Fee Check · FL
Florida sales tax on a trade-in
Florida taxes the price after the trade-in credit, not the full price.
Printed on worksheets as: Trade-In Tax Credit · Trade-In Allowance · Trade Difference
- Who sets it
- The state or county
- Required by law
- Yes
- Typical amount
- No honest figure to give: it varies by store. The number on your sheet is the number.
- Whose money
- A pass-through: the state sets the amount and the dealer remits it. Ask to see the state's schedule if the figure looks high.
The one question to ask
“Is my sales tax being calculated on the price after my trade-in credit, as Florida law requires?”
What it is
Under Florida Statutes §212.09, when used articles that are accepted and intended for resale are taken in trade as a credit or part payment, sales tax is paid on the sales price of the purchased article less the trade-in credit — for both new-for-used and used-for-used trades. Florida Department of Revenue GT-800030 confirms that a registered motor vehicle dealer may deduct a trade-in allowance from the taxable sales price when, in a single transaction, tangible personal property (not real property) is traded as part of the motor vehicle sale. If the sale is between individuals who are not registered with the Department, the purchaser must, in a single transaction, trade an aircraft, boat, motor vehicle, or mobile home for the vehicle being purchased; a non-registered private seller who takes in trade something other than an aircraft, boat, mobile home, or vehicle may not use that item as a credit against sales price (§212.09(3)). This is a reduction of the taxable base, not a separate cash “tax credit” rebate.
Source
Florida Statutes §212.09; Florida Department of Revenue GT-800030 · as of September 1, 2026
Fee Check explains what a line is; it doesn’t grade your deal or name a price. Rules change: the date above is when this entry was last checked against its source.
The next step
This tool says something is in there. DrivrShield AI says what.
The math can prove a payment carries more than your figures explain. It cannot see the line items. Photograph the worksheet and DrivrShield AI reads every line — what each fee is, which ones your state actually requires, which are the dealer's to remove, and the exact words to ask.
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