NH Auto Registration

[bigdog]

Will be registering my cars in NH soon. I know that my local Town Clerk
can handle this, rather than going to the DMV, like I did in Mass.

A little backwards from Mass., as you have to have your cars insured before you can register your car. In NH you do the reverse !

I've been trying to find out how much it cost to register your car, and get plates issued. I've been told there is no set cost, like in Mass., but actually depends on the car, age, value, maybe even weight ? Seems very strange to me that folks in NH pay different amounts, depending on the type of car they drive ? What's with that ?

Cannot find any information regarding Registration costs on NH RMV site?

Can someone comment on this, and give me a ball-park figure on what it will cost me to get Registration and new plates issued.


Thanks,
BD

[CL 240 LS]

There are two fees, State which is fixed and the Town fee which is based on the value of the vehicle. This fee is very much like the excise tax in MA.

Bring two checks!

[wifi]

....A little backwards from Mass., as you have to have your cars insured before you can register your car. In NH you do the reverse !....

Insurance is optional in NH, unless a court or the State tells you otherwise, usually due to a previous accident with outstanding $$ due.

[chipj29]

Insurance is optional in NH, unless a court or the State tells you otherwise, usually due to a previous accident with outstanding $$ due.

His lender may require proof of insurance though.

bigdog, there are too many variables to guess what your yearly registration will be, and you listed them all. For a ball park, I pay just over $300/year on a 2007 Nissan Altima.

Yes, it is expensive, but it kind of takes the place of the excise tax that you used to pay in Mass.

[MJM]

Remember, your Registration fees are deductible on your federal income tax....which I do not think is the case when it's an excise tax like in MA.

[jmen24]

Bigdog,

Town Fee:
Not sure how the formulas are actually calculated, but it goes something like this. You have the value of the vehicle when purchased new (even if not by you) that then has a multiplier applied to it, for a first year new vehicle it is 15, it then goes down by 3 every year or two (forget exactly, but is does bottom out at a set multiplier, cannot remember how low it goes, but is it always a reduction of 3, I want to say it is 6 or maybe 3, don't know exactly) that is how the town fee is calculated.

The state fee is calculated off vehicle type and weight and is usually half of the town fee or more, depends on the vehicle. Not sure what the multiplier is but this number usually does not change a whole lot through the life of ownership.

[BroadHopper]

The state registration fee is fixed. Depends on the classification of the vehicle, commercial, private, car, truck etc. This in not deducted from your federal tax.

The town portion is based on the book value of the vehicle. This is an excise tax and can be deducted from federal tax.

The above criteria is the same for trailers. As for boats, if purchased from DMV, the excise portion goes to Marine Patrol. If purchased from the town, the excise portion goes to the town coffers.

As for insurance, if you should be in an accident that results in a court appearance, you will be ask for proof of financial responsibility. I.E. can you pay for the damages. If not the court can fine you and put a lien on property until damages are paid. Better to have insurance.

[bigdog]

Maybe I'll just keep my cars registered and insured in Mass. I still do have a house in Mass., so that legal.....

NH Registration fee does sound like Excise tax here in Mass. and based on value, but depreciates every year until it hits the minimum value, and taxed accordingly.

I can and do take auto Excise tax as a deduction on Federal tax each year.
Done by my accountant.

I may save a 'few' bucks by insuring my cars in NH, but I treally don't see a real value other that this, or why I should convert. Seems like a lot of paperwork, and alot of running around interacting with Town offices, etc.
All things considered, I think I may just stay under the radar for now! :)

BD

[LIforrelaxin]

Remember, your Registration fees are deductible on your federal income tax....which I do not think is the case when it's an excise tax like in MA.

Excise Tax is very much Tax deductible.... I do it every year. I can also tell you this... the Towns of NH as a general rule charge a lot more for the "registration fee" then I have ever ended up paying for my excise tax. No of course that could just be that I have lived in towns that don't take advantage of the excise tax like they could.

Now as for Insurance saving that is always a tough one Big dog.... you may find that you don't save as much as you think... a simple call to your insurance agent will tell that tale.

As far as which state to keep your vehicle registered in, that all depends on where you spend the most continuous time. And if you have a place in Ma. it also depends on your neighbors. Don't get caught spending to much time down in Ma with NH plates....

[bigdog]

LIforrelaxin, that goes both ways I guess.... Don't spend too much time in NH with MASS plates....

Thanks everyone for all the great info, much appreciated !

BD

[Sue Doe-Nym]

LIforrelaxin, that goes both ways I guess.... Don't spend too much time in NH with MASS plates....

Thanks everyone for all the great info, much appreciated !

BD

Theoretically, you must register your vehicles in the state where you maintain your primary residence. We all know where this does not happen, plus you will find that some Town Clerks are more flexible than others.

[Irrigation Guy]

I think there is a big savings on insurance here in NH vs MA. Also as others have stated, the town portion of reg is comparable to excise tax in MA and is tax deductable if you are itemizing your 1040 Schedule A.

[chipj29]

LIforrelaxin, that goes both ways I guess.... Don't spend too much time in NH with MASS plates....

Thanks everyone for all the great info, much appreciated !

BD

BD, make sure you check what your insurance rates would be in NH vs MA. Could be substantially lower, enough to make it worth while to register in NH. When I moved from MA to NH almost 20 years ago, my rates were almost cut in half.

[jmen24]

Bigdog,
One other thing to note is you will most likely not pay for the full year unless this is your birthday month. If your birthday is in the fall or a few months away you only pay the amount to that time period, the downfall is you actually pay more in the course of the first year if you are coming up on the birth month. Would be the same situation if you bought a new or used vehicle and were not in your birth month.

jmen

[Bob M]

The NH law was changed a couple of years ago for non residents registering a car in NH. Previously, according to the law, the registered vehicle was supposed to be back where it was garaged at midnight every night. Now the law is a little more reasonable in that it allows the car to be out of state for two weeks a year. In addition they tightened up the registering process.

Two years ago I became a Florida resident for property tax considerations. I drive one of our two cars back and forth to Florida while the second one stays in NH all year. When I tried to renew my NH registrations for both cars the Gilford Town Clerk required me to sign an official state form, under penalty of perjury, stating that the registered vehicles would be remaining in NH according to the state law. I immediately pulled the registration for the car that we use to drive to Florida. It was NH's loss and my gain as I saved over $500 by registering the car in Florida. This state form is required to be signed every year when you renew your registration. I was also required to show my Florida drivers license and to show proof that I was a property owner in Gilford NH.

[LIforrelaxin]

The NH law was changed a couple of years ago for non residents registering a car in NH. Previously, according to the law, the registered vehicle was supposed to be back where it was garaged at midnight every night. Now the law is a little more reasonable in that it allows the car to be out of state for two weeks a year. In addition they tightened up the registering process.

Two years ago I became a Florida resident for property tax considerations. I drive one of our two cars back and forth to Florida while the second one stays in NH all year. When I tried to renew my NH registrations for both cars the Gilford Town Clerk required me to sign an official state form, under penalty of perjury, stating that the registered vehicles would be remaining in NH according to the state law. I immediately pulled the registration for the car that we use to drive to Florida. It was NH's loss and my gain as I saved over $500 by registering the car in Florida. This state form is required to be signed every year when you renew your registration. I was also required to show my Florida drivers license and to show proof that I was a property owner in Gilford NH.

Many of NH regulations have been brought about by interstate battles, where NH has caught the bad end of the fight. Thus now it is much more difficult and you do have to sign paperwork etc. Verifying you are a resident. Why because many people where registering vehicles to there second home in NH.... to save on Taxes... States like Ma. caught on...

Ma. now has a 800 number to call, to report people that have out of state license plates, and appear to be residing in the state. It is all anonymous, and then the unscrupulous person gets nailed.... I watched it happen in my mother's condo community.... A guy had his truck registered in NH... where he legitimately owned property.... but he lived 80% of the time in Ma. The Condo Community turned him in....

I have to sign a document every year for my boat trailer that I register in NH, stating I will not pull it out of the state.