How to Fill Out the Arkansas DFA Odometer Disclosure Statement (Form 10-313) + FAQs

The Arkansas Vehicle Bill of Sale / Odometer Disclosure Statement, known as Form 10-313, is the state document that records the mileage on a vehicle when it changes hands, and every private seller and dealer in Arkansas uses it to prove the sale and the odometer reading to the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. The buyer then carries it to a local Revenue Office to title and register the car within 30 days of purchase.

Getting one box wrong on this form can stall your title, trigger a tax review, or even lead to a felony charge for odometer fraud. The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that odometer rollback fraud costs American car buyers more than $1 billion each year, which is exactly why this short form carries so much legal weight. This guide walks you through Form 10-313 line by line, in plain language, so you can finish it once and finish it right.

Here is what you will learn:

• 📋 What every one of the form’s nine sections asks and how to fill each box the way the DFA expects.
• 🚗 How to handle a tricky odometer, including a rolled-over reading or a broken one.
• ⚠️ The exact mistakes that get titles rejected and how to avoid each one.
• 🧾 Where to file the finished form, what it costs, and what proof to keep.
• ❓ Answers to the questions Arkansas sellers and buyers ask most.

What Form 10-313 Is and Who Must File It

Form 10-313 is a combined Vehicle Bill of Sale and Odometer Disclosure Statement issued by the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) Office of Motor Vehicle. It does two jobs in one page. First, it serves as the bill of sale that proves who sold the car, who bought it, and for how much. Second, it captures the odometer disclosure that federal and state law require at the moment of transfer.

The current DFA version carries a revision date of 07/19/2012, printed at the bottom of the page, so confirm you have that version before you start. The form also states it may be reproduced as long as the format and language are not changed from the original, which means a clean printout is fine.

Anyone transferring ownership of a motor vehicle in Arkansas must complete the odometer disclosure. The duty comes from Arkansas Code § 4-90-206, which says a person transferring ownership must give the buyer a written disclosure of the cumulative mileage on the vehicle. The matching state rule, 4 CAR § 10-104, spells out the disclosure of odometer information in detail. Both echo the federal Truth in Mileage Act, which is the national law that started the odometer disclosure system.

The plain-English point is this: if you sell or give away a car, you must tell the buyer the true mileage in writing. If you skip this duty, the title transfer can be blocked and you can be held liable for fraud. Picture David Mercer, who sells his pickup to a neighbor with a handshake and no paperwork; when the neighbor goes to retitle, the Revenue Office turns him away because there is no signed disclosure. A common misconception is that the title’s own mileage line replaces this form. In Arkansas the bill of sale and odometer statement work alongside the title, and the Revenue Office expects both.

Before You Start: Documents and Information You Need

Gather everything before you open the form, because the DFA cross-checks these details and a single gap can hold up the buyer’s title. The form is short, but every box pulls from a document you should have in hand.

• The vehicle title. You need the VIN, year, make, and model exactly as they appear on the title, since a mismatch between the form and the title triggers a hold at the Revenue Office.
• The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). This 17-character code anchors the whole form; an error here points the paperwork at the wrong vehicle.
• The seller’s full legal name and address. This must match the name on the title so the chain of ownership stays unbroken.
• The buyer’s full legal name and address. The Revenue Office mails title documents here, so an old address means a lost title.
• Company name and address, if the buyer is a business. A business buyer skips the individual buyer lines and uses the company block instead.
• The exact odometer reading. Read it to the whole mile with no tenths, because the form asks for a no-tenths number and a rounded guess can look like tampering.
• The agreed sale price and any trade-in value. These set the net taxable amount that drives the sales tax the buyer owes.
• The purchase date. This starts the 30-day clock for titling and registration, and a wrong date can make a buyer look late.
• Proof of insurance and a valid driver’s license. The buyer needs Arkansas minimum coverage of $25,000 bodily injury per person, $50,000 per accident, and $25,000 property damage to register.

If any item is missing, the safest move is to pause and find it. A missing VIN digit or an old buyer address causes more rejected titles than any odometer issue.

Where to Get the Form and How to Access It

The official Form 10-313 lives on the DFA website. You can download it directly from the DFA Motor Vehicle Forms page, where it sits among the state’s titling and registration documents. The direct PDF is the State of Arkansas Vehicle Bill of Sale/Odometer Disclosure Statement.

The DFA posts a notice worth heeding: some browsers have a built-in PDF viewer that does not work well with state forms. If the boxes will not fill or the form looks broken, download it and open it in Adobe Reader, then type your entries and print. This avoids a half-saved form that prints blank in spots.

You can also pick up a paper copy at any local Revenue Office if you would rather fill it out by hand. Print clearly in black ink if you go that route. The form may be legally reproduced, so a clean copy from a trusted template site is acceptable, but the safest source is always the DFA’s own PDF so you know the language and format are unchanged.

Step-by-Step: How to Fill Out Form 10-313 Line by Line

The form is divided into nine sections. Fill them in order, top to bottom, because later sections depend on the choices you make early, such as whether the buyer is a person or a company. Each section below tells you what it asks, how to answer it, a real example, an edge case, the common mistake, and a myth to drop.

Section 1 — Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)

This box asks for the vehicle’s full 17-character VIN, the unique code that identifies your exact car. Copy it letter for letter from the title or the dash plate, writing every character in uppercase with no spaces or dashes. For example, Karen Boyd enters 1FTFW1ET5DFC10312 for her 2013 Ford F-150.

A useful edge case: older vehicles built before 1981 may have a shorter VIN, and that shorter number is correct, so do not pad it to 17 characters. The most common mistake is swapping the letter O for the number zero, which the DFA database reads as a different vehicle and which freezes the title transfer until corrected. A frequent misconception is that the license plate number can stand in for the VIN; it cannot, because plates change while the VIN stays with the car for life.

Section 2 — Buyer Information

This section asks who is buying the vehicle, broken into First Name, Middle Initial, Last Name, Address, and City, State, Zip. Enter the buyer’s full legal name and current mailing address, since the Revenue Office sends the title here. For example, Maria Lopez writes her name and 512 Oak Street, Conway, AR 72032.

The form gives a clear instruction at the top of this block: if the buyer is a company rather than an individual, skip these lines and go directly to Section 3. There is also a box to check if there are multiple owners, which you should mark when two people, such as spouses, will share the title. The common mistake is entering a nickname like Mike instead of Michael, which will not match the buyer’s license and can block registration. A myth to drop is that the buyer can list a future address; always use the address where the buyer can receive mail today.

Section 3 — Company Information

This block asks for the buyer’s business details when a company, not a person, is buying the vehicle. It captures Company Name, Company Address, and City, State, Zip. Enter the legal business name exactly as it is registered with the state, then the company’s mailing address. For example, River Valley Plumbing LLC enters its name and 88 Industrial Drive, Fort Smith, AR 72901.

The edge case here is a sole proprietor who buys under a personal name rather than a business name; that buyer uses Section 2, not Section 3. The common mistake is filling in both Section 2 and Section 3 for the same buyer, which confuses who owns the vehicle and can split the tax record. A misconception is that a company can leave its address blank because it has a known name; the DFA still needs the address to mail the title and tie the vehicle to the right taxpayer.

Section 4 — Dealer/Seller Name and Address

This section asks who is selling the vehicle. It includes Dealer/Seller Name, Address, and City, State, Zip. Enter the full legal name of the seller exactly as it appears on the current title, then the seller’s address. For example, David Mercer enters his name and 240 Pine Bluff Road, Little Rock, AR 72209.

A common edge case is a licensed dealer selling from a lot; the dealership’s legal name and business address go here instead of a person’s name. The frequent mistake is a seller signing over a car that is still titled in a previous owner’s name, which breaks the ownership chain and stops the transfer cold. A misconception is that the seller’s name here can differ from the title “because everyone knows it’s the same person”; the names must match, or the Revenue Office will reject the paperwork.

Section 5 — Purchase Date

This box asks for the date the sale takes place. Write the full date in month, day, and year format, such as 06/05/2026. This single date matters more than it looks because it starts the 30-day window the buyer has to title and register the vehicle.

The edge case is a sale negotiated over several days; use the date money and keys actually change hands, not the day talks began. The common mistake is leaving this blank or backdating it, which can make the buyer appear late for registration and expose both parties to late penalties or a fraud question. A misconception is that the purchase date and the date you sign the form must be different; they are usually the same day, and matching them keeps the record clean.

Section 6 — Description of Vehicle Purchased and Vehicle Trade-In

This section asks you to describe the vehicle being sold and any vehicle traded in. For the Vehicle Purchased, you enter Make, Model, Year, Primary Color, and Secondary Color if it applies. For a Vehicle Trade-In, you enter Make, Model, Year, and the Vehicle Identification Number of Trade-In. For example, Maria Lopez buys a Honda Civic, 2018, Silver and trades in a Toyota Corolla, 2009.

The edge case is a two-tone vehicle, where the secondary color line lets you record both shades so the description matches what the buyer drives away. The common mistake is mixing up the purchased vehicle’s details with the trade-in’s details, which can attach the wrong tax credit and inflate the buyer’s bill. A misconception is that the trade-in lines are optional decoration; if a trade-in lowers the taxable price, leaving them blank means the buyer loses the trade-in tax credit.

Section 7 — Odometer Disclosure

This is the heart of the form and the reason odometer disclosure exists. The statement reads that the seller states the odometer now reads a stated number of miles, with no tenths, and that to the best of the seller’s knowledge it reflects the actual miles, unless one of the boxes below is checked. You write the mileage as a whole number, such as 84,506, dropping any fraction.

Two checkboxes sit below the reading, and you mark one only when it applies. Box 1, EXCEEDS MECHANICAL LIMITS, certifies that to the best of your knowledge the reading reflects mileage in excess of the odometer’s mechanical limits, meaning the dial has rolled past its maximum and started over. Box 2, WARNING – ODOMETER DISCREPANCY, certifies that the odometer reading is not the actual mileage, which you use when the odometer is broken, was replaced, or you simply cannot vouch for it. For example, Earl Stokes sells a 1994 truck whose five-digit odometer reads 032,118 but actually has over 132,000 miles, so he writes 32,118 and checks Box 1.

The edge case most people miss is a digital odometer that failed and was repaired; if the mileage was reset, you check Box 2 even though the car runs fine. The common and dangerous mistake is reading the tenths and entering them, or rounding up to a “nice” number, because an altered-looking figure can be treated as tampering. The most harmful misconception is that checking a box makes the car look bad and lowers value, so sellers leave it blank; an honest box protects you, while a false “actual mileage” statement on a rolled-over car is exactly the fraud the law punishes.

Section 8 — Sales Price Information and Signatures

This section captures the money and the signatures that make the form binding. It asks for the Full Sales Price of Vehicle, Less Trade-In, and Net Taxable Income, followed by the Printed Name of Seller, Signature of Seller, Printed Name of Buyer, and Signature of Buyer. You enter the full agreed price, subtract any trade-in value, and the remainder is the net taxable amount the buyer’s sales tax is based on. For example, Maria Lopez shows a full price of $14,500, less a trade-in of $3,000, for a net taxable amount of $11,500.

Both parties then print and sign their names in the matching lines. The edge case is a gift or a sale between family members; you still enter the true value, because writing $0 or a fake low price to dodge tax is the felony the form warns about. The common mistake is signing for the other party or leaving the buyer’s signature blank, which voids the document as proof of sale. A misconception is that a low written price saves the buyer money with no risk; the DFA can review suspiciously low prices, and a knowingly false price exposes both signers to tax-evasion charges.

Section 9 — Warning

This is not a fill-in section but a legal warning you must read before signing. It states that it is a FELONY for any taxpayer to willfully attempt to evade or defeat the payment of any tax, penalty, or interest due under state law, or for any person to willfully assist a taxpayer in doing so. There is nothing to write here; your signature in Section 8 means you accept this warning.

The edge case worth noting is a helper, such as a relative who fills out the form for an elderly seller; that helper can be charged for knowingly assisting in evasion, so the numbers must be true. The common mistake is treating this block as fine print and ignoring it, which does not lessen the legal exposure one bit. The misconception is that only the seller faces the felony risk; the warning plainly covers any person who helps, including the buyer who agrees to a false price.

Three Filled-Out Examples Using Real Scenarios

Below are three common Arkansas situations, each following one named seller through the form. Use them as templates for your own facts.

Scenario 1: Maria Lopez sells a clean late-model car with a trade-in. Maria sells her 2018 Honda Civic with an accurate, in-range odometer.

Form Section	What Maria Enters
Section 1 – VIN	2HGFC2F59JH500123
Section 2 – Buyer	Maria Lopez, 512 Oak Street, Conway, AR 72032
Section 3 – Company	Left blank, buyer is an individual
Section 4 – Dealer/Seller	David Mercer, 240 Pine Bluff Road, Little Rock, AR 72209
Section 5 – Purchase Date	06/05/2026
Section 6 – Vehicle	Purchased: Honda Civic, 2018, Silver; Trade-In: Toyota Corolla, 2009
Section 7 – Odometer	84,506 miles, no boxes checked
Section 8 – Price/Signatures	Full $14,500, Less Trade-In $3,000, Net $11,500, both sign

Scenario 2: Earl Stokes sells an older truck with a rolled-over odometer. Earl’s 1994 truck has a five-digit dial that has passed its limit.

Form Section	What Earl Enters
Section 1 – VIN	1GCEC14Z4RE100777
Section 2 – Buyer	Tyler Reed, 19 County Road 7, Jonesboro, AR 72401
Section 3 – Company	Left blank, buyer is an individual
Section 4 – Dealer/Seller	Earl Stokes, 305 Maple Avenue, Searcy, AR 72143
Section 5 – Purchase Date	06/05/2026
Section 6 – Vehicle	Purchased: Chevrolet C1500, 1994, Red; Trade-In: none
Section 7 – Odometer	32,118 miles, Box 1 EXCEEDS MECHANICAL LIMITS checked
Section 8 – Price/Signatures	Full $3,200, Less Trade-In $0, Net $3,200, both sign

Scenario 3: River Valley Plumbing LLC buys a van with a broken odometer. A company buys a work van whose odometer was replaced and reset.

Form Section	What the Seller Enters
Section 1 – VIN	1FTNE2EW8GDC40555
Section 2 – Buyer	Left blank, buyer is a company
Section 3 – Company	River Valley Plumbing LLC, 88 Industrial Drive, Fort Smith, AR 72901
Section 4 – Dealer/Seller	Janet Pruitt, 47 Elm Court, Russellville, AR 72801
Section 5 – Purchase Date	06/05/2026
Section 6 – Vehicle	Purchased: Ford Transit, 2016, White; Trade-In: none
Section 7 – Odometer	11,940 miles, Box 2 ODOMETER DISCREPANCY checked
Section 8 – Price/Signatures	Full $9,750, Less Trade-In $0, Net $9,750, both sign

How to File the Completed Form 10-313

Form 10-313 is not mailed to the DFA by the seller; the buyer files it as part of titling and registering the vehicle at a local Revenue Office within 30 days of purchase. The seller’s job is to fill it out, sign it, and hand the original to the buyer along with the signed title.

In person at a Revenue Office. Bring the completed Form 10-313, the signed certificate of title, a valid driver’s license, proof of Arkansas minimum insurance, and the registration fees. Standard passenger registration fees run by vehicle weight, and the clerk also collects state and local sales tax on the net taxable price from Section 8. You leave with stamped proof of registration, and the title is processed and mailed to you.

Online through MyDMV Arkansas. New residents and buyers can start registration online through MyDMV Arkansas, but the title documents are mailed only after all required papers, including the bill of sale and odometer disclosure, are received. Online payment is by card. Keep the confirmation number as proof you filed on time.

By mail. You may also mail the title package to a Revenue Office; include the original signed Form 10-313, the title, copies of your license and insurance, and payment as the office directs. Mail moves slower, so send it well inside the 30-day window. Whatever channel you choose, keep a photocopy of the signed Form 10-313 for your own records as proof of the sale and the disclosed mileage.

What Happens After You File

Once the buyer files the package, the Revenue Office checks that the VIN, names, and odometer reading on Form 10-313 match the title and its records. If everything lines up, the office processes the transfer, collects the sales tax on the net taxable amount, issues the registration, and mails a new title in the buyer’s name. This usually takes a few weeks for the printed title to arrive.

If something does not match, the office places a hold and contacts the buyer to fix it, which can mean returning with a corrected form or the seller’s help. A checked odometer box does not stop the transfer; it simply records the true condition and travels with the vehicle’s permanent record. That record matters later, because the next buyer can see that the mileage exceeded mechanical limits or was not actual.

The seller’s copy becomes important if a dispute arises. If a buyer later claims the mileage was wrong, the signed Form 10-313 is the seller’s proof of what was disclosed and agreed. Keep it for several years, because odometer and tax claims can surface long after the sale.

Mistakes to Avoid When Filling Out the Form

• Mixing up the letter O and the number zero in the VIN, which points the form at the wrong vehicle and freezes the title.
• Using a nickname instead of a full legal name, which fails to match the license and blocks registration.
• Filling out both the buyer block and the company block, which confuses ownership and splits the tax record.
• Listing a seller name that does not match the title, which breaks the ownership chain and stops the transfer.
• Leaving the purchase date blank or backdating it, which can make the buyer appear late and invite penalties.
• Entering tenths or rounding the odometer reading, which can look like tampering and raise a fraud flag.
• Leaving Section 7 blank on a rolled-over car instead of checking Box 1, which falsely certifies actual mileage.
• Skipping Box 2 when the odometer is broken or replaced, which is a false statement under the Truth in Mileage Act.
• Writing a fake low or zero sale price to dodge tax, which is the felony the Section 9 warning describes.
• Forgetting a signature from the buyer or seller, which voids the form as legal proof of the sale.
• Omitting the trade-in details when one applies, which costs the buyer the trade-in tax credit.
• Using an outdated or altered copy of the form, which the DFA may reject because the language must stay unchanged.

Do’s and Don’ts

Do’s

• Do copy the VIN and vehicle details straight from the title, because matching records prevent processing holds.
• Do read the odometer to the whole mile, since the form demands a no-tenths figure.
• Do check Box 1 or Box 2 when it truly applies, because an honest disclosure protects you from fraud claims.
• Do enter the real sale price, since a truthful number keeps both signers clear of tax-evasion charges.
• Do keep a signed photocopy, because it is your proof if a mileage or sale dispute arises later.
• Do file within 30 days of purchase, since the clock starts on the Section 5 purchase date.

Don’ts

• Don’t sign for the other party, because each person’s own signature is what makes the form valid.
• Don’t backdate the purchase date, since a false date can trigger late penalties and fraud questions.
• Don’t leave the odometer boxes blank on a rolled-over or broken odometer, because silence certifies actual mileage.
• Don’t write a fake price to lower the buyer’s tax, since the warning makes this a felony for everyone who signs.
• Don’t use a built-in browser PDF viewer that prints blank boxes, because incomplete forms get rejected.
• Don’t guess the mileage, since an invented number undermines the entire disclosure.

Pros and Cons of Filing on Your Own vs. With Help

Most Arkansas sellers complete Form 10-313 themselves because it is short, but some buyers use a dealer or title service for the registration. Here is how the two paths compare.

Pros of handling it yourself

• It costs nothing beyond the standard fees, since you skip any service charge.
• You control accuracy, because you know your own vehicle and mileage best.
• It is fast for a clean sale, as the form takes only minutes to complete.
• You learn the process, which helps with future sales or registrations.
• You keep your records in order, since you hold the signed original from the start.

Cons of handling it yourself

• You carry the risk of an error, which can cause a title hold or a return trip.
• Odometer edge cases can confuse first-timers, leading to a wrong box choice.
• You must track the 30-day deadline yourself, with no reminder from a professional.
• Tax math on trade-ins can trip you up, costing the buyer money.
• A mistake on the felony-warning items has serious legal stakes you bear alone.

FAQs

Do I need to fill out Form 10-313 if I’m only gifting the car to a family member?

Yes. Any transfer of ownership requires the odometer disclosure, and you must enter the vehicle’s true value, since writing $0 to avoid tax can be treated as evasion.

Do I write tenths of a mile in the odometer box in Section 7?

No. The form states the reading must be entered with no tenths, so round down to the whole mile and enter only that whole number.

Do I check Box 1 if my odometer rolled past its maximum and started over?

Yes. Box 1, “EXCEEDS MECHANICAL LIMITS,” is exactly for a reading that has passed the odometer’s mechanical limit, so check it and enter the current displayed number.

Do I check Box 2 if the odometer is broken or was replaced?

Yes. Box 2, “ODOMETER DISCREPANCY,” certifies the reading is not the actual mileage, which covers a broken, reset, or replaced odometer.

Do I use Section 2 or Section 3 when a company buys the vehicle?

No, you do not use Section 2; the form directs you to skip the individual buyer lines and go directly to Section 3 for the company name and address.

Do both the buyer and the seller have to sign Form 10-313?

Yes. Section 8 has separate printed-name and signature lines for both the seller and the buyer, and missing either signature voids the document.

Do I need to get Form 10-313 notarized in Arkansas?

No. Arkansas does not require notarization of the vehicle bill of sale or odometer disclosure; the signatures of the buyer and seller are enough.

Do I list the trade-in vehicle if I traded one in?

Yes. Section 6 has trade-in lines and Section 8 has a “Less Trade-In” line, and filling them gives the buyer the trade-in tax credit on the net taxable amount.

Do I send Form 10-313 to the DFA myself as the seller?

No. The seller gives the signed form to the buyer, who files it with the title at a local Revenue Office when titling and registering the vehicle.

Do I have a deadline to file after buying the vehicle?

Yes. The buyer must title and register within 30 days of the purchase date listed in Section 5, or late penalties can apply.

Do I have to match the seller name to the name on the title?

Yes. The Dealer/Seller name in Section 4 must match the current title exactly, or the ownership chain breaks and the transfer is rejected.

Do I face penalties for writing a false price or false mileage?

Yes. Section 9 warns that willful tax evasion is a felony, and false odometer statements violate state and federal odometer law, exposing signers to fines and prosecution.

Do I record a secondary color if my car is two-tone?

Yes. Section 6 includes a secondary color line so the description matches the actual vehicle, which helps the record stay accurate.

Do older vehicles still need the odometer boxes filled in?

Yes, if the vehicle is not exempt; very old vehicles and trucks over the heavy weight threshold can be exempt, but when in doubt, disclose the reading and check a box if it is not actual.