• Six kinds of property

  A motor vehicle, a trailer, a boat or watercraft, an animal, heavy equipment, or anything else you name. Each is asked about in its own terms.

• Selling or buying

  Say which side you are on and the questions are worded for you. The bill of sale itself reads the same either way.

• The item described

  Year, make, model and identifying number, plus what suits the property: a vehicle's body type, a boat's length, registration and features, an animal's kind, number and description, or a piece of equipment's type. Anything you leave out stays a line to complete.

• An odometer statement for vehicles

  Enter the reading and say whether it is accurate. If it is not, say whether it is unreliable, past the odometer's limit, or was reset, and whether it has ever been replaced. The statement is written to match.

• A loan or lien, set out plainly

  If something is owed on the item, describe it, say who will pay the rest and how. The warranty of title then states the exception instead of promising the item is clear.

• A price, a gift, and how it is paid

  Give the price and say whether sales tax is included, or mark the item as a gift with a stated value. Choose the payment methods that apply.

• More than one seller or buyer

  Add a second seller and a second buyer. Each is named in the party block and signs on the closing page.

• Witness and notary, if you want them

  Add a witness line, and a notary acknowledgment for each party. Whether your state needs either is for your lawyer to confirm.

• Nothing filled in that you did not choose

  No price, date, mileage or identifying number is suggested. Each comes from your answer, or stays a line to fill in.

• A lawyer reviews it before it is used

  Your answers are prepared into a draft and reviewed by a qualified lawyer, rather than handed back to you as a finished form.

A bill of sale is the written record that a seller has sold an item to a buyer. It names both sides, describes what was sold, states the price and how it was paid, and records that ownership passes from one to the other. It is most useful when the buyer pays in full and takes the item as it is.

The builder starts with what is being sold: a motor vehicle, a trailer, a boat or watercraft, an animal, heavy equipment, or something else. It then asks for that item's details, any loan or lien, the price and the payment method, and the two sides. A vehicle also gets an odometer statement. Real estate and the sale of a business are different agreements and are not covered here.

What a state requires of a bill of sale, including any title or registration paperwork, a witness, a notary, or a particular odometer form, differs by state and by kind of property. This builder records what you and the other side have agreed. A lawyer checks the state-specific points before anything is signed, and the draft says so rather than leaving you to assume it is complete.

Not sure? Talk to an attorney about your situation first.

These are separate documents, for different jobs.

• Sales agreementsSet the terms for selling goods or services.View document
• Equipment Rental AgreementSet the terms for renting equipment to another party.View document
• Purchase and sale legal reviewHave a lawyer check a property purchase or sale.View document
• Notarization guidanceWhen a document needs notarising, and how.View document

• When you sell your car and want a record of the price and the mileage
• When a boat or trailer changes hands between private parties
• When a puppy, horse or animal is sold and the sale needs a record
• When a business sells a piece of equipment as it is

• Invoice FormBill a customer for goods or services provided.View document
• Personal property agreementsRecord who owns or shares personal belongings.View document
• Amortization ScheduleLay out each loan payment split between principal and interest.View document
• Financial Statement (Personal)Summarize your assets, debts and income in one statement.View document