AutoTaxCalculatorHow NYS registration fees are calculated
NY registration = weight-based fee + county use tax + $50 MCTD fee (downstate), for two years. A 3,600 lb sedan in New York City renews for $139.00: $59.00 registration, $30 use tax and $50 MCTD fee.
Vehicle and Traffic Law § 401 sets the yearly fee at 81 cents for each 100 lbs up to 3,500 lbs, then $1.21 for each 100 lbs over that. A remainder over 50 lbs counts as a full 100. The yearly fee can't go below $12.95 ($16.18 for a car with six or more cylinders or an electric car) or above $70.08. DMV registers passenger cars for two years and rounds the two-year fee to the nearest 50 cents. Our calculator reproduces every row of the DMV's published chart.
| Vehicle weight | 2-year registration fee |
|---|---|
| 1,650 lbs or less | $26.00 |
| 2,951–3,050 lbs | $48.50 |
| 3,451–3,550 lbs | $56.50 |
| 3,951–4,050 lbs | $69.00 |
| 4,951–5,050 lbs | $93.00 |
| 5,951–6,050 lbs | $117.00 |
| 6,951 lbs or more | $140.00 |
The $32.50 minimum for six-plus cylinders and electric vehicles isn't an extra charge. It only applies when the weight-based fee would be lower.
County use tax and the MCTD fee
The DMV collects a vehicle use tax for New York City and many counties every time you register or renew. Most upstate counties that charge it take $10 for two years on vehicles up to 3,500 lbs and $20 over that. New York City and Nassau charge $30 for two years regardless of weight. Suffolk and Westchester charge $30 or $60 depending on weight. Nineteen counties, including Orange and Rockland, charge no use tax at all.
Residents of the 12 counties in the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District pay a $50 supplemental fee for each two-year registration. Those counties are the five NYC boroughs plus Dutchess, Nassau, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester. If you're exempt from county use tax, file Form UT-11C, or UT-11 in New York City.
NY vehicle tax: sales tax when you buy
Sales tax on a car is charged at the combined rate where you live, not where the dealer is. A Brooklyn resident buying in Albany pays New York City's 8.875%. The rate is the 4% state rate plus your county or city rate, and the MCTD counties include an extra 3/8% for the commuter district.
- Trade-ins the dealer takes for resale are deducted. Publication 838's example: a $32,000 car with an $8,500 trade-in is taxed on $23,500.
- Dealer discounts and dealer rebates the dealer isn't reimbursed for reduce the taxable price.
- Manufacturer rebates the dealer is reimbursed for don't reduce it.
- Private sales: buyer and seller complete Form DTF-802 and the DMV collects the tax. If the seller doesn't complete it, tax is charged on the vehicle's current fair market value.
- Gifts and family sales use the same DTF-802 to claim the exemption.
Worked examples
Renewal: 3,600 lb sedan in Queens
- Registration: 35 × $0.81 + 1 × $1.21 = $29.56 a year, $59.00 for two years
- NYC use tax $30 + MCTD fee $50
- Total: $139.00
New registration: $35,000 SUV (4,000 lbs) in Albany County, $10,000 trade-in
- Registration $69.00 + Albany use tax $20 (over 3,500 lbs)
- Plates $25 + title $50
- Sales tax: ($35,000 − $10,000) × 8% = $2,000.00
- Total at the DMV: $2,164.00
Renewal: 3,200 lb hatchback in Ontario County
- Registration: $52.00 for two years
- Ontario County has no use tax and isn't in the MCTD, so the total is $52.00
Rates by county
Sales tax from Publication 718 (effective March 1, 2025, the current edition). Use tax and MCTD fees are for a two-year registration, shown as up to 3,500 lbs / over 3,500 lbs where they differ.
| County | Sales tax | Use tax (2 yrs) | MCTD (2 yrs) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albany | 8.000% | $10 / $20 | — |
| Allegany | 8.500% | $10 / $20 | — |
| Broome | 8.000% | $10 / $20 | — |
| Cattaraugus | 8.000% | $10 / $20 | — |
| Cayuga | 8.000% | — | — |
| Chautauqua | 8.000% | $10 / $20 | — |
| Chemung | 8.000% | $10 / $20 | — |
| Chenango | 8.000% | $10 / $20 | — |
| Clinton | 8.000% | $10 / $20 | — |
| Columbia | 8.000% | — | — |
| Cortland | 8.000% | $10 / $20 | — |
| Delaware | 8.000% | — | — |
| Dutchess | 8.125% | $10 / $20 | $50 |
| Erie | 8.750% | $10 / $20 | — |
| Essex | 8.000% | — | — |
| Franklin | 8.000% | $10 / $20 | — |
| Fulton | 8.000% | — | — |
| Genesee | 8.000% | $10 / $20 | — |
| Greene | 8.000% | — | — |
| Hamilton | 8.000% | — | — |
| Herkimer | 8.250% | — | — |
| Jefferson | 8.000% | — | — |
| Lewis | 8.000% | — | — |
| Livingston | 8.000% | $10 / $20 | — |
| Madison | 8.000% | $10 / $20 | — |
| Monroe | 8.000% | $10 / $20 | — |
| Montgomery | 8.000% | $10 / $20 | — |
| Nassau | 8.625% | $30 | $50 |
| New York City (all 5 boroughs) | 8.875% | $30 | $50 |
| Niagara | 8.000% | $10 / $20 | — |
| Oneida | 8.750% | $10 / $20 | — |
| Onondaga | 8.000% | $10 / $20 | — |
| Ontario | 7.500% | — | — |
| Orange | 8.125% | — | $50 |
| Orleans | 8.000% | $10 / $20 | — |
| Oswego | 8.000% | $10 / $20 | — |
| Otsego | 8.000% | — | — |
| Putnam | 8.375% | $10 / $20 | $50 |
| Rensselaer | 8.000% | $10 / $20 | — |
| Rockland | 8.375% | — | $50 |
| Saratoga | 7.000% | — | — |
| Schenectady | 8.000% | $10 / $20 | — |
| Schoharie | 8.000% | — | — |
| Schuyler | 8.000% | $10 / $20 | — |
| Seneca | 8.000% | — | — |
| St. Lawrence | 8.000% | — | — |
| Steuben | 8.000% | $10 / $20 | — |
| Suffolk | 8.750% | $30 / $60 | $50 |
| Sullivan | 8.000% | $10 / $20 | — |
| Tioga | 8.000% | $10 / $20 | — |
| Tompkins | 8.000% | $10 / $20 | — |
| Ulster | 8.000% | $10 / $20 | — |
| Warren | 7.000% | $10 / $20 | — |
| Washington | 7.000% | $10 / $20 | — |
| Wayne | 8.000% | — | — |
| Westchester (except Yonkers) | 8.375% | $30 / $60 | $50 |
| Wyoming | 8.000% | $10 / $20 | — |
| Yates | 8.000% | $10 / $20 | — |
| Yonkers (city) | 8.875% | $30 / $60 | $50 |
A few cities have their own sales tax rate. Yonkers is shown separately because it's higher than the rest of Westchester County.
Bought out of state?
If you paid sales tax to another state, bring the bill of sale showing the price and tax and file Form DTF-804 to claim credit. Credit depends on whether New York has an agreement with that state. If you weren't a New York resident when you bought the car, Form DTF-803 claims the nonresident exemption. New York residents who bought a vehicle out of state while serving in the military may be exempt or able to defer the tax.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a NY DMV calculator for registration fees?
The DMV publishes a fee chart and an estimator. This calculator uses the same statutory formula and reproduces the chart, then adds your county's use tax, MCTD fee and sales tax in one place.
Do I pay sales tax at the DMV if I bought from a dealer?
No. A New York dealer collects it. Bring the dealer's bill of sale (MV-50) showing the tax was paid, and the DMV won't collect it again.
Why is my registration higher than my neighbor's?
Because it's based on weight. A 5,000 lb SUV pays $93 for two years before county taxes, compared with $48.50 for a 3,000 lb compact.
Sources
- NY DMV: Passenger vehicle registration fees, use taxes and supplemental fees
- NY DMV: Sales tax information
- NY Vehicle and Traffic Law § 401: Registration fees
- NY Tax Department Publication 718: Sales and use tax rates by jurisdiction (PDF)
- NY Tax Department Publication 838: Sales tax for automobile dealers (PDF)
This calculator gives an estimate. NY DMV calculates the final amount. How we calculate