webDEALER Available to More Dealers

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webDEALER Available to More Dealers

by TIADA Staff

Starting September 1, county tax assessors-collectors are required to make webDEALER available to any licensed independent automobile dealer in Texas. For years many used car dealers have not had full access to webDEALER. However, after the passage of SB 604 in the 86th legislative session, that has changed.

TxDMV Regional Service Center staff have previously been trained on webDEALER and are the main support for counties. RSC staff have been training tax assessor-collectors to help with this transition. However, counties still have significant latitude in who they deputize as dealer deputies and the requirements vary from county to county. If you are interested in becoming a dealer deputy you should reach out to your county to better understand the requirements and/or qualifications.

Dallas County Tax Assessor/Collector John R. Ames encourages dealers to be cautious as they move forward. “Dallas County was an early adopter of webDEALER and one of the first counties to allow an independent dealer in the program. My team and I have embraced and supported webDEALER, but I want to emphasize that webDEALER is not for everyone. I cannot stress enough; dealers must contact their local county tax office to make sure they completely understand how to use webDEALER and the local procedures that are in place. The tax offices are here to help dealers, but if a dealer goes onto the platform and starts transferring deals prior

to visiting with the tax office, it can create significant delays and problems.” Most counties require that the dealer set up an ACH prior to transferring any deals on webDEALER. webDEALER was rolled out in 2013 and originally only franchise dealers had access to the system. As TxDMV and participating tax offices continued to fine tune the process, more dealers were allowed access, including used car dealerships. However, going into 2020 there were still a few counties that did not participate.

“This is a great opportunity for our dealers,” said TIADA Executive Director Jeff Martin, “Like anything this will take a little time to get used to for the dealers and maybe tax offices due to the quantity of deals that may come through webDEALER. But one thing this pandemic has shown us is we can do things differently and sometimes it may even be more efficient. I think that is what you will find here — this is going to be more efficient.”

Dealers are not required to use webDEALER, and dealers are still required to adhere to form VTR-136, County of Title Issuance. However, this could make the transfer process much easier in a county the dealer doesn’t normally do business in.

Dealers can find self-help videos on the TxDMV website that explain what webDEALER is and how to use the system. Go to the dealer portal (txdmv.gov/dealers), scroll to the bottom, and select the webDEALER tab.