Free car sale receipt template
One A4 page with everything a private sale receipt needs: the sale, both parties, the car, its condition and both signatures. It works for a private sale in any state, NSW and Queensland included. Type into the PDF and print it, or edit the Word version.
What to put on a car sale receipt
Most states don't set a format. The ones that publish a list agree on the core: both people's names and signatures, the date of sale (NSW and Victoria also ask for the time), and the plate and VIN, and most add the price. A good receipt adds a little more:
- The date and time of the sale. The time matters if the car picks up a speed camera fine or a toll that same day.
- The price, any deposit already paid, and how the balance was paid.
- Both people's full names, addresses, phone numbers and driver licence numbers.
- The car: make, model, year, colour, VIN, engine number, registration number and rego expiry.
- The odometer reading at the time of sale.
- The safety certificate or roadworthy number, if your state needs one.
- Any faults you've told the buyer about, and whether the car is sold as is.
- What's included: spare keys, service books, any accessories.
- Both signatures, each with the date.
Write out two copies, sign both, and each keep one. A photo of the signed receipt on both phones is a good backup.
Do you need a receipt to sell a car privately?
Not always for the transfer itself, but you should write one anyway. In the ACT and the Northern Territory the buyer needs proof of purchase to transfer the rego, and a receipt or the signed notice of disposal does the job. In New South Wales the buyer needs one if the seller hasn't lodged a notice of disposal, and Transport for NSW calls the receipt the buyer's only proof of ownership. Western Australia asks for one when the car isn't currently licensed there. VicRoads doesn't ask to see it, but its own transfer form still tells you to write a receipt and keep a copy. Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania don't require one, though South Australia points out that being the registered owner doesn't prove you own the car, and says a receipt is in your best interest.
It protects you more than the buyer. Until the transfer goes through, the car is still registered in your name, so fines and tolls keep coming to you. A signed receipt with the date and time shows exactly when it stopped being your problem.
What doesn't go on it
No GST, sales tax or luxury car tax. GST isn't payable when you sell a privately owned car, and luxury car tax only applies to sellers registered for GST. Transfer fees and stamp duty are paid by the buyer to the state when they transfer the rego, so they aren't part of your price either. Put the agreed price on the receipt and leave it at that.
Write the real price, too. In most states stamp duty is worked out on the price or the car's market value, whichever is higher, so a lowball figure on the receipt won't cut the buyer's duty.
After the sale: tell the transport agency
The receipt doesn't transfer the car. You still have to tell the state the car is sold, and the buyer has to move the rego into their name. Here's the deadline in each state for a private sale:
| State | Seller tells the agency | Buyer transfers the rego | Inspection at sale |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | Notice of disposal within 14 days | Within 14 days | None for current NSW rego |
| VIC | Notice of disposal within 14 days | Within 14 days | Roadworthy certificate from the seller, issued in the last 30 days |
| QLD | Transfer form signed by both (seller keeps Part B), or online within 14 days | Within 14 days | Safety certificate from the seller |
| SA | Free notice of disposal | Within 14 days | None |
| WA | Within 7 days, or a $100 fine | Within 14 days | None |
| TAS | Disposal within 7 days | Within 14 days | None for a registered car |
| ACT | Notice of disposal, signed by both, straight away | Within 14 days | Roadworthy inspection if the car is more than 6 years old |
| NT | Notice of disposal, signed by both, within 14 days | Within 14 days | Roadworthy if the car is 7 years or older |
Lodge your part straight away, even if the buyer promises to sort the transfer. Our guide to how rego works covers each state's process in more detail, and the papers you need to transfer a car lists the forms.
Sold as is
A private sale comes with no statutory warranty and no cooling-off period, in any state. Most consumer guarantees don't apply either, though the buyer is still entitled to clear title: the car has to be yours to sell, with no hidden debts on it. Writing "sold as is" on the receipt records that the buyer inspected the car and took it in that condition.
Two states put extra duties on private sellers. In Victoria you must tell the buyer in writing if the car is a written-off vehicle, and in Western Australia you must tell them about any finance owing on it.
Write any fault you know about on the receipt. If the buyer later says you hid it, a signed receipt that names the fault settles it.
Getting paid safely
Take cash or a bank transfer you can see has landed in your account, and don't hand over the keys until it has. Be wary of a buyer who "overpays" and asks you to refund the difference, or a message saying you need to pay to upgrade your PayID before the money can come through. PayID never charges for an upgrade, and a confirmation email is not money in your account. A genuine buyer won't mind waiting while you check.
Meet in daylight, somewhere you're comfortable, and leave out anything too identifying when you list the car.
The rest of the paperwork
Hand over everything that came with the car: the service books, the owner's manual, spare keys and any warranty papers. A warranty that transfers to the new owner is worth mentioning in the ad, because it can lift the price.
Buyers are also more relaxed about a car that comes with its history already checked. A PPSR certificate shows whether there's finance registered against the car and whether it's written off or stolen, and you can show it to every buyer who asks.
