Massachusetts Car Title Transfer Fees: $75 Title Fee, 6.25% Tax and the 10-Day Rule

Updated October 24, 2026 · Figures checked against the official sources listed below

The short answer

The Massachusetts calculator below starts from a $30,000 car with a new registration and the inspection, so its total ($2,045.00) is different from this example.

How much does a title transfer cost in Massachusetts?

The title is $75. It's charged once per transfer, however many owners are on it. Some websites print "$751". That's a typo; the fee is $75.

• Duplicate or replacement title: $25.
• With a loan (lien): a lien is the lender's claim on the car until the loan is paid. No separate lien fee appears on any official page we read. The lender is listed on the application, and the title is mailed to the lender.
• Rush title: we found no expedited title service, so an expedited fee is not available.
• Timing: the title arrives by mail in about 6 to 8 weeks.

Sales tax: 6.25% on the price or the book value

The rate is 6.25% everywhere in the state. It never changes by address.

• Private sale: you pay tax on the higher of the price you paid or the car's book value. Book value here means the value for a used car in clean condition, adjusted for mileage. The state looks it up at the counter. Writing a low price on the title doesn't lower the tax. If no book value exists, the state uses a set default value.
• Dealer sale: 6.25% of the sale price, collected by the dealer.
• Trade-in: lowers the taxed amount on a dealer sale only. Private sales get no trade-in reduction.
• When you pay: on a private sale, at the Registry counter when you title and register. The car can't be registered until the title application and tax are in.

Paying the tax late

If the tax is late, the state adds penalties, plus interest:

• Late filing: 1% of the tax for each month or part of a month, up to 25%.
• Late payment: ½ of 1% of the unpaid tax for each month or part of a month, up to 25%.
• Interest: we can't give a dollar figure for it.

A note on the sources: the general tax law gives the late-payment penalty as 1% a month. The state's tax regulation, which is the more specific rule, says ½%. We print the regulation figures. Example only, without interest: one month late on the $1,250.00 tax in our example is $12.50 + $6.25 = $18.75.

How many days do you have to transfer a title in Massachusetts?

10 days from the day you buy the car. There is no flat late title fee. Missing the deadline is a criminal matter: a fine of $500 to $1,000, or up to 6 months in jail, or both. That is a court fine, not a counter fee.

Keep three rules apart:

• The 10-day title deadline above.
• Renewals: Massachusetts has no late renewal fee. See expired registration in Massachusetts.
• Driving unregistered: a crime, with a fine of up to $100 for a first offense and up to $1,000 after that.

For other states' late fees, see car registration late fees by state.

Plates, registration and the 7-day rule

In Massachusetts, plates belong to the owner, not the car.

• Registration: $60 for 2 years for a standard passenger car. It's a flat fee, not based on weight or value.
• Moving your own plates: $25 instead of the full $60. ($60 is the registration itself, not the transfer fee.)
• Replacement plate: $10.
• Temporary plates: Massachusetts doesn't issue any.

The 7-day rule is about registration, not the title. If you already have a registered car and buy another of the same type with the same number of wheels, you have 7 calendar days from getting rid of the old car to register the new one with your plates. You must be 18 or older, carry the transfer papers in the car, and have given up the old car. If you don't currently have a registered car, there is no 7-day window.

Inspection: get a safety inspection sticker within 7 days of registering. It's $35 for most cars, paid at the station.

Excise: your city or town bills a yearly excise of $25 per $1,000 of value. The Registry doesn't collect it.

A note on the sources: the $60, $25, $10, gift-fee and $35 figures come from the Registry's Schedule of Fees as transcribed in our research. The schedule page itself couldn't be opened directly when we checked in October 2026.

Do you pay tax on a car given to you by a family member in Massachusetts?

Not if the family member is on the state's short list. Massachusetts has a narrow family list, and it is printed exactly here:

• Family transfer (Form MVU-26, tax $0): father or mother, brother or sister, husband or wife, son or daughter. That's all. Grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles are not on the list.
• Gift (Form MVU-24, tax $0, $25 gift fee): any giver can gift a car, not just a relative, as long as they followed the tax rules of the state where they registered it. The giver writes "Gift" as the purchase price.
• Inheritance (Form MVU-27, tax $0): covers cars passed on by a will, by state inheritance law, or to a beneficiary. A surviving spouse doesn't use MVU-27; they use the Registry's Affidavit of Surviving Spouse.

The $25 question: it's unclear whether the $25 gift-transfer fee also applies to a family transfer. The state's page lists the fee for gifts but not in its family section. The general checklist lists a "$25 non-refundable gift transfer fee" for paperwork carrying either form. So the family total is $100.00, plus $25 if the counter applies the gift-transfer fee.

Forms

• RMV-1: Registration and Title Application. It is the one application for a private sale. A licensed Massachusetts insurance agent completes, stamps and signs it, and you file it at a Registry Service Center. There is no separate title form for a private buyer.
• MVU-24: gift sales-tax exemption, signed by the giver.
• MVU-26: family sales-tax exemption, signed by the family member handing over the car.
• MVU-27: inheritance affidavit. It needs a copy of the Probate Court notice of appointment.

Other states

Title transfer guides for nearby and similar states: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

What this guide doesn't cover

Dealer purchases in detail, new residents moving a car into Massachusetts, the exact excise bill for your car, interest on late tax, and motorcycles.

Frequently asked questions

See title transfer fees for all 50 states

General information, not tax or legal advice. Fees and tax rules change; confirm with the agency listed before you pay.