A field-by-field walkthrough of the Michigan Form RD-108 (Application for Michigan Title and Registration — Statement of Vehicle Sale) for licensed used car dealers — what goes in every section, who signs what, and the documents you attach. Verified against the official form as of July 2026.
This guide is informational and does not replace the official Michigan instructions. Always confirm the current form and procedure with Michigan Department of State (Secretary of State) before you file.
DealerVLO fills the official Michigan Form RD-108 straight from your deal — VIN-decoded vehicle, buyer, co-buyer, and sale price already in place. $99/month, free to try — no credit card.
Form RD-108 is how a Michigan dealer sale gets titled and registered. Unlike most states, the buyer never touches the process — the dealer completes the RD-108, collects the 6% sales tax and the title and registration fees, and files everything with the Secretary of State within 15 days of delivery.
Because the RD-108 is also the official statement of the sale, the money section is the part that gets audited: purchase price, trade-in allowance, doc fee, and the tax computed on the right base. Michigan restored full trade-in credit in 2024, so the tax math changed recently enough that plenty of templates floating around are wrong. This guide walks every section, current as written.
The RD-108 is a dealer-only form: Michigan retail buyers never file their own title application on a dealer sale. The dealer completes the RD-108, collects the tax and fees, and files the whole package with the Secretary of State within 15 days of delivery. It doubles as the statement of the sale itself — price, trade, fees, and tax all on one document — which is why the Secretary of State requires it to be typed, not handwritten.
Gather these before you complete the Form RD-108. A missing attachment is the number-one reason the Michigan Department of State (Secretary of State) bounces a title application back.
Identifies the selling dealership: dealer license number, sales tax license number, name, address, and phone. This block ties the RD-108 to your dealer account with the Secretary of State — errors here bounce the whole filing.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
Dealer name, address, phone | You (dealer) |
Michigan dealer license number | You (dealer) |
Sales tax license number | You (dealer) |
The buyer — the person the title and registration will be issued to. Enter the legal name, Michigan address, and driver license number exactly as they appear on the buyer's license. Joint buyers both go on, with the ownership conjunction ("and" / "or") they choose.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
Purchaser's full legal name From the buyer's license — match it exactly. | You (dealer) |
Michigan address | You (dealer) |
Driver license number | Buyer |
Co-purchaser (if any) | You (dealer) |
Identifies the vehicle being sold. The VIN must match the assigned title and the vehicle's VIN plate. Michigan registration fees are based on the vehicle's original list price (MSRP), so the base price field matters — it sets what the buyer pays for plates every year.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
VIN Must match the title and the VIN plate. | You (dealer) |
Year, make, model, body style | You (dealer) |
Odometer reading Must match the title disclosure. | You (dealer) |
Base / list price (for registration fee) Michigan plates are priced ad valorem on the original MSRP. | You (dealer) |
If the deal has a trade, its year, make, VIN, and allowance go here — and the allowance is subtracted from the purchase price before the 6% tax. Michigan phased its trade-in credit cap up for years and removed it entirely in 2024, so the full allowance now counts.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
Trade-in year, make, VIN | You (dealer) |
Trade-in allowance Full credit against the taxable price (cap removed in 2024). | You (dealer) |
The statement-of-sale section — the reason this form exists. Purchase price, doc fee, title fee, registration/plate fee, and the 6% sales tax on the taxable base (price plus doc fee, minus trade-in allowance). The Secretary of State and Treasury both audit against this block, so it must match the buyer's order to the penny.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
Purchase price of vehicle Match the buyer's order exactly. | You (dealer) |
Doc fee Taxable in Michigan — include it in the tax base. | You (dealer) |
6% sales tax On price + doc fee − trade-in allowance. | You (dealer) |
Title fee ($15) and registration fee | You (dealer) |
Total delivered price | You (dealer) |
The delivery date starts the 15-day filing clock. The buyer signs the application and the dealer's authorized representative signs for the dealership, certifying the sale statement.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
Date of delivery Starts the 15-day deadline to file. | You (dealer) |
Purchaser signature | Buyer |
Dealer / authorized agent signature | You (dealer) |
The Secretary of State requires the RD-108 to be typed — handwritten forms are rejected outright. Print it from your DMS filled, or type it; don't pen-and-ink it at the delivery desk.
The dealer must file the RD-108 package with the Secretary of State within 15 days of delivery. Late filings expose the dealership, not the buyer — build the filing into your delivery checklist.
Michigan capped the trade-in sales-tax credit for years and raised the cap annually — then removed it entirely in 2024. The full trade allowance now reduces the taxable price. Old worksheets with a capped credit overcharge the buyer.
Michigan taxes the doc fee. The 6% is computed on the price plus doc fee, minus the trade allowance — excluding the doc fee understates the tax and surfaces in a Treasury audit.
The RD-108 is the official statement of the sale. If the price, trade, or fees differ from the buyer's order, you've created a paper trail that contradicts itself. Generate both from the same deal record.
The RD-108 (Application for Michigan Title and Registration — Statement of Vehicle Sale) is the form a Michigan dealer files to title and register a vehicle it sells. It's dealer-only: the buyer doesn't file anything, and the form doubles as the official statement of the sale — price, trade, fees, and tax.
Yes. The Michigan Secretary of State requires the RD-108 to be typed; handwritten forms are not accepted. Most dealers print it filled from their DMS.
15 days from the date of delivery. The dealer collects the tax and fees at delivery and submits the application package to the Secretary of State within that window.
6% of the purchase price plus the doc fee, minus the full trade-in allowance. Michigan's old trade-in credit cap was removed in 2024, so the entire allowance now reduces the taxable base.
The title fee is $15. The registration (plate) fee is ad valorem — based on the vehicle's original list price (MSRP) — so it varies by vehicle. The dealer collects both with the tax at delivery.
No. On a Michigan dealer sale the dealer handles the entire title and registration transaction through the RD-108 — the buyer signs at delivery, drives off with plates handled, and the new title arrives by mail.
DealerVLO fills the official MI Form RD-108 straight from your deal jacket — VIN-decoded vehicle, buyer, co-buyer, lienholder, and sale price already in place. Print, sign, and file in about 90 seconds. $99/month. No credit card to start.