BY JENNIFER FINLAY
As the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Department
continues to move forward with modernization projects,
it may be time for you to get on board with EFS.
Over the past few years completing tag and title
work has become very modernized. The days of
handwriting contracts, forms and temporary tags are
over for the majority of dealers. With the variety of
Dealer Management Software programs out there, things
have become much easier and streamlined.
The State of Florida is rapidly moving toward
an all electronic system for dealers to process
title work. It was only a few months ago that the
state implemented the new “Orion” system for EFS
dealers. With this new system everything is
electronic and physical paperwork is a thing of the past.
So, is EFS for you? The following are the most
asked questions concerning EFS. This may help in deciding
if it would be a good fit for your dealership:
Do I have to be a franchise or high volume dealer to
participate in EFS? No, and in fact it works well for
small to mid-size dealerships who have a small employee
count. Time out of the dealership is precious. Why do it
if you don’t have to? Everything can be done right at the
dealership. No lines, no waiting, no commuting back and forth
to the Tax Collector’s Office or the DMV.
Do I have to pay for tag inventory up front?
No. Plate inventory and decals get assigned to you
up front. It is not until you finalize a deal for a
customer that you get charged, after you have collected
from your customer.
Do I need to buy special equipment?
No. A standard laser printer and scanner are all you need.
Do I have to scan and upload documents at time of sale?
No, title documents can be scanned and uploaded through
your vendor any time during a 30 day window. Just the same
as submitting in paper form.
If I sell a vehicle in one month but it doesn’t get finalized
until the following month when is the sales tax due?
Sales tax is due at time of sale. This means you will always
go by the date you SOLD the vehicle, not when the paperwork
was finalized. So if you sold a vehicle in January, the sales
tax would be due with the return you file in February.
Can I renew a plate that a customer wants to transfer if it is
expired?
Yes. You will have the ability to renew an expired plate and
even replace a plate that has either been surrendered or lost.
Your vendor site will have options for all of these instances.
Can I issue motorcycle plates?
Yes. You can issue motorcycle plates; regular as well as
the under 21 plates. You can also issue boat registrations
and stickers.
After scanning the documents through my vendor and
getting the deal finalized what do I do with the hard copies?
Title, 82040, POA etc..
All documents will remain at your dealership in the deal
jacket. Documents will need to be kept for five years.
In the event of a records inspection, your compliance officer
will ask to see them.
If I become an EFS dealer can I still occasionally walk deals
through in person? Yes. You can still walk deals though if
you need something in a rush or need a special plate.
Are there any added costs to become an EFS dealer?
No. It does not cost extra to participate in Electronic
filing. You will be submitting the same state fees that
you have all along, nothing more.
Bottom line, electronic filing is a convenient, 24 hour a day,
seven days a week option for submitting and finalizing your deals.
