title need to be notarized when you sell? The DMV's checklist for sellers doesn't include a notary. Sign and date as the seller (every owner if the names are joined by "and"), and fill in the odometer statement, any brand disclosure, the price and the buyer's name and address.
How long does the buyer have to title a car in Wisconsin? If they'll drive it, the DMV says to title and register it within two business days of the purchase. The title fee is $214.50, and sales tax on the price is collected at the same time.
Does a trade-in lower the sales tax in Wisconsin? Yes, new or used. Wisconsin taxes the price minus your trade-in when you trade it to the dealer as part of the purchase. At the 5% state rate, that's $500 less tax on a $10,000 trade-in, plus a little more in county tax.
Do private car sales in Wisconsin pay sales tax? Yes. The seller doesn't collect it; the buyer pays 5% state tax plus county and city tax on the purchase price when titling the car with the DMV.
General information from Wisconsin and federal sources, not legal or tax advice. Check with the Wisconsin DMV before you sell. How we estimate your trade-in value · Selling in Michigan · Selling in Ohio · Selling in Indiana · Selling in Illinois
How we calculate it · Trade-in tax by state · What dealers make · Trade in or sell? · What dealers check · Owe more than it's worth? · When to sell · Selling a car by state · Stop calls & texts