Free Washington Bill of Sale Template & Generator

Washington Bill of Sale Requirements

Additional Forms Required in Washington

• Vehicle/Vessel Bill of Sale (Form TD-420-065)
• Vehicle Title Application

Two things about selling a car in Washington are widely gotten wrong, and both are worth money. First, Washington ended its vehicle emissions testing program statewide on January 1, 2020 — the authorized stations closed at the end of 2019, and no Washington county requires an emissions test today. There is also no periodic statewide safety inspection. If a guide tells you to get a Puget Sound emissions check before selling, it is describing a program that no longer exists.

Second, Washington's use tax is not simply "6.5% of what you paid." The DOL assesses the higher of your purchase price or the vehicle's fair market value, and it will only honor your actual price when the vehicle's FMV is under $7,500 or your price is within 20% of FMV. A lowball number on a valuable car gets taxed at book value instead. On top of the 6.5% state rate and your local rate, a separate statewide motor-vehicle tax component rose from 0.3% to 0.5% on January 1, 2026 — a small change, but current figures matter.

The buyer's clock is short and enforced. Title must transfer within 15 days; on the 16th day Washington adds a $50 penalty, then $2 for every additional day up to a $125 cap. Washington publishes an official Vehicle/Vessel Bill of Sale (Form TD-420-065) that establishes the taxable value; our generator produces an equivalent document with all the fields the DOL expects.

The seller's single most important step is the Report of Sale, due within 5 business days under RCW 46.12.650. It is free to file online, and it is what legally separates you from the vehicle — without it, tolls, parking tickets, and even abandoned-vehicle liability keep landing on the last registered owner. Remove your plates too; in Washington plates belong to the owner, not the car. Notarization is never required for an ordinary sale, and odometer disclosure follows the federal rule for model-year-2011-and-newer vehicles.