Bill of sale · business

Business Bill of Sale Form

When a business changes owners, this is the receipt for everything that conveys: name, equipment, inventory, goodwill. Record it all, attach photos, and sign at closing.

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Download a blank bill of sale, or build a custom one.

A business bill of sale conveys the assets of a business at closing — equipment, inventory, goodwill, and trade name — for a stated price, signed by both parties. It is the receipt banks, landlords, and licensing offices ask to see.

How do you want to build it?

Download a clean, fillable business assets bill of sale. Type the details in any PDF viewer, or print it and write them by hand.

US Letter · fillable PDF, editable Word (.docx), or Google Docs · print at 100%

Not legal advice. This template is a general-purpose starting point only. Specific DMV and state requirements vary — I understand it is my responsibility to verify local requirements before finalizing a transfer.

Sample

A clean, fillable form — every line is a text field you can type into, or print blank.

Optional add-on

Need it notarized?

Louisiana and West Virginia require it, and a few situations reward it — same form, plus an acknowledgment certificate page.

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Selling in a specific state?

Bill of sale requirements by state

See which states have an official DMV form, which require a notary, and where this free builder is a suitable alternative — all 50 states + DC.

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Selling a business

The bill of sale is the closing receipt — not the whole deal.

In a business sale, the bill of sale is the document that actually conveys the assets at closing: the equipment (list serial numbers), the inventory, the trade name, and intangibles like goodwill, customer lists, or a phone number. Itemize everything included — and just as importantly, anything excluded — in the additional-terms box, or attach an asset schedule and reference it there.

Two honest caveats: licenses and permits usually do nottransfer with the assets (the buyer re-applies), and for anything beyond a simple asset handoff — seller financing, non-compete terms, liabilities — this form accompanies a fuller business purchase agreement rather than replacing one.

Closing-day checklist

The last hour before the keys change hands.

Attach the asset schedule — equipment with serials, inventory counts, intangibles — and reference it in the additional terms.
Do the final inventory count together, that morning, not from last week’s spreadsheet.
Remember licenses and permits rarely transfer; the buyer reapplies in their own name.
Leases, utilities, phone numbers, and domain names each transfer through their own provider — list who handles which.
Sign at closing and send copies where they are expected: the bank, the landlord, the licensing office.

Not legal advice. bulk-sales notices and tax clearances apply in some states; size the professional help to the size of the deal.

State by state

Business rules change at the state line.

This form works in all fifty states. What changes is what your DMV wants alongside it — notarization, an odometer statement, a filing deadline. Pick your state for the specifics.

AlabamaBusiness rules AlaskaBusiness rules ArizonaBusiness rules ArkansasBusiness rules CaliforniaBusiness rules ColoradoBusiness rules ConnecticutBusiness rules DelawareBusiness rules FloridaBusiness rules GeorgiaBusiness rules HawaiiBusiness rules IdahoBusiness rules IllinoisBusiness rules IndianaBusiness rules IowaBusiness rules KansasBusiness rules KentuckyBusiness rules LouisianaBusiness rules MaineBusiness rules MarylandBusiness rules MassachusettsBusiness rules MichiganBusiness rules MinnesotaBusiness rules MississippiBusiness rules MissouriBusiness rules MontanaBusiness rules NebraskaBusiness rules NevadaBusiness rules New HampshireBusiness rules New JerseyBusiness rules New MexicoBusiness rules New YorkBusiness rules North CarolinaBusiness rules North DakotaBusiness rules OhioBusiness rules OklahomaBusiness rules OregonBusiness rules PennsylvaniaBusiness rules Rhode IslandBusiness rules South CarolinaBusiness rules South DakotaBusiness rules TennesseeBusiness rules TexasBusiness rules UtahBusiness rules VermontBusiness rules VirginiaBusiness rules WashingtonBusiness rules Washington, D.C.Business rules West VirginiaBusiness rules WisconsinBusiness rules WyomingBusiness rules

Questions we get

The business questions that come up.

What does a business bill of sale actually transfer?

The assets you list, and nothing else. That is the crucial point: an asset sale moves specific equipment, inventory, fixtures, and often the name and goodwill, but it does not by itself transfer the legal entity, its debts, its contracts, or its licences. Selling the entity itself is a different transaction with different documents.

Should inventory and goodwill be itemized?

Itemize the inventory on an attached schedule and reference it on the form. Goodwill, the trade name and any intellectual property should be called out explicitly — a buyer who assumed they were purchasing the name and a seller who assumed they were keeping it is the most expensive misunderstanding in a small-business sale.

Does a business bill of sale need to be notarized?

Not usually required, and often done anyway. Some states or lenders ask for it, and where the sale includes titled vehicles or real property those pieces carry their own separate requirements. Given the values involved, notarizing is cheap and removes an argument.

How does the price get allocated across the assets?

That allocation has real tax consequences for both sides, because different asset classes are treated differently. Buyers and sellers in the United States commonly have to report a consistent allocation to the IRS. This is the point in a business sale to involve an accountant rather than a template.

Not legal advice. Titling and registration rules are set by your state — check yours in the list above before finalizing a transfer.