CT DMV Plate Cancellation Receipt: Tax Credit and Fee Refund

When you cancel a Connecticut vehicle registration, the DMV issues a plate disposition receipt, sometimes called the CT DMV plate cancellation receipt, that proves the registration has been terminated.¹ You need it to claim a property tax credit from your town assessor, to confirm the vehicle is off your insurance, and to close the loop if you’re registering the car in another state. Without it, bills and compliance flags can follow a car you no longer own.

How to Cancel Your Plates Online

The fastest way to cancel is through the DMV’s online portal. Have this ready before you start:

Your name exactly as it appears on your Connecticut driver’s license or non-driver ID
Your driver’s license or non-driver ID number
Your date of birth
Your Connecticut plate number
Your Social Security number
Your street address as shown on your license or ID
A credit or debit card

Once you submit the cancellation, the system generates your plate disposition receipt electronically.¹ Print it right away, and save a digital copy. You can also retrieve it later through the DMV’s online receipt lookup tool using the receipt number from your confirmation email.²

One limit worth knowing: registrations that are currently suspended or revoked cannot be canceled online.¹ You’ll need to clear the underlying compliance issue first.

How to Cancel by Mail With Form E-159

If you’d rather cancel by mail, use Form E-159, the Marker Plate Notice.³ The form asks for your plate number, the year, make, and model of the vehicle, the reason for cancellation, and your signature. You’ll also indicate whether you’re returning one plate, both plates, or none if the plates were lost or stolen.

Print in ink and mail the completed form with your physical plates to:

DMV Registry Record Section
60 State Street
Wethersfield, CT 06161-5057³

The DMV processes the form and mails the plate disposition receipt to the address on file. The sources don’t state a specific turnaround time, so ship the plates with tracking and keep the delivery record until your receipt arrives.

Canceling a Business or Organization Registration

If the vehicle is titled to a business or organization, use the separate organization cancellation system. Instead of a Social Security number and license, you’ll enter your Secretary of State number, the Business ID issued when you registered with the Connecticut Secretary of State.⁴ A FEIN or tax ID number will not work for that lookup.

What the Receipt Does for You

The plate disposition receipt is the document other offices rely on. Your town assessor requires it before granting any motor vehicle property tax credit. Your insurance company may ask for it to confirm you’re no longer covering the vehicle. And a new state’s DMV may want it as proof you’ve closed your Connecticut registration.

Check the receipt as soon as you get it. The cancellation date drives how much property tax credit you’re entitled to, so if anything looks wrong, contact the DMV before tax season rather than after.

Using the Receipt for a Property Tax Credit

Connecticut taxes motor vehicles as personal property, with an October 1 assessment date each year. If you sell, total, junk, or move the vehicle out of state during the assessment year, Connecticut General Statutes Section 12-71c entitles you to a pro rata credit based on the number of full months between the disposal date and the following October 1.⁵

Bring the plate receipt to your town assessor along with supporting proof of what happened to the car:

Sold: a signed bill of sale or copy of the title transfer
Totaled: a letter from your insurer confirming the total loss and date
Junked: a junkyard receipt identifying the vehicle and date
Registered out of state: a copy of the new state’s registration
Stolen and not recovered: a statement from your insurer confirming the theft

The plate receipt alone is not enough. Assessors need it paired with one of the documents above, and this is the step most people miss. For assessment years starting on or after October 1, 2024, the statute allows up to three years from the date the tax was due to file the paperwork, but filing while the transaction is fresh is easier for everyone.⁵

If you bought a replacement vehicle in the same assessment year, ask your assessor about the offset available under Section 12-71b. You can’t stack it with the 12-71c pro rata credit, so pick the option that saves you more.⁵

Requesting a Registration Fee Refund

The property tax credit is separate from a refund of the registration fee itself. Connecticut refunds a portion of the registration fee if you have at least one full year left on a two-year registration, or one to two years left on a three-year registration. The refund covers only the registration fee, not taxes or other charges, and you must apply before the registration period expires. If you haven’t already canceled, the DMV will cancel as part of processing the refund. The check goes to the address on file, so update it first if you’ve moved.⁶

Cancel Plates Before You Cancel Insurance

Order matters. If you cancel your car insurance before canceling your registration, your insurer reports the cancellation to the DMV and a lapse gets flagged on your record. A lapse of more than 14 days triggers a $200 civil penalty and a registration suspension that blocks you from registering or renewing any vehicle until it’s resolved.⁷

Cancel the plates first, then the insurance, or do both on the same day. Once the registration is terminated, there’s no active registration for the DMV to flag. If a lapse has already been reported, you can clear it by paying the $200 penalty and providing proof of current insurance, or request a hearing if you believe it was reported in error.⁷

Reprinting a Lost Receipt

If you canceled online on or after October 31, 2022, you can pull up and reprint the plate disposition receipt through the DMV’s online receipt system.¹ You’ll need the receipt number from the confirmation text or email the DMV sent when you completed the transaction.² If you canceled before that date, or by mail, you can still verify the cancellation status online and print a confirmation page. Save a digital copy somewhere durable. Your assessor’s office may need it years later if a tax question comes back around.

1
Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles. Cancel Your Registration and Plates
2
Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles. Access Online Transaction Receipt
3
State of Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles. Marker Plate Notice
4
Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles. Cancel Registration and Plates
5
Justia Law. Connecticut Code Title 12 – Section 12-71c
6
Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles. Application for One Year or Two Year Refund on Registration
7
Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles. Comply With Insurance, Tax, and Registration Laws