Out-the-door price in Arkansas
How Arkansas works
- Registering the car: in Arkansas the law makes you, the buyer, pay the sales tax and register the car at a state revenue office within 60 days of the purchase. The dealer's paper tag covers you meanwhile. Many dealers offer to file the paperwork; if yours does, ask for an itemized receipt, because state law lets a dealer fill in the forms but not charge separately for it; the service and handling fee is what covers that work. The tax, title and registration are in the calculator's total because you pay them either way.
- The rate is set by where you register the car, not where the dealer is: the 6.5% state tax on the whole taxable amount, plus your city's and your county's local taxes, which apply only to the first $2,500. Local tax is therefore never more than $2,500 times your local rate: about $87.50 at 3.5%.
- In many Arkansas ZIP codes the city limits split the ZIP, so more than one rate fits. If yours does, you'll be asked which applies: usually whether your address is inside the city.
- Your trade-in reduces the taxable amount on a new or a used car, with no dollar limit. It has to be a car or truck. If you sell your old car yourself within 60 days before or after the purchase, the sale price gets the same credit.
- Rebates are taxed: tax is figured on the price before a manufacturer or dealer rebate. A discount that lowers the selling price does reduce it.
- Used cars get a lower state rate: no tax under $4,000, and 3.5% instead of 6.5% from $4,000 to $9,999, measured on the price before your trade-in. At $10,000 or more the full 6.5% applies. The calculator applies it. Local tax is the same in every band from $4,000 up.
- The service and handling fee is capped at $129 by statute, is not adjusted for inflation, and is taxed. A dealer has to charge every retail customer the same amount and list it separately.
- Extended warranties and service contracts bought with the car are taxed as part of the sale, and so is delivery. Accessories the dealer installs before the sale count as part of the car. Arkansas has not said how it treats GAP; the calculator taxes the whole F&I box.
Rules last verified Oct 11, 2026. Our methodology.
Try it for your ZIP
What an Arkansas advertised price has to include
The Arkansas Motor Vehicle Commission requires a dealer's advertised price to be the full cash price, with only taxes, license fees and title fees left out. The service and handling fee, freight and preparation fees all have to be in it. That is what the FTC expects too, so state law and the FTC do not conflict here. That still isn't your out-the-door number; the calculator above adds the rest for your ZIP.
Federal law comes first
The FTC requires a dealer's advertised price to include every fee the dealer charges. Only charges the government requires you to pay, like tax, title and registration, can be left out. Where a state's rules let a dealer leave a fee out, the dealer still has to follow the federal rule, so the fee goes in. The FTC says a state's doc-fee rules can add disclosures, but they don't change the price that has to be advertised. Read the FTC's guidance.
Has to be in the advertised price
- The service and handling fee (Arkansas's doc fee, at most $129)
- Freight (destination) and transportation charges
- Dealer preparation charges
- Dealer add-ons shown on the dealership addendum, when the ad compares the price to MSRP
Can still be added on top
- Sales tax: 6.5% state tax plus your city and county tax
- License (registration) and title fees, and the buyer's temporary tag fee
- Optional products you choose to buy, such as a service contract or GAP coverage
- The service and handling fee: set by statute at no more than $129, with no inflation adjustment. A dealer that charges it has to charge every retail customer the same amount, list it as a separate line on the buyer's order, and print a notice that begins "A SERVICE AND HANDLING FEE IS NOT AN OFFICIAL FEE." It may not be presented as required by a government agency. It is subject to sales tax.
- Rebates: a rebate or incentive open to every buyer can be taken off a new car's advertised price. A rebate only some buyers qualify for cannot. An ad that shows a rebate must also show the MSRP and the price after the incentive.
- Qualifiers: an advertised price cannot be conditioned on "with trade", "with acceptable trade" or "with down payment".
- Discount claims: a savings claim may be used only for new or demonstrator vehicles, and only to show the difference between the dealer's selling price and the MSRP.
- Who the rule covers: the Commission's rule binds the dealers it licenses. Used-car dealers licensed by the Arkansas State Police follow the State Police's own fee rule; this research found no separate State Police advertised-price rule.
More in our guide: Do dealers have to put fees in the advertised price? What actually changed for 2026
Arkansas in detail
Rates by county in Arkansas
Counties where the rate differs from the rest of Arkansas, or changes from one city to the next. The 75 listed here are the ones where your county actually changes the number.
| County | Combined rate | ZIPs |
|---|---|---|
| Madison County | 10%–12% | 11 |
| Cleveland County | 9.75%–10.75% | 6 |
| Sevier County | 9.625%–12.625% | 9 |
| Benton County | 7.5%–9.75% | 40 |
| Fulton County | 9.5%–11.5% | 15 |
| Montgomery County | 9.5%–10.5% | 12 |
| Sebastian County | 7.5%–10% | 32 |
| Little River County | 9.375%–11.375% | 8 |
| St. Francis County | 9.375%–11.375% | 17 |
| Hempstead County | 9.25%–11.25% | 15 |
| Howard County | 9.25%–10.25% | 9 |
| Perry County | 9.25%–10.25% | 10 |
| Calhoun County | 9.125%–10.125% | 7 |
| Lawrence County | 9%–11% | 20 |
| Mississippi County | 9%–11% | 29 |
| Ouachita County | 9%–12% | 10 |
| Drew County | 8.75%–9.75% | 10 |
| Lafayette County | 8.75%–9.75% | 8 |
| Cross County | 8.625%–9.625% | 10 |
| Pulaski County | 7.5%–10.5% | 63 |
| Bradley County | 8.5%–10.5% | 7 |
| Chicot County | 8.5%–12.5% | 8 |
| Dallas County | 8.5%–10% | 9 |
| Franklin County | 8.5%–10.5% | 12 |
| Lincoln County | 8.5%–11.5% | 10 |
| Nevada County | 8.5%–10.5% | 11 |
| Phillips County | 8.5%–11.5% | 17 |
| Pike County | 8.5%–10% | 13 |
| Polk County | 8.5%–10.5% | 14 |
| Scott County | 8.5%–11% | 11 |
| Union County | 8.5%–10.25% | 13 |
| Woodruff County | 8.5%–9.5% | 9 |
| Jackson County | 8.375%–9.875% | 17 |
| Conway County | 8.25%–11.25% | 14 |
| Crittenden County | 8.25%–10.5% | 18 |
| Poinsett County | 8.25%–10.25% | 17 |
| White County | 8.25%–10.25% | 31 |
| Cleburne County | 8.125%–9.625% | 20 |
| Ashley County | 8%–11% | 13 |
| Clark County | 8%–10% | 13 |
| Clay County | 8%–10% | 17 |
| Columbia County | 8%–10.25% | 12 |
| Desha County | 8%–11% | 11 |
| Garland County | 8%–9.5% | 14 |
| Hot Spring County | 8%–10% | 9 |
| Independence County | 8%–11% | 22 |
| Logan County | 8%–10% | 14 |
| Lonoke County | 8%–11% | 18 |
| Prairie County | 8%–11% | 11 |
| Searcy County | 8%–9.5% | 14 |
| Van Buren County | 8%–9.5% | 16 |
| Greene County | 7.875%–9.375% | 12 |
| Baxter County | 7.75%–9.875% | 20 |
| Boone County | 7.75%–10% | 11 |
| Crawford County | 7.75%–10.25% | 18 |
| Grant County | 7.75%–9.75% | 8 |
| Jefferson County | 7.75%–9.75% | 29 |
| Marion County | 7.75%–9.75% | 12 |
| Miller County | 7.75%–10.25% | 8 |
| Randolph County | 7.75%–9.75% | 12 |
| Sharp County | 7.75%–9.25% | 18 |
| Washington County | 7.75%–10.75% | 39 |
| Yell County | 7.625%–9.625% | 18 |
| Arkansas County | 7.5%–11% | 17 |
| Craighead County | 7.5%–10.5% | 26 |
| Johnson County | 7.5%–9.5% | 12 |
| Lee County | 7.5%–9.5% | 11 |
| Newton County | 7.5%–8.5% | 14 |
| Pope County | 7.5%–9.5% | 19 |
| Stone County | 7.5%–9.5% | 16 |
| Carroll County | 7%–9.375% | 12 |
| Faulkner County | 7%–9.75% | 18 |
| Izard County | 7%–10% | 23 |
| Monroe County | 6.5%–10.5% | 11 |
| Saline County | 6.5%–9.5% | 24 |
Arkansas OTD questions, answered
Does a trade-in reduce sales tax in Arkansas?
Yes — Arkansas taxes the difference: your trade-in's value is subtracted before tax is computed.
Are manufacturer rebates taxed in Arkansas?
Effectively yes — tax is computed before the rebate is applied, so you pay tax on the pre-rebate price.
Is the doc fee capped in Arkansas?
Yes — the cap is $129.00 (Ark. Code Ann. Sec. 23-112-317 (new dealers); Sec. 23-112-617 (used dealers)). A dealer may not exceed it.
What does an Arkansas dealer's advertised price have to include?
The full cash price: every dealer charge, including the service and handling fee, freight and preparation. Only taxes, license fees and title fees can be added on top. The FTC expects the same.
Is there a cap on the doc fee in Arkansas?
Yes. Arkansas calls it the service and handling fee and caps it at $129 by statute. It does not rise with inflation. It must be the same for every retail customer, itemized on the order form, and it is taxed.
Which local sales tax rate applies when I buy a car in Arkansas?
The city and county where you live and register the car, not where the dealer is. Local tax applies only to the first $2,500 of the price; the 6.5% state tax applies to all of it.
Do I pay sales tax at the dealership in Arkansas?
The law has you pay it at a state revenue office when you register, within 60 days. Some dealers collect it and file for you; ask for an itemized receipt. A dealer's temporary tag covers you until the plate arrives.