Step-By-Step Guide To Apply For An Income Certificate

Income certificate is issued to the citizen by the Government, as evidence confirming their annual income. An income certificate is used as legal proof for availing various subsidies and schemes. An income certificate helps in securing scholarships provided by some organisations to help the underprivileged. Let’s understand what exactly an Income certificate is and how to apply for an income certificate online.

Overview

Name of the certificate	Income Certificate
Objective	To certify an individual’s annual income so that they can avail various government schemes based on their annual income
Issued by	Tehsildar office of state
Validity	Usually 6 months to 1 year
Eligibility	Residents of the state with an income category
Sources of Income	Salary, business revenue, agricultural income, rental income, investment income, pension, etc.
Application mode	Online/Offline

What Is An Income Certificate?

An income certificate is a certificate issued by the government as proof of the annual income earned by a family. The main aim of the government is to manage all the citizens and provide govt schemes to those families who need them.

As the country has billions of citizens, it is often difficult for the government to keep account of everything. An income certificate makes it easier for the government to identify who is genuinely eligible and who is not. It provides free ration to underprivileged families, helps students get scholarships, etc.

Any financial gain obtained by individuals or families needs to be updated in the income certificate. This is so that the government can easily categorise all families to give various subsidies and rations to underprivileged families.

Key Features

There are several features of an Income certificate that outline its goals. Some of its key features are listed below in brief:

• Proof of income: It is an official certificate that proves an individual’s annual income.
• Government benefits: People can then apply for various government schemes and programs based on the income categories mentioned in their income certificates.
• Validity: The validity of an income certificate usually lasts from 6 months to a year.
• Minimum income: There is no minimum income needed to apply for an income certificate.
• Reservations: Income certificates can also be used to avail of benefits of reservation categories like Economically Weaker Sections (EWS).

What Is The Purpose Of An Income Certificate?

Income certificates make it easier for the government to find out the families who need help financially and help them get the help they need. It is also needed for the following reasons.

1. To avail of government welfare schemes and benefits.

2. To apply for scholarships and financial aid for education.

3. To apply for government jobs and reservations based on income criteria.

4. To avail of subsidies on essential commodities.

5. To apply for housing schemes and loans.

6. To avail of medical benefits and insurance schemes.

7. To apply for fee concessions in educational institutions.

8. To avail of tax exemptions and deductions.

9. To apply for loans and credit facilities from banks.

10. To prove eligibility for various government schemes and programs based on income criteria.

Read more: Ration Card

What Is Included In The Family Income?

The income-earning members can be unmarried daughters, unmarried brothers, and sisters to calculate the family income. The earning people in the family can consist of:

1. Salary of members working in organisations

2. Various pensions

3. Daily/weekly wage of a labourer

4. Profits from business

5. Charges of consultancy

6. Commissions of agency work

7. Any kind of regular financial benefits received, such as

• Employee bonus
• Deposit interest
• Dividends from share and stock markets
• Property rent
• Gains on the sale of assets
• Gifts and inheritances

How Is Income Calculated?

The income calculation for an income certificate is taken by considering various components that may contribute to the income of an individual or family in a financial year. Major components of income calculation are:

• Salary or wages
• Business income
• Agricultural income
• Rental income
• Income from investments
• Pension
• Other sources like royalties, inheritance, alimony, etc.

Eligibility Criteria

Interested people first need to ensure whether they fit into the eligibility criteria or not for application for income certificate. The eligibility criteria are as follows:

• Applicants must be residents of the state where they are applying.
• If the applicants are applying for a certain category like EWS, the annual income should be below Rs. 8 lakhs.

Read more: BPL Ration Card

Documents Needed

Applicants need to submit certain supporting documents to successfully apply for income certificates. The list of documents is as follows:

• Proof of identity, such as Aadhaar card, Voter ID, passport, Ration card, or driving licence
• Proof of income (salary slip for government workers; IT Return/Form 16 for non-government employees; IT Return for self-employed or business owners)
• Proof of residence, such as Aadhaar card, driving licence, passport or ration card
• Salary slip
• Bank statement
• Income declaration
• Other documents, including a photo, date of birth, and land tax receipt
• A signed copy of self-declaration

Application Process

People who want to know how to apply for an income certificate online can follow these

steps.

1. Visit the official website of your state or district that handles administrative services.

2. Create an account by registering with a unique username, password, and mobile number.

3. Search for the option to apply for an Income Certificate.

4. Fill in the online application with the required details.

5. Upload necessary documents such as Ration Card, Driving License, Voter ID, and Aadhaar Card.

6. Provide details about your religion, caste, and whether you belong to SC, ST, or OBC categories.

7. Attach proof of income, which can include your parent’s income certificate, Income Tax Return, Form 16 from your employer, or a salary certificate. Some documents may need to be attested by a government officer.

8. Upload utility bills like rent, electricity, or telephone bills as proof of address. These may also need to be attested.

9. Submit an affidavit confirming that all the details you provided are true.

10. Submit the application online or at the local district office.

11. The Income Certificate is normally issued within 10 to 15 days.

Also read: UDID Card

How To Track The Application For An Income Certificate?

Applicants can track the application of their income certificates can do so by following the steps mentioned below:

1. Visit the official website of your state.
2. Log in using your credentials like mobile number or aadhar.
3. Navigate to the ‘Track Application Status’.
4. Enter your reference ID and view the status of your application.

How To Download An Income Certificate?

Applicants can download their respective income certificates by following the steps mentioned below in brief:

1. Visit the official website of your state.
2. Log in using your credentials like mobile number or aadhar.
3. Navigate to the ‘Download Income Certificate’ option.
4. Download your income certificates in PDF format.

How To Renew Your Income Certificate?

People can apply for renewal of their respective income certificates after their validity is over by following the steps mentioned below:

1. Visit the official website of your state.
2. Log in using your credentials like mobile number or aadhar.
3. Fill out a new application form.
4. Upload the supporting documents.
5. Pay the applicable fee if required.
6. Submit your application and wait for approval.

How To Apply For An Income Certificate In Different States?

State	Where to apply?	Fee charged	Official Links
Haryana	Deputy commissioner of the district	Rs. 30	e-Disha portal
Bihar	District magistrate	NA	RTPS portal
Gujarat	Tehsil office	NA	Digital Gujarat
Maharashtra	Tehsil office	NA	Aaple Sarkar portal
Punjab	Tehsil office	NA	State portal
Rajasthan	Tehsil office	Rs. 40	e-Mitra portal
Uttar Pradesh	Tehsil office	Rs. 10	e-Saathi portal
Uttarakhand	Tehsil office	NA	e-Services portal
Chandigarh	Deputy commissioner office	Rs. 20	Sampark portal
Andhra Pradesh	Revenue office	Rs. 45	MEESEVA application
Arunachal Pradesh	Tehsil office	Rs. 10	e-Services portal
Assam	Concerned office of the circle officer	NA	e-Services portal
Goa	Deputy collector	NA	e-Services portal
Chhattisgarh	SDM Offices	Rs. 30	e-District portal
Jharkhand	Department of Revenue Land Reforms	NA	e-District portal
Karnataka	Tehsil office	Rs. 15	AJSK portal
Kerala	Tehsil office	Rs. 28	Akshaya portal
Madhya Pradesh	Tehsil office	NA	e-Services portal
Manipur	District Office	NA	e-Services portal
Meghalaya	Deputy commissioner office	NA	e-Services portal
Mizoram	Deputy commissioner office	Rs. 10 - Rs. 30	e-Services portal
Nagaland	Deputy commissioner office	NA	e-Services portal
Odisha	Tehsil office	NA	e-Services portal
Sikkim	District administrative office	Rs. 50	e-Services portal
Tamil Nadu	Tehsil office	Rs. 60	e-Sevai portal
Telangana	Tehsil office	Rs. 10	MeeSeva portal
Tripura	Municipal office	NA	e-Services portal
West Bengal	District Welfare Office	No fee	e-Services portal
Andaman & Nicobar Islands	Tehsil office	Rs. 10	State portal
Dadra & Nagar Haveli	Collector Office	Rs. 10 - 30	Official website
Delhi	Deputy commissioner office	NA	e-Services portal
Jammu & Kashmir	Tehsil office	NA	e-Services portal
Ladakh	Revenue department	NA	Offline
Lakshadweep	Tehsil office	NA	NA
Puducherry	Tehsil office	NA	e-Services portal

Difference Between Agriculture Income Certificate & Income Certificate

Component	Income Certificate	Agriculture Income Certificate
Purpose	Certifies income from agricultural activities	Certifies total income from all sources
Applicable for	Farmers	Any individual or family
Source of income	Income from farming-related activities like crop selling, produce, land, etc.	Income from salary, business, property rent, etc.
Uses	To the avail of various governments. schemes and services like loans, subsidies, concessions, scholarships, etc.	To the avail of various governments. schemes and services like EWS reservations, financial aid, subsidies, etc.
Validity	1 year	6 months to a year
Eligibility	For people engaged in farming	Individuals/families with total income under limited if applying for reservation
Income category	Not specified	Varies (like Rs. 8 lakh for EWS)

Conclusion

Income certificate comes in handy, especially for those families who need help from the government to meet their daily requirements. With the income statements of all families, the government will be able to easily distinguish between the underprivileged families and what kind of help they need. Families who want to know how to apply for an income certificate online can follow the mentioned steps.

For any queries regarding the application process for an income certificate, call 1800114000.

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