Title fees and the tax on top, for all 50 states
| State | Typical title fee | Tax on a private sale | Notes |
|---|
Fees compiled from state DMV fee schedules and the F&I Tools national DMV fee compilation, 2025; several are county-set or change with payment method (marked ~). Tax column shows the state rate plus the average local addition; your city or county rate may differ. Lien filings add $8-$33 when you finance, and VIN inspections ($5-$20) apply on out-of-state titles in some states. Confirm exact figures with your DMV before you go.
A title transfer bill has two parts that scale differently. The state's title or transfer fee is flat: $33 in Texas whether the car cost $3,000 or $60,000. The tax scales with price, follows the state's own formula (a few states tax the full price with no deductions, some cap the tax, one replaces it with a title ad valorem tax), and disappears or shrinks on family gifts and inheritances. This calculator prices both, using each state's fee schedule for the flat part and its tax rules for the scaled part.
Total = title and transfer fees + tax. For sales, tax = price × your state's rate (special formulas applied: Georgia's 7% title ad valorem tax, South Carolina's 5% capped at $500, Virginia's 4.15% motor vehicle sales tax with a $75 minimum, and the no-tax states). Gifts price at $0 tax in most states — $10 flat in Texas — and inheritances price at the title fee alone. The fee field is prefilled from the table and editable, because county issuance fees and lien filings legitimately change it.
Pick your state, the transfer type, and the price. Check the prefilled fee against your DMV's fee schedule and adjust if your county adds issuance or processing. The result splits fees from tax so you can see which part of the bill is negotiable (neither) versus avoidable (the tax, if the transfer genuinely qualifies as a family gift or inheritance).
A $12,000 private sale in Texas: title application $33, motor vehicle sales tax 6.25% ($750), plus about 2% local on average ($234). All-in near $1,017, or $783 before local. The same car gifted from a parent: $10 gift tax with Form 14-317 plus the $33 fee, $43 total. That gap is why states police gift affidavits.
A $15,000 sale in California: $15 transfer fee plus use tax at 7.25% state with ~1.7% average county addition ($1,348.50), so about $1,364 before registration lines. In Georgia, the same $15,000 car pays 7% TAVT ($1,050) plus an $18 title fee, and in New York a $9,000 car pays $768.60 in tax plus a $50 title fee.
Figures are estimates for planning, not legal or tax advice; verify with your DMV.
The title or transfer fee itself runs $4-$165 ($77 in Florida, $33 in Texas, $15 in California, $18 in Georgia), but the fee is rarely the story: most states add sales or use tax of 4-10% of the purchase price, so transferring a title on a $10,000 car typically costs $430-$1,100 all-in. Five states charge no sales tax on private sales (Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon).
Usually not between spouses, parents, children, and often grandparents or siblings, but the rules are state-specific and most states require an affidavit (for example California's REG 256). Texas charges a flat $10 gift tax instead with Form 14-317. Gifts to friends or non-family members are taxed at fair market value in many states, and understating a sale price as a gift can trigger penalties.
The Texas title application fee is $33 ($28 in a few counties), plus 6.25% motor vehicle sales tax plus up to 2% local. On a $12,000 car that is about $984 in tax plus the $33 fee, near $1,017 all-in. A gifted vehicle pays a $10 gift tax instead of sales tax, with the Affidavit of Motor Vehicle Gift Transfer (Form 14-317).
The transfer fee is $15, plus use tax at your local rate (7.25% state minimum, averaging 8.99% with county additions) on the purchase price, plus registration and any smog or penalty lines. A $15,000 private-party sale averages about $1,349 in use tax plus fees, so roughly $1,364 before registration. Family transfers between spouse, parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, or sibling are exempt from use tax.
Most states exempt transfers by inheritance from sales and use tax; you pay the title fee and sometimes a nominal probate or affidavit filing. The federal estate tax only applies above the estate exemption (roughly $14 million per person in 2026), and only six states levy their own estate tax. Some states require the estate to be probated before the title can move.
Commonly 30 days from the sale date, and it matters: California charges penalties from day 11 past 30 days, Texas adds a $25-$250 late fee, and Florida charges fees that grow the longer you wait. If the 30-day mark lands near a registration expiry, transfer first; the new owner registers on the same visit.