Summary of the Article

A free bill of sale template only needs a handful of fields: both parties' legal names and addresses, the date, a clear description of what you're selling, the price, and two signatures. Below you'll find ready-to-copy templates for general items, cars, and boats, plus a step-by-step way to get both parties to sign it online free.

• General bill of sale: works for furniture, tools, equipment, electronics, and most personal property.
• Car bill of sale: adds VIN, make, model, year, odometer reading, and title number.
• Boat bill of sale: swaps VIN for the hull ID number (HIN) and covers motor and trailer inclusion.
• Signing it: you can print and sign on paper, or send the filled template online so buyer and seller sign remotely with an audit trail.

Free Bill of Sale Template (PDF & Word): Car, Boat, and General Forms

Selling a car, a boat, or even a used trailer comes with the same awkward question: what does the buyer actually hold as proof they paid you? A bill of sale answers it. It's a short document that records who sold what, for how much, on what date, and that both sides agreed.

This page gives you the template structure for three versions (general, car, and boat), explains exactly what to fill in, and shows you how to get both signatures without printing anything.

Choose Your Bill of Sale Template

All three templates below follow the same skeleton. The only difference is how much detail the item needs. Copy any version into your own document, or paste the field list into a Word or PDF file and fill it in. If your state publishes its own form, that one usually wins for registration purposes; state examples like the free Washington bill of sale forms show what those look like.

General Bill of Sale Template (PDF & Word)

Use this for furniture, tools, electronics, equipment, or anything else that is not a titled vehicle. Fields to include:

1. Date of sale
2. Seller's full legal name and address
3. Buyer's full legal name and address
4. Item description: type of item, brand, model, serial number if it has one, and condition
5. Purchase price and payment method (cash, bank transfer, check, other)
6. As-is or warranty statement: whether the item is sold as-is or with any warranty
7. Signature lines for both seller and buyer

Here's what a filled-in version looks like:

Date of sale: March 14, 2026. Seller: Dana Ruiz, 214 Oak St, Denver, CO 80203. Buyer: Marcus Lee, 88 Pine Ave, Fort Collins, CO 80521. Item: DeWalt DCD791 cordless drill, serial no. 555-C-4417, used, good condition. Sold as-is, with no warranty. Purchase price: $85, paid by bank transfer. Seller signature: Dana Ruiz. Buyer signature: Marcus Lee.

Free Bill of Sale Template for Car (Vehicle Version)

A car changes hands with a title attached, so the form needs vehicle-specific fields. State DMV sources consistently list these:

1. Date of sale
2. Seller's legal name and address (street address, not a PO Box)
3. Buyer's legal name and address
4. Vehicle description: make, model, year, body type, color
5. VIN (vehicle identification number): 17 characters, usually visible at the base of the windshield
6. Odometer reading at the time of sale
7. Title number and the state that issued it
8. Purchase price and payment method
9. As-is/warranty statement
10. Signatures and printed names of both seller and buyer, plus the date each signed

Boat Bill of Sale Template

Boats carry a hull identification number (HIN) instead of a VIN. Keep the same skeleton and swap in:

1. Date of sale
2. Seller and buyer legal names and addresses
3. Vessel description: make, model, year, length, and HIN
4. Motor: make, model, horsepower, and serial number, and whether it is included in the sale
5. Trailer: whether it is included, plus its make and VIN or plate number
6. Purchase price and payment method
7. As-is/warranty statement
8. Both parties' signatures and dates

Boat registration rules vary a lot by state, so check your state's boating authority for what it requires on top of this form.

Quick Comparison: Which Template Fits?

Template	Unique fields it adds	Typical use
General	Serial number, condition	Furniture, tools, equipment
Car	VIN, odometer, title number, body type, color	Selling a titled vehicle
Boat	HIN, motor details, trailer inclusion	Selling a vessel

What a Bill of Sale Must Include

Whatever variant you use, a valid bill of sale template comes down to six things:

• Buyer and seller full legal names and addresses. Legal names, as they appear on ID or the title. A few states, such as New Hampshire, explicitly ask for a street address rather than a PO Box.
• Date of sale. The date money changed hands, not necessarily the date you write the form.
• A detailed item description. For a car that means make, model, year, and VIN. Vague descriptions ("a 2015 sedan") invite disputes.
• Purchase price and how it was paid. Even for a gift, write $0 and say so.
• An as-is or warranty statement. Most private sales are as-is; say it plainly in one sentence.
• Both signatures. Some states want only the seller's signature, but getting both is safer everywhere.

For a California example of how a state frames this form, see this California bill of sale template.

Odometer Disclosure: One Extra Step for Car Sales

Federal law requires a written odometer disclosure when ownership of a vehicle changes. In practice, states commonly require it for vehicles from the most recent 20 model years; older vehicles are usually exempt. The disclosure states the odometer reading and whether the seller certifies it as actual, or notes that it exceeds the mechanical limits or that the odometer is broken.

Most states put the odometer disclosure right on the title transfer form or the state's own bill of sale, so you may not need a separate document. If your car is newer than 20 model years, check your state DMV's title-transfer page before the sale.

State Rules Vary: Check Before You Sign

Two things trip people up:

• Some states mandate their own form. Several DMVs and DORs require you to use a state-issued bill of sale for registration purposes. If your state has one, use it; a generic template can still serve as a private receipt, but the official form is what the agency wants.
• Some states require notarization. Guidance published by DocuSign's vehicle bill of sale page lists Louisiana, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, and West Virginia (and Wyoming in certain cases) among states where notarization is required. If you're in one of these, plan a trip to a notary after you fill in the form.

The safe move: search "[your state] DMV bill of sale" and read the official page for your state before the sale date. This article is general guidance, not legal advice.

When You Actually Need a Bill of Sale

Sometimes it's required; sometimes it's just smart.

• Required: the buyer needs it to register the vehicle or boat, transfer the title, or pay sales tax in many states.
• Smart anyway: it's your proof the transaction happened at this price on this date. That protects the seller if the buyer gets a ticket or causes damage before re-titling, and protects the buyer if someone later questions their ownership.
• For taxes: both parties may use it to document the sale price for sales or capital-gains purposes.

If a title exists for the item, a bill of sale does not replace the title transfer. It accompanies it.

How to Fill Out the Template Without Common Mistakes

Before you hand anything over, run through this checklist:

• Did you use legal addresses, not PO Boxes?
• Is the VIN or HIN copied exactly, character for character, from the vehicle or document?
• Is there a written price, even if it's $0?
• Does the as-is statement match your actual deal?
• Did both parties sign? An unsigned buyer line is the most common gap.
• Are signatures dated?

Fixing any of these after the buyer drives away is much harder than catching them now.

How to Get Both Parties to Sign It Online Free

You don't need to meet in person, print, or scan. You can fill in the template in Word or as a PDF you can sign online free, then send it for signature online. Here's the workflow:

1. Fill in the template. Complete the fields in your Word or PDF copy.
2. Upload it to SignFree. SignFree lets you upload documents, add signers, and send them for signature. Its Free plan is unlimited for one-person businesses.
3. Add both signers. Add the seller and the buyer. Signers don't need to create SignFree accounts; they sign from a link.
4. Place the signature fields. Drag a signature box onto each signature line, and date fields next to them. If you're working from the Word version, the process for adding a signature to a Word document works the same way.
5. Send, and both parties sign. Each signer gets the document, signs in a browser, and the completed document comes back to you. The full walkthrough is in the SignFree Help Center guide to sending a document for signature.
6. Download and keep it. SignFree stores the signed document with an audit trail showing who signed and when.

If you sell regularly (flipping cars, equipment, or gear), you can save the completed bill of sale as a reusable SignFree template so the next sale takes minutes.

Ready to execute your bill of sale? Start signing free with SignFree and get both signatures on the completed template today.

Why Keeping the Signed Copy Matters

The signed bill of sale is the only document that ties the exact item, the exact price, and the exact date to the two people in the deal. Keep it because:

• Proof of purchase. The buyer may need it for registration, insurance, or a warranty claim.
• Dispute protection. If the buyer contests the condition, the price, or the date, the signed document is your record.
• Audit trail. A digital signature with a recorded signing time is harder to dispute than a scanned page with no history.

Keep at least one copy for as long as you own or might be questioned about the item; for vehicles, that means until the title transfer is complete on the state's records.

FAQ

Does a bill of sale need to be notarized? Only in some states, such as Louisiana, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, and West Virginia. Check your state DMV.

Does it need a witness? Most states don't require one. A witness or notary adds weight if a dispute is likely.

Is a handwritten bill of sale valid? Generally yes, if it contains the required fields and signatures. A clear template is still safer because it's less likely to miss something.

Can a bill of sale be signed electronically? In most cases, yes. US law (ESIGN and UETA) treats electronic signatures as valid for most transactions. If a specific agency insists on a wet-ink or notarized signature, follow that agency's rule. For more on signature types and validity, see SignFree's e-sign compliance overview.

Do I still need to transfer the title if I have a bill of sale? Yes. The bill of sale documents the transaction; the title transfer legally changes ownership.