Selling your car? How to write a receipt or bill of sale in Australia

You’ve agreed on the price and found a buyer. Now make sure the last five minutes of the sale don’t create problems later.

You are satisfied with the price, the money’s come through, and the buyer is basically ready to drive off. Then, right at the end, comes the question nobody really thinks about until they’re standing there with the keys in hand. “Do we need to write a receipt?” Probably a good idea!

A car sale receipt, sometimes called a bill of sale, gives both you and the buyer a written record of the deal. It shows which car was sold, how much was paid and when the handover happened. Nothing fancy is required, and you don’t need legal jargon or pages of terms, just enough clear information that neither of you is left trying to piece the details together from old messages later.

So before the car disappears down the street, here’s what to put on the receipt, what it helps prove and what still needs sorting once you’ve both signed it.

What’s a car sale receipt for?

When you sell your car, a receipt is your proof the sale went through. It shows your name, the buyer’s name, details of the car, how much they paid you, and the date it all happened.

You might also hear people talk about a “bill of sale”. For a private sale, it does pretty much the same job as a receipt. The receipt backs up that you got paid, and the bill of sale can spell out a bit more about the deal, like any conditions you both agreed to. Don’t stress too much about what you call it; just ensure that the details on the page are correct.

There’s one thing worth getting straight, though. A receipt is not the same as transferring the registration. It’s proof of the sale between you and the buyer, nothing more. Updating the rego is a separate step, and it goes through your state or territory’s transport authority.

Do you need one when selling privately?

There’s no single Australia-wide car sale receipt that every private seller has to use. Vehicle transfer rules sit with the states and territories, so the paperwork changes depending on where the car is registered. That said, don’t take that as a reason to skip it.

In NSW, sellers are told to give the buyer proof of sale, such as a receipt or invoice, and keep a copy. VicRoads also recommends completing a receipt once payment has been made.

It’s the kind of thing you don’t think about until someone asks about it later. The sale date, the price, how many kilometres were on the clock, when the car actually left your driveway. A receipt settles all of that in one go.

If you’re knee-deep in rego papers, finance letters and old workshop invoices trying to get everything together, our guide to the documents required to sell a car covers the rest of it. The receipt’s job is a lot smaller than that pile of paper suggests.

What should you write on the receipt?

If you’ve got a blank page in front of you, don’t overthink it. You’re simply writing down who bought the car, which car it was, how much they paid and when the sale happened. A few extra details help make the record clearer for both of you.

What to include	What to write
Buyer and seller details	Add both full names and addresses. It’s also a good idea for both of you to sign the finished receipt.
Car details	Write down the make, model, registration number and VIN or chassis number. You can also include the engine number where it’s relevant.
Odometer reading	Note the kilometres showing on the car when you hand it over.
Sale price	Add the full price you agreed on with the buyer.
How much has been paid	If the buyer has only paid a deposit, say that clearly and write down how much is still left to pay.
How they paid	Note whether the payment was made by bank transfer, cash or another agreed method.
Date and time	Record when the sale and handover took place.
Any condition you discussed	If you told the buyer about a particular fault or agreed on something specific about the car’s condition, you can include that too.

NSW proof-of-sale guidance includes details such as the plate number, VIN or chassis number, engine number, colour, make and model, along with the date and time of sale and the names, addresses and signatures of the buyer and seller. VicRoads also recommends keeping a receipt with the people involved, the vehicle details and when the sale took place.

You don’t need to squeeze every bit of personal information onto the receipt either. A driver licence number isn’t a standard requirement for every private car sale receipt in Australia. Your state or territory may ask for licence or customer details separately when you complete the official transfer, so it’s better to follow that process rather than copy extra information onto the receipt for no reason.

If you’re sorting out the rest of the sale paperwork at the same time, our guide to the documents required to sell a car can help you work out what else you’ll need.

And if you’d rather see it than read through another list, the example below shows how all of this can fit neatly onto one page.

If the buyer’s paying a deposit, spell it out

Deposits are where a vague receipt can turn into a headache. If all you write down is “received $1,000”, neither of you can prove whether that’s the full price, a holding deposit, or just the first bit of a $18,000 sale with the rest due Saturday.

So put it all down including the full agreed price, what’s been paid as a deposit, what’s still owed, and when you expect that balance.

If you and the buyer have agreed on any conditions around the deposit, get those in writing as well. And don’t decide after the money’s landed that it was “refundable” or “non-refundable” if that’s not what you both agreed to at the time. Once the rest of the payment comes through, keep a record of that too.

Money first, keys second

Before the buyer drives away, make sure the payment has landed. If they’re paying by bank transfer, check the money in your own account rather than relying on a screenshot, an email confirmation or the transaction screen on their phone. 

For a more expensive car, it was  checking with your bank beforehand. Transfer limits and processing times can vary, and the last thing you want is to be figuring that out while the buyer is standing in your driveway waiting for the keys.

Once the payment is sorted, you can finish the receipt with the amount paid and move on to the handover.

And if you’re still deciding what price you’re comfortable accepting, a current car valuation can give you a useful starting point before you begin negotiating.

Should you write “sold as is”?

You can absolutely note that the buyer inspected the car and accepted it in the condition it was in. That’s fair enough to put on paper.

What you shouldn’t do is treat “sold as is” as some kind of magic phrase that wipes away every other issue.

Here’s the legal bit, kept simple. Most Australian Consumer Law guarantees don’t apply once you’re talking about a one-off private sale between two people. But a few still stick around, things like proving you actually own the car, that the buyer gets to keep it undisturbed, and that there’s no hidden debt sitting against it.

For a seller, none of that legal language really changes what you need to do. Just be specific about the car you’re selling.

Is air conditioning on the blink? Write it down. There’s damage the buyer already knows about? Record it. Talked about a past accident and what got fixed? Mention the repair itself rather than leaving “sold as is” to cover for you.

The more specific you are, the harder it is for anyone to misread it later. If you want to go deeper on this, our guide to selling a used car after an accident covers previous damage, repairs, and what you actually owe a buyer in terms of disclosure.

What if there’s still finance owing on the car?

This is another spot where a receipt can seem like it’s doing more than it actually is. Signing a receipt doesn’t make a lender’s security interest disappear. If you’ve still got finance owing, you’ll need a current payout figure from your lender and a plan for how that gets settled as part of the sale. 

Worth knowing too that buyers can run a PPSR search themselves, which will show up any security interest still registered against the car. Sort all this out before someone’s standing in your driveway ready to drive off. 

Our guide to selling a financed car in Australia walks through the finance side in detail, and our guide to reading a PPSR report explains exactly what shows up on that register.

Does the receipt transfer the car out of your name?

No, it doesn’t. The receipt and the registration transfer are two completely separate jobs.

It’s easy to overlook this bit because emotionally, once the payment’s in and the keys are gone, the sale feels finished. Administratively, though, it isn’t quite done yet.

In NSW, you give the buyer proof of sale and separately submit a Notice of Disposal. Victoria runs its own process through VicRoads. Queensland has its own transfer requirements too, and most private sales of registered light vehicles need a current safety certificate unless an exemption applies.

Every state and territory has its own steps and deadlines, so it’s worth checking the current rules for wherever your car’s registered rather than going off what you did years ago, or somewhere else.

The easiest way to remember it: your receipt records the sale, and your transport authority is the one who actually updates the registration. You are required to handle both.

Give yourself five minutes before the car leaves

By this stage, most people are mentally done with the paperwork. Which is exactly when the small stuff slips through the cracks, so run through these before the buyer drives off. 

1. Check the payment yourself rather than taking it on faith. Make sure the money’s actually landed in your account.
2. Finish off the receipt with the final amount paid, the date, the time and the odometer reading, and make sure you both end up with a copy.
3. Sort your seller-side transfer or disposal step and save the confirmation somewhere safe, rather than telling yourself you’ll get to it tomorrow.
4. Hand over whatever you agreed to include, whether that’s the spare key, the owner’s manual or the service records.
5. Take yourself out of the car. Pull the toll tags, parking permits, garage remotes and any personal papers, unpair your phone, and clear out saved contacts, addresses and anything linked to your accounts.

If your service history’s scattered between the glovebox, your inbox and some drawer you haven’t opened since 2023, our guide to checking your car service history before selling can help you work out what’s worth handing over.

What should you keep after the buyer drives away?

The car’s gone, the keys are out of your hands and, understandably, you’re probably ready to stop thinking about the sale. Before you do, keep the paperwork somewhere safe.

Keep your copy of the signed receipt, proof of payment and any confirmation showing you completed the required transfer or disposal step. If you agreed to anything separately, such as a deposit, how outstanding finance would be cleared or a known fault in the car, keep that in writing too.

There isn’t one Australia-wide rule that sets the same retention period for every private car sale, so the simplest approach is to keep the full sale record somewhere safe in case you ever need to refer back to it.

A clear photo or scan is worth saving as well. If you’re still sorting the rest of the paperwork, our guide to the documents required to sell a car covers what else is worth keeping around the handover.

And maybe give the file a name you’ll recognise later. Car-sale-receipt will be far more helpful than IMG_8472.

What changes if you sell the car to Cars24?

You don’t need to sit down and draft your own private-sale receipt when you sell your car to Cars24 because we use our own purchase documentation and verification process. 

If you continue after inspection and accept the post-inspection purchase amount, the Purchase Agreement records the sale between you and Cars24, while the relevant registration and finance steps are handled as part of the transaction.

The principle is the same either way. When your car leaves, you should have a paper trail that still makes sense after everyone has gone home.

FAQs

Can I just write the receipt by hand?

You can. It doesn’t need to be fancy. Just make sure the writing is clear and the receipt covers the car, the buyer and seller, the price and the date of sale. The official registration transfer is a separate step.

Do we both need to sign it?

That’s the safest way to do it. A signed copy gives both sides the same record of the sale, instead of relying on texts or a bank transfer later.

Should I keep a copy after the car is gone?

Definitely. Keep the signed receipt with your payment record and any transfer confirmation. A photo or scan is useful too, especially if the original paper disappears.

Do I need the buyer’s licence number on the receipt?

Not as a standard rule across Australia. Some states ask for licence or customer details during the official transfer, so use the requirements for the state or territory where the car is registered rather than adding extra personal information to the receipt.

Does the receipt mean the car is officially out of my name?

No. The receipt records the sale, but you still need to complete the seller-side transfer or disposal process that applies in your state or territory. Our guide to the documents required to sell a car covers the other paperwork that can come up at handover.

What if there’s still finance left on the car?

Sort that before the handover. The receipt doesn’t remove a lender’s interest in the car, so get a current payout figure and check how the balance needs to be cleared. Our guide to selling a financed car in Australia explains that process in more detail.