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Illinois title transfer fees

How much is the title fee in Illinois?

Explained below

In plain English

Illinois law sets the fee for a certificate of title at $165, except for an all-terrain vehicle, off-highway motorcycle, motor home, mini motor home or van camper.

“Certificate of Title, except for an all-terrain vehicle, off-highway motorcycle, or motor home, mini motor home, or van camper $165”

Worked example

Example: a $12,000 used car bought from a private seller in Illinois. The title fee quoted for Illinois is not one figure, so none is used here. Tax is left out of this example. Not included: registration and plates, a lien fee, an out-of-state inspection, county or office add-ons, and late fees.

A made-up price; every other figure is from the quotes on this page. It is an illustration, not a bill.

What are the steps in Illinois, and by when?

In plain English

  1. The new owner must apply for a new certificate of title promptly, and within 20 days after the vehicle and the assigned title are delivered.

    The official words

    “the transferee shall, promptly and within 20 days after delivery to him of the vehicle and the assigned title, execute the application for a new certificate of title”

  2. Form RUT-50 is due within 30 days from the date of acquiring the vehicle if it was acquired in Illinois.

    The official words

    “Form RUT-50 is due within 30 days from the date of acquiring the vehicle if acquired in Illinois or within 30 days of bringing it into Illinois if acquired outside Illinois.”

  3. The registration fee statute lists $148 for motor vehicles of the first division other than autocycles, motorcycles, motor driven cycles and pedalcycles.

    The official words

    “Motor vehicles of the first division other than Autocycles, Motorcycles, Motor Driven Cycles and Pedalcycles $148”

What if the car comes from another state?

In plain English

For a vehicle acquired outside Illinois, Form RUT-50 is due within 30 days of bringing it into Illinois.

The official words

“Form RUT-50 is due within 30 days from the date of acquiring the vehicle if acquired in Illinois or within 30 days of bringing it into Illinois if acquired outside Illinois.”

What about tax on the purchase in Illinois?

In plain English

Illinois imposes a private party vehicle use tax on motor vehicles purchased, or acquired by gift or transfer, from another individual or private party. When the purchase price or fair market value is less than $15,000, Table A of the form instructions is used to find the tax due. The Department also administers local private party vehicle use taxes for certain units of local government.

The official words

“The tax is imposed on motor vehicles purchased (or acquired by gift or transfer) from another individual or private party.”

“Table A: If the purchase price or fair market value is less than $15,000, you must use Table A to determine your Illinois tax due.”

“The Department also administers local private party vehicle use taxes for certain units of local government.”

We don’t work out tax for Illinois.

What does a gift or family transfer change in Illinois?

In plain English

The tax applies to a vehicle acquired by gift from another individual or private party. When there is no stated purchase price, as with a gift or an even trade, fair market value is used.

The official words

“The tax is imposed on motor vehicles purchased (or acquired by gift or transfer) from another individual or private party.”

“When there is no stated purchase price, such as a gift or even trade, fair market value is used.”

What happens if the transfer is late in Illinois?

Nothing on this in the official pages we read for Illinois. That is about our reading, not about Illinois’s rules.

What the pages we read do not cover

The quotes we hold do not give the tax amounts in the tables or the local tax amounts.

The quotes we hold do not give a fee for recording a lender's claim or a penalty for a late title.

The quotes we hold do not say whether a vehicle from another state needs an inspection, or give a deadline for new residents to title a vehicle.

How Illinois compares

The title fee quoted for Illinois is not a single figure, so Illinois is not placed among the other states.

Every state in one table · How a title transfer works

Add it up for Illinois

Anything else?

Reference only, not legal or tax advice. Confirm with the agency. Full statement

Pages that refused our script

These official pages answered our script with a refusal or a bot check on November 12, 2026. We did not work around it, and nothing here is drawn from them.

Sources

8 quoted lines from 5 official sources, each matched word for word on November 12, 2026. Some official pages refused our script, so these lines could not be compared with them; a figure in a statute can differ from the fee an office posts today. The state’s own titling page is ilsos.gov.

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