Bill of Sale

The Basics

A Texas bill of sale is simply a statement that a vehicle (or other item) has been sold. This is a useful document when you're buying or selling a car privately, when there isn't as much of a paper trail as there is at a dealership.

If you have a certificate of title, a bill of sale may not be as necessary since the title has a section to fill out when you sell the vehicle. But a bill of sale is one more way of verifying that a sale has taken place, and in some cases this may be useful in proving that you are no longer liable for the vehicle.

What to Include

It's perfectly acceptable to write your own bill of sale. If you do so, it should include:

• The name and address of the seller

• The name and address of the buyer

• A description of the vehicle

• The vehicle identification number (VIN)

• The license plate number

• The date of the transaction

• The previous owner (who the seller purchased it from)

• The amount paid

If you prefer not to write out this information yourself, you may use a form.

Finding a Form

Your local County Tax Assessor-Collectors office may have a ready-to-use bill of sale for vehicles. Jefferson County has a bare-bones bill of sale, for example, that you can use in any county.