Illinois Vehicle Bill of Sale: Free Template, RUT-50 Tax and Title Transfer Rules

Vehicle Bill of Sale (Illinois)

This Vehicle Bill of Sale (“Agreement”) is made on [Date] in the State of Illinois by and between:

Seller (Current Owner):
[Full Legal Name(s) of all owners on the title]
[Mailing Address]
[City, State, ZIP]
Co-Seller (if any): [Full Legal Name], [Mailing Address]

Buyer (New Owner):
[Full Legal Name(s): first, middle, last, Jr./Sr. if any]
[Mailing Address]
[City, State, ZIP]
Co-Buyer (if any): [Full Legal Name], [Mailing Address]

The Illinois title requires the signed and printed names of all sellers and all buyers, and Form RUT-50 records the buyer’s name and address and the seller’s name and address. Keep the same details here so this document backs up both.

Price, Method, and Receipt

The Parties fix the sale payment amount at $[Amount]. Payment method: [Cash / Cashier’s check / Bank transfer / Financing]. Date of payment: [Date of Payment]. Seller acknowledges receipt in full, inclusive of any prior deposit of $[Deposit or “None”]. This is the purchase price Buyer reports on Form RUT-50; the value of any property or services given counts as part of the price, and no trade-in allowance is deducted. Relationship of Buyer to Seller, if a family transfer: [Spouse / Parent / Brother / Sister / Child / None].

Delivery / Transfer Timing

Delivery occurs at [Location] on [Delivery Date/Time]. From delivery forward, Buyer bears risk of loss and responsibility for operation. Seller removes the license plates before delivering the Vehicle: in Illinois the plates belong to the registered owner, not the vehicle. Buyer registers the Vehicle, or transfers Buyer’s own plates to it, before driving it.

Vehicle Identification Details

Vehicle Identification:
VIN: [VIN]
Year: [Year]
Make: [Make]
Model: [Model]
Body Type: [Body Type]
Illinois title number: [Title Number]
Title brand, if any: [None / Salvage / Rebuilt / Flood / other, as shown on the title]
Current lienholder, if any: [Name, or “None”]

Odometer Statement

At the time of transfer the odometer shows [Mileage] miles (no tenths). Indicate one:
☐ Actual mileage ☐ Not the actual mileage, WARNING – ODOMETER DISCREPANCY ☐ Mileage in excess of the odometer mechanical limits ☐ Exempt (model year 2010 or older, or a 2011-or-newer vehicle 20 or more model years old)

For every transfer of a model year 2011 or newer vehicle during its first 20 model years, federal and state law require the title to show the signed and printed names of all sellers and buyers certifying the odometer reading. A model year 2010 or older vehicle is exempt (49 CFR 580.17), and the seller checks “Exempt” on the title. The same reading goes on Form RUT-50 and on the Application for Vehicle Transaction (VSD 190). Providing a false statement may result in fines and/or imprisonment.

Title, Liens, and Payoff

Seller warrants title and states the Vehicle is free of liens except: [Lienholder name and address, or “None”]. At delivery Seller executes the assignment and warranty of title on the certificate of title and delivers it to Buyer (625 ILCS 5/3-112(a)). A lienholder in possession of the title delivers it, on request, for the transfer. Any listed lien will be released upon payoff and the release evidence delivered within [X] business days after funds clear.

Taxes, Registration, and Fees

Buyer will apply for a new certificate of title within 20 days after delivery of the Vehicle and the assigned title (625 ILCS 5/3-112(b)), on Form VSD 190 at a Secretary of State facility or by mail, paying all applicable title, registration and license plate fees, including the title fee and, for plates, the registration fee. Buyer files Form RUT-50 and pays the private party vehicle use tax within 30 days of acquiring the Vehicle, submitting the RUT-50 with the title application, plus any Chicago or Cook County private party vehicle use tax for Buyer’s address. Buyer carries liability insurance of at least $25,000/$50,000/$20,000.

Condition and Inspection Acknowledgment

Buyer confirms a chance to inspect and test-drive the Vehicle and accepts it AS-IS, with all faults, unless a written warranty is attached. Promised items after closing: [List or “None”]. Illinois has no periodic safety inspection for passenger cars. In the Chicago and Metro-East areas most 1996 and newer gasoline vehicles are tested for emissions every two years once they are four years old; the Secretary of State urges buyers to check the vehicle’s history by VIN before buying.

Optional Notary Acknowledgment

Illinois does not require a vehicle bill of sale or the title to be notarized. The Parties may nonetheless have this Agreement acknowledged:
State of Illinois, County of [County]. Signed and acknowledged before me on [Date] by [Names].
Notary Public Signature: ____________________ My commission expires: [Date]

Governing Law / Venue

This Agreement is governed by the laws of the State of Illinois. Venue lies in [County] County, Illinois.

Entire Agreement; Changes

This Agreement supersedes all prior communications. Revisions must be signed by both Parties. Do not alter a signed copy; prepare a clean one and sign it again.

Illinois Filing Checklist

Reference information for the parties. It is not part of this agreement and does not bind either party.

Which document transfers ownership. The Illinois certificate of title, assigned by the seller at delivery (625 ILCS 5/3-112(a)). As between the parties a transfer is not effective until the title steps are complied with, but a seller who has delivered the vehicle and done their part is not liable as owner for damages afterwards (3-112(e)).

No notary. The Secretary of State confirms that the Illinois title does not need to be notarized. Every seller and every buyer signs and prints their name on it.

Seller, at and after the sale:

• Sign and date the Assignment of Title with all sellers’ names, the buyer’s name and the odometer certification (check “Exempt” for a model year 2010 or older vehicle)

• Give the buyer the title at delivery, any lien release, and this bill of sale

• Remove the license plates before delivery; they belong to you

• File a Seller’s Report of Sale (VSD 703) to release your responsibility for the vehicle

Buyer, within 20 days, at a Secretary of State facility or by mail. Bring:

• The assigned Illinois title

• Application for Vehicle Transaction(s), VSD 190 (can be prepared online through Electronic Registration and Title)

• Form RUT-50 with the tax, and this bill of sale to support the price

• Proof of insurance

• Payment: $165 title fee, $151 registration for standard plates (or a plate transfer if you bring your own)

Tax (Form RUT-50, due within 30 days). Price under $15,000: by vehicle age, $465 (1 year or less), $365 (2), $290 (3), $240 (4), $190 (5), $165 (6), $155 (7), $140 (8), $125 (9), $115 (10), $100 (11 or more). Price $15,000 or more: $850 ($15,000–$19,999.99), $1,100 (to $24,999.99), $1,350 (to $29,999.99), $1,600 (to $49,999.99), $2,600 (to $99,999.99), $5,100 (to $999,999.99), $10,100 ($1,000,000 or more). Family transfer from a spouse, parent, brother, sister or child: $15. Gifts and even trades: fair market value applies. Chicago adds $80, $65 or $50 by age (nothing at 15 years or older); Cook County adds $225, $175 or $90.

Emissions. Chicago and Metro-East areas only: most 1996 and newer gasoline vehicles, once four years old, every two years (odd model years in odd years, even in even years).

Sources: 625 ILCS 5/3-112 (assignment at delivery, 20 days, liability after delivery); Illinois Secretary of State, “Apply for Registration and Title”, Vehicle Services FAQ (title not notarized; $165 title, $151 registration; 25/50/20 insurance), “Buying or Selling a Vehicle” (DOP 141), forms VSD 190 and VSD 703; Illinois Department of Revenue, Form RUT-50 instructions and RUT-6 local tax guide; Illinois EPA, Vehicle Emissions Testing Program. Verified 28 September 2026.

Signatures

Seller’s Signature: _______________________ Date: __________
Printed Name: _____________________________

Co-Seller’s Signature (all owners on the title): _______________________ Date: __________
Printed Name: _____________________________

Buyer’s Signature: ________________________ Date: __________
Printed Name: _____________________________

Co-Buyer’s Signature (if any): ________________________ Date: __________
Printed Name: _____________________________