The short answer
| Item | Michigan answer |
|---|---|
| Title fee | $15, the Secretary of State's all-in fee. No separate "title transfer fee". With a lien: $16. Instant title: $20 ($21 with a lien). |
| Use tax | 6%, no county or city add-on, on the greater of the price or the car's retail value. |
| Trade-in credit | Dealer sales only, capped at $12,000 in 2026. None on a private sale. |
| Deadline | Transfer within 15 days. Late: a flat $15 fee. |
| Plates | Plates belong to the owner. Moving your own plate: $10 plus a $5 registration difference fee when the sale isn't tax-exempt. New standard plate: $5. |
| Typical total | $20,000 private-party car, own plate moved over, no lien: $1,230.00 title-side. Registration is separate. |
Worked example: $20,000 private-party car
Bought at full market value, the buyer moves their own plate, files on time, no lien.
- Use tax: 6% × $20,000 = $1,200.00
- Title: $15.00
- Plate transfer: $10.00
- Registration difference fee: $5.00
Title-side total: $1,200.00 + $15.00 + $10.00 + $5.00 = $1,230.00.
- Instant title: $1,235.00.
- Filed after 15 days: $1,245.00. Instant title and late together: $1,250.00.
- With a lien: $1,231.00.
- Qualifying family transfer (tax-exempt): $25.00 ($15 title + $10 plate transfer; the $5 difference fee is waived).
Registration is deliberately not in the total. It's based on the car's original list price and age, so it differs for every car (see below). If you take a new plate instead of moving yours, add the $5 plate fee and the full registration for the car.
Title fee: $15
The Secretary of State (SOS) charges $15 on every title issued. There is no separate "title transfer fee" on top (SOS Dealer Manual Ch. 7; SOS consumer guidance). With a lien it's $16 (the $1 lien fee, MCL 257.808). Titles with active liens are held electronically.
A duplicate title is also $15. An instant title is $20 ($21 with a lien), because of the $5 expedited-service fee in MCL 257.806(1).
A sourcing note: MCL 257.806 lists components ($10 application, $3 service, $1.50 tire surcharge) that add up to $14.50. The remaining $0.50 isn't itemized in any official source. SOS's $15 is the fee you actually pay, and it's the figure we use.
Use tax: 6% on the price or the retail value
- Rate: 6% (MCL 205.93(1)), a single state rate. Michigan has no county or city add-on.
- When: the buyer pays it to the Secretary of State at titling, before the registration transfers (MCL 205.93(2)).
- Basis: the greater of the purchase price or the car's retail (fair market) value, per SOS's rule for private-party purchases. Treasury rule R 205.135(5) sets the base at no less than retail value as listed in a recognized guide. Treasury cross-checks reported prices against NADA and bills the difference, and an equalization tax (R 205.54) applies to below-market private sales. Writing a low price on the title doesn't lower the tax.
- Trade-ins: dealer sales only, and capped. The credit is the lesser of the trade-in value or a cap that has risen $1,000 a year from $5,000 in 2019: $10,000 in 2024 and $12,000 in 2026. From January 1, 2029 the full trade-in value counts. Recreational vehicles traded toward another RV are uncapped (R 205.15(2); Treasury Form 485). A private-party buyer gets no trade-in credit.
Deadline: 15 days, then $15
Transfer the title within 15 days of buying (MCL 257.234(3); SOS buyer guidance). Late, you pay a flat $15 fee on top of everything else. After 15 days the car counts as unregistered, and SOS may repossess the plates until the transfer is done.
Dealers work to a different rule: 21 days and a $50 fee, per the current SOS Dealer Manual. Transfers happen at an SOS office or through SOS's online title transfer service.
For what happens when a registration expires, see expired registration in Michigan.
Plates and registration
In Michigan, plates belong to the owner, never the car. Moving your own plate to the car you bought costs a $10 transfer fee (MCL 257.809(1)) plus a $5 registration difference fee when the purchase isn't use-tax exempt, so $15 on the plate side. The $5 is waived on exempt transfers, so a qualifying family transfer pays $10 only. A new standard plate is $5.
Registration for 1984-and-newer cars is based on the manufacturer's original list price, reduced by age (MCL 257.801(1)(p); SOS base-price tables). So no single registration figure exists. Pre-1984 vehicles are registered by weight. Michigan has no county registration surcharges. The Michigan calculator works out the registration from the list price.
Gifts and family: two lists
Michigan has two exemption lists. The statute (MCL 205.93(3)(a)) exempts transfers to a spouse, mother, father, brother, sister, child, stepparent, stepchild, stepbrother, stepsister, grandparent, grandchild, legal ward, or a legally appointed guardian. It has no in-laws.
SOS's administered list is wider. Form TR-11L and SOS buyer guidance add half-brother, half-sister, father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law and grandparent-in-law. SOS guidance also lists grandchild-in-law.
Conditions people miss:
- A step-relationship ends after a divorce. It survives a parent's death.
- Cousins, aunts, uncles and friends never qualify.
- A gift to a non-relative is not exempt just because it's a gift. It's taxed on the car's retail value.
- Gifts to an estate beneficiary are exempt (MCL 205.93(3)(b)).
You claim the exemption by certifying the relationship on TR-11L. The $15 title fee still applies, and the $5 difference fee is waived.
Forms
- TR-11L: Application for Michigan Vehicle Title. This is the private buyer's form, with the tax computation and the family-exemption certification.
- RD-108: the dealer form only, not for private buyers.
- TR-29: certification from an heir, for transfers after a death without probate.
Other states
Title transfer guides for other states: Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York.
What this guide doesn't cover
Dealer sales in detail, the registration amount for a specific car (use the Michigan calculator), specialty plates, pre-1984 weight-based registration, and electric vehicle surcharges, which we haven't verified for this guide.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to transfer a car title in Michigan?
The title is $15 ($16 with a lien). Add 6% use tax on the price or retail value, whichever is higher, and $15 to move your own plate. A $20,000 private-party car comes to $1,230.00 on the title side. Registration is extra and depends on the car's original list price.
Is the Michigan title fee $10?
No. $10 is one component listed in the statute. The Secretary of State's all-in fee is $15, or $16 with a lien.
How long do you have to transfer a title in Michigan?
15 days from the purchase. After that there's a flat $15 late fee, and the car counts as unregistered.
Do you pay tax on a car given to you by a family member in Michigan?
Not if the relationship is on the exempt list. The statute covers spouse, parents, siblings, children, step-relatives, grandparents, grandchildren, legal wards and guardians. SOS's Form TR-11L also accepts half-siblings and in-laws. A gift to a non-relative is taxed on the car's retail value.
Can I deduct my trade-in on a private sale?
No. Michigan's trade-in credit is for dealer sales only, and it's capped at $12,000 in 2026.
Do the plates stay with the car in Michigan?
No. Plates belong to the seller. The buyer moves their own plate ($10 plus the $5 difference fee) or buys a new one ($5).
Do I need an emissions test to title a car in Michigan?
No. Michigan has no emissions testing program for title or registration.
See title transfer fees for all 50 states
Calculate your Michigan fees
Example for a $30,000 car. Enter your own price to update it.
- Registration fee (1 yr)Based on original MSRP$178.00
- Title fee$15.00
- License plateNew standard plate$5.00
- Sales tax6% of price$1,800.00
Total excludes items marked "not available".
What you'll pay later
Renewal at today's rates: $178.00/yr
5-year total: not shown, because the registration fee drops in the second, third and fourth years.
Estimate only, at today's rates for the same car.
Rates and sources for every fee are on the Michigan car registration fee calculator page.
- Michigan SOS – Title transfer and vehicle registration ($15 title fee, 6% tax, plate transfer)
- Michigan Legislature – MCL 257.806 (title fee components; $5 expedited title). Its components sum to $14.50; SOS charges $15 and the last $0.50 is not itemized in an official source
- Michigan Legislature – MCL 257.808 ($1 lien fee)
- Michigan Legislature – MCL 205.93 (6% use tax; paid at titling; relatives exempt list)
- Michigan Legislature – MCL 257.234 (transfer within 15 days; $15 late fee)
- Michigan Legislature – MCL 257.809 ($10 plate transfer fee)
- Michigan Legislature – MCL 257.801 (registration by original list price and age)
- Michigan Treasury – Form 485 (Rev. 1-26): 6% rate, $12,000 trade-in credit limit for 2026
- Michigan SOS – Form TR-11L (Rev. 5/26): Application for Michigan Vehicle Title; relatives exempt from use tax
- Michigan SOS – License plates and tabs (standard plate $5)
General information, not tax or legal advice. Fees and tax rules change; confirm with the agency listed before you pay.
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