Scrapping a Car in WA: Can You Get a Rego Refund?

If your car is headed to the wreckers with months of rego still on it, it’s fair to wonder whether that money is simply gone. Often it isn’t. In Western Australia, you can claim a car rego refund for the unused part of the licence, but only if the licence is cancelled properly, and the refund is counted from the day the number plates are handed in.

Yes, in many cases. WA refunds the unused part of a vehicle licence when the owner cancels it by handing in the number plates (or lodging a lost or stolen plates form) and then applies.

DTMI doesn’t list scrapping as a reason a licence gets cancelled, so don’t assume it cancels the rego for you. Some situations, like a licence cancelled over an unfixed defect notice, aren’t eligible.

How Does a Car Rego Refund Work in WA?

In WA, rego is officially a vehicle licence. What you pay at renewal also covers motor injury insurance, which the Insurance Commission of Western Australia runs as compulsory third party cover plus the Catastrophic Injuries Support Scheme.

When a licence is cancelled before it runs out, the Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure (DTMI) can give a refund of car registration for the unused period when plates are surrendered.

The motor injury insurance part is refunded pro rata if the vehicle is de-licensed. Refunds go to the WA licensed owner or owners, apart from deceased estates, so if the car is registered in someone else’s name, the claim is theirs to make.

Does Scrapping the Car Cancel the Rego?

Not by itself, as far as DTMI’s published pages go. Its list of reasons a licence gets cancelled covers voluntary cancellation by the owner, an outstanding work order or defect notice, a dishonoured payment, a missing immobiliser, and a write-off recorded on the Written-Off Vehicles Register.

A car being scrapped isn’t on that list, and the refund and cancellation pages don’t have a section for scrapped cars at all. For a car you’re taking off the road for good, the route that fits is voluntary cancellation.

How to Cancel Rego in WA and Claim Your Refund

1. Hand in the number plates. Take both plates to a DTMI service centre or regional agent, or post them to DTMI with a note explaining why. They can’t be returned at the Joondalup Driver Assessment Centre or at metropolitan Perth Australia Post outlets. Since the plates have to come off for this to work, let whoever is collecting the car know beforehand.
2. If a plate is lost or stolen, lodge Form VL14. The Lost/Stolen Number Plates Notification also works as the cancellation, and a refund can’t be considered until it’s done. If the licence is in joint names, only the nominated responsible person needs to complete it.
3. Check DoTDirect for a refund credit. If you have an account, eligible credits show up there. If it says “No credits to be refunded found”, the refund can’t be done online.
4. Otherwise, lodge the Application for Refund (Form C2). The form has its own instructions and postal address.

That’s how to cancel car registration in WA when the car is simply being retired.

How Much Will You Get Back?

DTMI doesn’t publish a formula or a worked example, so there’s no honest dollar figure to give you. What its pages do say is that the licence fee refund takes effect from the date the plates are returned, and that the insurance component is pro rata.

In practice, that means the refund is measured from the day the plates go in, so every week they sit in the shed is a week of unused rego that isn’t in your claim. The pages also don’t state a processing time.

What If the Car Was Written Off?

This follows a slightly different path. When an insurer or other assessor records a car as a total loss on the Written-Off Vehicles Register, DTMI cancels the licence and sends the registered owner a letter. The plates then have to be returned within 28 days. If an insurer or wrecker is holding them, DTMI says to confirm whether they’ll return them for you.

You can still apply for a pro rata refund, but you’ll need to give the date of the accident or theft. For an accident, the refund can be based on that date if you supply an accident report or a letter from your insurer confirming it; otherwise it runs from the day the plates are returned. For a stolen vehicle, it runs from the date the theft was reported to police.

It also matters which kind of write-off it is. A statutory write-off can never be re-licensed and may only be used for parts or scrap. A repairable write-off can be repaired, inspected and relicensed.

What If You’ve Lost Your Rego Papers?

Lost papers and lost plates are separate problems. Plates go through Form VL14, as above. For the papers, you can buy copies of your vehicle licence papers online through DoTDirect, or in person at a Driver and Vehicle Services centre or regional agent with ID. A copy doesn’t renew the licence or change its expiry date, and the page doesn’t state a fee.

There’s one catch. You can’t buy papers for a vehicle you no longer own or one that’s no longer licensed. And when a licensed vehicle is sold, the seller has to hand the buyer the current licence papers. So if you think you’ll need them, order the copy before you cancel the licence or the car changes hands.

When You Won’t Get a Refund

• The licence was cancelled over a defect notice. If the plates come back after a licence was cancelled for not complying with a defect notice (a yellow sticker), the unused licence fee isn’t refunded. You’re only entitled to the pro rata motor injury insurance refund.
• You’re not the licensed owner. Refunds are paid to the WA licensed owner or owners, except for deceased estates.
• There are debts on the licence. The Form C2 notes that a refund can’t be processed while the licence is under a fine suspension, or there’s an outstanding transfer fee, transfer or plate penalty, or an unpaid Time to Pay debt with the Fines Enforcement Registry.
• The rego has already run out. There’s no unused period left to refund, but you still need to renew or return the plates within 3 months of the expiry date. After that, DTMI can issue a Notice of Expired Vehicle Licence and then an infringement.
  
  

If that’s your situation, our guide to selling an unregistered car in WA covers what changes.

Do You Still Need to Tell DTMI the Car Has Gone?

When you sell, gift or dispose of a WA licensed vehicle, DTMI says you must notify it within 7 days that you’ve stopped being the owner, and give the new owner’s name and address.

Missing that deadline results in a penalty. In most cases, you can do it online through DoTDirect, and otherwise with the MR9 form. Our walkthrough of the notice of disposal process in WA goes through it in more detail.

If the car is going to a cash-for-cars buyer or a scrap car removal service, you’re still disposing of it, so the 7-day rule is worth keeping in mind. DTMI’s selling page doesn’t deal with sales to wreckers specifically, so if you’re unsure how it fits with a licence you’ve already cancelled, ask DTMI on 13 11 56 before the car goes.

Still working out what to do with the car in the first place? There’s a rundown of options for how to get rid of your old car, and a look at how cash for car removal works in Perth.

This is general information, not official or legal advice. Fees, forms and processes change, so check transport.wa.gov.au or call 13 11 56 before you act.

FAQs

How do I cancel car registration in WA?

Surrender the number plates at a DTMI service centre or regional agent (or lodge Form VL14 if they’re lost or stolen), then apply for the pro rata refund through DoTDirect or Form C2.

Can I hand my plates in at Australia Post?

Not at metropolitan Perth Australia Post outlets, and not at the Joondalup Driver Assessment Centre. You can post them to DTMI with a note explaining why you’re returning them.

How long does a rego refund take?

DTMI’s refund and cancellation pages don’t give a processing time. The Transport WA contact centre is on 13 11 56 if you need an update.

Can someone else claim the refund for me?

Only the WA licensed owner or owners can, unless it’s a deceased estate. Organisations lodging Form C2 need to send a few extra documents if they want the refund paid by EFT rather than cheque.

Does buying a copy of my licence papers renew my rego?

No. A copy doesn’t renew or extend the licence.