Free Mississippi Car Bill of Sale
Selling a car in Mississippi involves one of the strictest title-transfer deadlines in the South: you have only 7 working days from the date of sale to transfer title at the County Tax Collector — not 30 days like most Southern states. Mississippi has no official bill of sale form, but the buyer must present Form 78-006 (Application for Certificate of Title) to the County Tax Collector along with any written bill of sale and pay a flat 5% Use Tax on the purchase price. Miss the 7-working-day window and the penalty is 25% of the taxes and fees owed — a steep fine that catches buyers off guard.
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Mississippi Car Bill of Sale — What You Need to Know
Sales Tax Details
Mississippi imposes a 5% state Use Tax on the purchase price of motor vehicles paid at the time of title transfer through the County Tax Collector. There is no county or local vehicle sales tax add-on in Mississippi — the 5% rate is statewide and uniform.
Inspection Requirements
Mississippi has no statewide vehicle safety inspection or emissions testing requirement for private passenger car sales. Buyers do not need to present an inspection certificate at title transfer.
Mississippi Car Sale — Step-by-Step Checklist
- Prepare a written bill of sale with the VIN, year, make, model, odometer reading, sale price, date of sale, and full names and addresses of both buyer and seller.
- Seller completes the odometer disclosure on the back of the Mississippi title (federally required for vehicles under 20 model years old).
- Seller signs the title over to the buyer and hands over the title, bill of sale, and any lien-release documentation.
- Buyer obtains Form 78-006 (Application for Certificate of Title) from the County Tax Collector or downloads it from dor.ms.gov.
- Buyer visits the County Tax Collector (or Circuit Clerk, depending on county) within 7 working days of the sale date.
- Buyer pays the 5% Mississippi Use Tax on the purchase price, plus the title fee and registration fees.
- Seller retains the license plates — Mississippi plates stay with the seller and are not transferred to the buyer.
- Buyer applies for new Mississippi plates at the same County Tax Collector visit.
Common Pitfalls
- Missing the 7-working-day deadline: Mississippi's penalty is 25% of the total taxes and fees owed, which on a $15,000 car could add $187+ on top of the $750 in taxes. The clock starts on the day of sale, not the day the buyer decides to register.
- Confusing "working days" with calendar days: weekends and state holidays do not count toward the 7-day window, but planning around that distinction requires deliberate calendar awareness — most buyers assume it is 7 calendar days.
- Forgetting that plates stay with the seller: Mississippi law requires the seller to remove and retain license plates at the time of sale. A buyer driving away with old plates is operating an unregistered vehicle.
- Incomplete odometer disclosure: federal law requires sellers to complete odometer mileage on the title for any vehicle under 20 years old. A blank odometer field causes the County Tax Collector to reject the title application.
- Assuming any county office handles the transfer: while most counties use the County Tax Collector, some use the Circuit Clerk — verify with your specific county before the buyer arrives.
Pro Tip
The single most important rule for a Mississippi car sale is the 7-working-day clock. Mark the sale date, count only Monday–Friday business days excluding state holidays, and make sure the buyer arrives at the County Tax Collector with Form 78-006, the signed title, the bill of sale, and payment before that window closes. Sellers should remove the plates at the time of handoff — do not let the buyer drive away with Mississippi plates that are still registered to you.