Skip to content
Independent money guidance
Clear Money Guide
Start here
Menu

Florida Bill of Sale (2026): Form HSMV 82050, Tax, Notary

Updated October 11, 2026. Quick answer: In Florida the transfer instrument is the certificate of title, not a bill of sale, but the state has an official form for the bill of sale: HSMV 82050, the combined Notice of Sale and/or Bill of Sale. FLHSMV says Florida law requires sellers to file it, and the seller has 30 days to notify the department. A notary is recommended, not required. The buyer pays 6 percent state sales tax, plus county surtax, when the vehicle is titled, and the title application is due within 30 days of delivery.

What Florida requires: the title, plus the 82050 notice

Florida law makes the title the key document. A buyer “shall not acquire marketable title” until a title has issued in the buyer’s name, and “No title shall be accepted for transfer” unless the sales price is entered where the title asks for it. We did not find a Florida statute or FLHSMV page that says a stand-alone bill of sale is required for a private vehicle sale. FLHSMV does tell sellers to “Keep copies of the bill of sale”, and it states “Florida law requires sellers to file form HSMV 82050”.

Form HSMV 82050

The state’s form is titled “Notice of Sale and/or Bill of Sale for a Motor Vehicle,” and its instruction line says the “Seller and purchaser must complete sections 1, 2”. The bill of sale part asks for the vehicle’s year, make, body type, model, color, title number, title issue date and VIN, the purchaser’s name and address, the date of sale, the selling price, the odometer disclosure, and the printed names, signatures, dates and addresses of seller and purchaser. The buyer then applies for the title on Form HSMV 82040.

Notary and witnesses

FLHSMV’s selling page puts it as advice, not a rule: “FLHSMV recommends having it notarized”. The form itself has no notary block. It has a signed declaration instead, “UNDER PENALTIES OF PERJURY, I DECLARE THAT I HAVE READ”. On the title side, when a lienholder holds the title and the seller gives the buyer an odometer power of attorney, the statute says the department “shall not require the signature of the transferor to be notarized” and substitutes a perjury affidavit. A notary does show up as one of the people who may inspect a VIN on Form 82040 when a vehicle was not previously titled in Florida, which is a different task.

Keep a copy that says what you agreed

HSMV 82050 is the form the state wants on file. If you also want your own fuller record of the terms, condition and price, LawDepot builds a vehicle bill of sale you can fill in and print.

Make a bill of sale at LawDepot

LawDepot pays us a commission if you buy through this link. It costs you nothing extra. We are not a law firm and this is not legal advice. Affiliate Disclosure.

Odometer disclosure

Section 319.225 requires that on a used-vehicle transfer, “the transferor shall complete the odometer disclosure statement” and the transferee acknowledges by signing and printing their name. The exemption follows the federal ladder: “2011 or newer is exempt from odometer disclosure after 20 years”, with model year 2010 and older exempt after 10 years, plus vehicles over 16,000 pounds.

Sales tax, surtax and title fee

A private sale is taxable. Section 212.05 reaches each “isolated sale of an aircraft, boat, mobile home, or motor vehicle”, at “At the rate of 6 percent of the sales price”. The surtax statute says the tax on a titled vehicle is “collected from the purchaser or user incident to the titling”. A county discretionary surtax can come on top. The Department of Revenue says the rate for motor vehicles is “determined by the home address of the purchaser” and the surtax statute says the “sales amount above $5,000 on any item of tangible personal property” is not subject to it. We did not archive the county rate list, so check the Department of Revenue for your county’s rate.

If the reported price is low, the statute sets a test: a sales price under 80 percent of the average loan price in the department’s reference price list is taxed on that average loan price unless both parties sign an affidavit, or give other substantial proof, of the actual price. The title fee is “a fee of $70 for each original certificate of title”.

Deadlines for the buyer and the seller

The buyer’s application must be filed “within 30 days after the delivery of the motor vehicle” and a late application costs a $20 fee. The seller has the same number: the seller “shall notify the department within 30 days after the sale or transfer”, and a notice filed on time satisfies the notice requirement for limiting the seller’s liability. FLHSMV puts the benefit this way: filing the form helps the seller “avoid any civil liability for the operation of the motor vehicle” after the sale.

Common mistakes

  • Treating the 82050 as optional for the seller. FLHSMV says Florida law requires sellers to file it.
  • Leaving the sales price off the title, where the statute says a title will not be accepted for transfer without it.
  • Assuming the county surtax is a flat figure. It follows the buyer’s home address and covers only the first $5,000.
  • Reporting a low price to cut tax without proof of the actual price. The 80 percent test applies.
  • Skipping the odometer statement on a vehicle that is not yet exempt.

Related on this site: bill of sale rules by state, Florida probate cost and transferring a car title after death.

Sources

Sources: the primary documents linked above, read on October 11, 2026. General information, not legal or tax advice. State agencies change forms, fees and deadlines, so confirm the current figure with your state motor vehicle agency before you sign or file.

See the document option on this page