Wisconsin title answers · Costs and fees
How much does it cost to transfer a title in Wisconsin?
Short answer
The Wisconsin title transfer fee is $214.50, paid on form MV1. Most buyers also owe 5% state sales tax on the purchase price plus any county or city tax, and $85 a year for regular car plates unless they transfer plates they already own. Small add-ons include $10 per loan listed and $5 if you apply in person. A transfer to family after a death can be fee-free.
The line items on the MV1
WisDOT's title and license plate application (MV1) lists every fee you might owe in Section E. The title fee itself is fixed. Everything else depends on your vehicle, where you keep it, and whether you need plates.
- Title fee: $214.50 for a transfer or a first Wisconsin title
- State sales tax: 5% of the purchase price, less any trade-in allowance
- Local sales tax: county and city tax based on where the vehicle is kept
- Loan filing fee: $10 for each loan you list
- Passenger car plates: $85 a year (light trucks start at $100)
- New plate issuance: $12 ($6 per plate) if you are not transferring plates
- Wheel tax: only if your municipality or county charges one
- Electric or hybrid surcharge: $175 or $75 a year
- Counter service fee: $5 if you apply in person at WisDOT
A worked example
Say you pay $6,000 for a used sedan, keep it in a county with a 0.5% county tax and no city tax, need new plates, and have no loan. Title fee $214.50, state tax $300, county tax $30, plates $85, plate issuance $12. That is $641.50 by mail. Add $5 if you do it at a service center, and add wheel tax if your area has one.
The same car in the City of Milwaukee carries a different tax bill. The Wisconsin Department of Revenue lists the combined rate there as 7.9% (5% state, 0.9% Milwaukee County, 2% city) for sales on or after January 1, 2024. Always check your own rate with the DOR lookup before you write the check.
The number that surprises people is the tax, not the title fee. On anything but a cheap car, sales tax is usually the biggest line on the check. And the price you write is checked: the seller fills in the selling price on the title, and WisDOT says the Department of Revenue investigates suspiciously low prices.
Ways the total goes down
You can move unexpired plates from a vehicle you no longer use to another vehicle of the same type that belongs to you, your spouse or your domestic partner, at no charge. That removes the $85 and the $12 issuance fee for this year.
Sales tax does not apply in some cases. The MV1 lists exemption codes, including a vehicle previously titled in Wisconsin and bought from a spouse, parent, child, spouse's parent, child's spouse, stepparent or stepchild. Separately, Wis. Stat. 342.14 waives the $214.50 when a deceased owner's vehicle passes to a surviving domestic partner or immediate family member, using form MV2300.
Does a bonded title cost more to transfer?
The state fees are the same $214.50 plus tax and plates. What changes is the extra cost of the surety bond, which you buy from a licensed surety only after WisDOT sends a letter naming the amount. WisDOT's bond FAQ says premiums average about 1.5% of the bond amount, and listed online prices for a $2,500 to $6,000 bond run about $85 to $125 for the 5-year term. If you would rather not assemble a bonded packet yourself, we prepare the forms for a flat $299 and you sign and mail them.
Common questions
Who pays the title transfer fee, the buyer or the seller?
The buyer. Wis. Stat. 342.14 puts the fee on the owner applying for the new title, and the buyer applies after the seller signs the title over.
Is the fee lower if I only want a title and no plates?
You skip the plate fees, but the $214.50 title fee and sales tax still apply. A title alone does not let you drive the vehicle on Wisconsin roads.
How do I pay?
By mail, use a check or money order payable to Registration Fee Trust. Cards and bank transfers work online. Cash is accepted only at DMV Customer Service Centers.
Do I pay sales tax on what the car is worth or what I paid?
On the purchase price minus any trade-in, as entered on the MV1. The form warns that understating the price is a crime, and WisDOT says the Department of Revenue checks suspiciously low prices.
Want us to do the paperwork?
You tell us your situation. We fill out the WisDOT forms for it and give you a checklist of what to include. You review, sign and mail the package yourself.
If the state asks for a bond, you buy it from a licensed surety of your choosing. We take no commission.
- ✓ $299, one flat fee, bonded titles included
- ✓ Track your case online
- ✓ The application is in your name from the start
State fees are paid to WisDOT. Any bond premium is paid to the surety you choose.
Prefer to fill out the forms yourself? The $97 do-it-yourself kit walks you through every form field, the real costs, and the 12 reasons packets get rejected.
Related answers
Why is the Wisconsin title fee $214.50?
The $214.50 Wisconsin title fee is a $207 title fee plus a $7.50 supplemental fee, both set by Wis. Stat. 342.14. Family transfers after a death pay $0.
Read this guide →Do you pay sales tax on a private car sale in Wisconsin?
Yes. The buyer pays 5% state sales tax plus county and city tax when titling the car. In the City of Milwaukee that totals 7.9%.
Read this guide →How much is car registration in Wisconsin?
Wisconsin car registration is $85 a year. Electric cars add $175 and hybrids $75, plus any local wheel tax. Light trucks start at $100.
Read this guide →Do you pay a title fee to transfer a car to family in Wisconsin?
Between living relatives: $214.50, but close family can skip sales tax. After a death: $0 for qualifying family with MV2300. Here is the split.
Read this guide →What a Wisconsin bonded title costs
State fee, bond premium and paperwork, with a calculator.
Read this guide →Sources, checked 2026-10-31: WisDOT: MV1 Title/License Plate Application · WisDOT: Vehicle title fees · WisDOT: Registration fee chart · Wisconsin DOR: Fact Sheet 2113, used vehicle sales and use tax · Wis. Stat. ch. 342 (342.14 fees) · WisDOT: Bonded title FAQ (BVS850) · WisDOT: Selling your vehicle. Rules can change; confirm with WisDOT before you file.
TitleFiled is a document-preparation and title-recovery assistance service operated by Nuvent66 LLC, a Wisconsin limited liability company. It is not a law firm, does not provide legal advice, and is not affiliated with, authorized by, or endorsed by any DMV or government agency, including the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT). We do not guarantee that any agency will approve or issue a title. Information on this page is provided for general reference, was verified against official WisDOT sources on the date shown, and is not legal advice.