Transfer a car title after a death in Illinois

If a vehicle passes under the small estate affidavit, the person receiving it must send or bring to the Secretary of State, within 120 days, the last title (if available), the small estate affidavit and an application for title.

Checked against official sources: October 30, 2026.

Car or vehicle title after a death in Illinois

If a vehicle passes under the small estate affidavit, the person receiving it must send or bring to the Secretary of State, within 120 days, the last title (if available), the small estate affidavit and an application for title. If the affidavit is used only to transfer vehicles at the Secretary of State, the value of the rest of the estate does not matter. A surviving spouse applies within 180 days with proof of the death and of the marriage, the title and an application; a surviving joint owner applies within 120 days. Illinois Legal Aid Online says to use the Application for Vehicle Transaction(s) (VSD 190) and the use tax form RUT-50.

Law: 625 ILCS 5/3-114(b), (d), (d-5); 755 ILCS 5/25-1(a-5)

Agency
Illinois Secretary of State, Vehicle Services
Fee

The Secretary of State charges title fees and the vehicle use tax may apply.

Source: Official page

Do vehicles count toward the small estate limit?

Kind of propertyHow it is treatedDetails
Cars and other vehicles
Left out

Motor vehicles registered with the Illinois Secretary of State are not counted toward the $150,000 for a death on or after August 15, 2025; list them separately in the affidavit. For a death before August 15, 2025, vehicles count toward the $100,000. For a death on or after January 1, 2027, motor homes, campers, trailers, commercial vehicles, farm implements, buses and commuter vans count.

Law: 755 ILCS 5/25-1(a-5); P.A. 104-624

Boats and mobile or manufactured homes
Counts

Boats and mobile homes are personal property and count at fair market value. They are not motor vehicles, so the vehicle exclusion does not cover them. A mobile home that is part of real estate is real estate and is not counted.

Law: 755 ILCS 5/25-1(a-5)(2)(A); P.A. 104-624

Related pages

Free help in Illinois

A court self-help center or a legal aid office can check whether the estate qualifies, free of charge or at low cost.