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Services

Income certificate
An income certificate signed by the Tahsildar or Deputy Tahsildar, through your village or ward secretariat. It is valid for four years.
For whom: Anyone living in Andhra Pradesh who has been asked for proof of the family's income. State welfare schemes and scholarships no longer need it: see the first question.
Published on 31-10-2026. Not every fact has been checked against its official source yet: confirm at the office.
Answer a few questions to see which steps apply to you. The whole guide is below.

Documents you need

•
Income Declaration Form, three copies; the first copy on ₹10 non-judicial stamp paper
original
•
Copy of the Aadhaar card
copy
If you don't have it:
→ Getting a new Aadhaar

Steps

Only if
What do you need it for? Something else: a central government job or another need
1.
Ask at your village or ward secretariat whether your family is in the household database. If not, get added first: every government service is checked against that database.
🏢 Your village or ward secretariat (now called the Swarna Gramam / Swarna Wardu office)
2.
Fill in three copies of the Income Declaration Form; the first copy must be on ₹10 non-judicial stamp paper. Write clearly what the certificate is for (for example, a central government job).
✋ You do this yourself
📎 Income Declaration Form, three copies; the first copy on ₹10 non-judicial stamp paper
Not confirmed: The three copies and the stamp paper come from the annexure to a 2015 order. We could not confirm officially whether the secretariats' online system still asks for them, or where to get the form; ask at the secretariat before you apply.
3.
At the secretariat, apply for the "Income Certificate" service. Hand in the form and the Aadhaar copy, pay the charge, and keep the receipt with the application number.
🏢 Your village or ward secretariat (now called the Swarna Gramam / Swarna Wardu office)
📎 Income Declaration Form, three copies; the first copy on ₹10 non-judicial stamp paper, Copy of the Aadhaar card
💰 Fee: The current charge is not confirmed. The 2017 MeeSeva citizen charter gave ₹35, plus postage.
⏱️ within 7 days · 7 days for a first certificate by the 2017 MeeSeva citizen charter; the current time limit is not confirmed.
Not confirmed: A district website lists this service as an AP Seva service at village and ward secretariats. The AP Seva portal and the secretariats' website, which would give the current charge and time limit, did not open in October 2026 (one's security certificate had been revoked). Ask the secretariat for the charge and the time limit.
4.
The Revenue staff make a field enquiry into your income; answer their questions. The Tahsildar or Deputy Tahsildar then signs the certificate.
🏛️ The Tahsildar (MRO) office of your mandal, Revenue Department
5.
Ask the secretariat for the status with your receipt number, and collect the certificate once it is approved. It is valid for four years from the date of issue. No department may keep the original: it must be given back right after it is checked.
🏢 Your village or ward secretariat (now called the Swarna Gramam / Swarna Wardu office)
Not confirmed: The AP Seva online status page did not open while we wrote this. Whether the certificate is handed over at the secretariat or can be downloaded online is not confirmed officially.

Another route for you

State welfare departments (Social, BC, Tribal and Minority Welfare and others) no longer ask for an income certificate for their schemes; the secretariats' department checks eligibility through the "six-step validation". No scholarship, post-matric included, asks for a separate income certificate. For schemes for the poor (BPL), a white ration card is enough. Students in Class X and XII who do not yet have an income certificate get one from the Revenue Department (the secretariats' "Income Certificate For Students" service). (Revenue Department G.O.Ms.No.484 of 2023; G.O.Ms.No.229 of 2017)
Instead, see:
If you are unsure about eligibility, ask at your village or ward secretariat. A dispute about the six-step validation goes to the secretariats' department (now the Swarna Gramam and Swarna Wardu Department). If an office still insists on an income certificate, choose "Something else" above to see how to apply.

Another route for you

EWS reservation has its own service, "Issuance of Income & Asset Certificate for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS)", also available at village and ward secretariats. This guide does not cover that service's documents and steps.
Instead, see:
Ask your village or ward secretariat for the EWS certificate service and its list of documents.

Fees and time limits

Step 3
💰 The current charge is not confirmed. The 2017 MeeSeva citizen charter gave ₹35, plus postage.
⏱️ within 7 days · 7 days for a first certificate by the 2017 MeeSeva citizen charter; the current time limit is not confirmed.

If something goes wrong

If it is rejected
When an application is rejected the officials record the reason; ask at the secretariat. If no reason is given, ask the Tahsildar (MRO) office. If you think it was wrongly rejected, complain through PGRS: at the secretariat on any day, at the Collectorate on Mondays, on pgrs.ap.gov.in or in the PGRS app. If you are not satisfied with the answer you can reopen the complaint twice: first it goes to a district officer, then to the head of the department.
PGRS (Public Grievance Redressal System)
Open the official page ↗
pgrs.ap.gov.in · opens in a new tab
Not confirmed: We found no official source naming an appeal authority for a rejected income certificate; ask at the Tahsildar office.
If it is late
If the certificate has not come after the time limit, complain through PGRS (the secretariat, the Collectorate on Mondays, pgrs.ap.gov.in or the app). You get a grievance number by SMS and can follow the status with it. The District Swarna Gramam & Swarna Wardu Officer is responsible for secretariat services being delivered on time.
PGRS (Public Grievance Redressal System)
Open the official page ↗
pgrs.ap.gov.in · opens in a new tab
Not confirmed: The current time limit for this service is not confirmed officially (see the "apply" step above).
If you are asked for more money
The current charge at the secretariat is not confirmed officially; ask what it is before you pay. If anyone asks for a bribe, call the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on its toll-free number 1064, or email complaints-acb@ap.gov.in. Do not pay agents who offer to speed things up.
Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), toll-free 1064
📞 1064
Also
If a state department asks for an income certificate for a scheme for the poor although you have a white ration card, asks for a new one when a scholarship or scheme is renewed, or a bank asks for one for a crop or land loan, that goes against G.O.Ms.No.186 (2015) and G.O.Ms.No.229 (2017). Show them the order; if that does not settle it, complain through PGRS.
PGRS (Public Grievance Redressal System)
Open the official page ↗
pgrs.ap.gov.in · opens in a new tab

Related guides

→ Caste certificate (integrated certificate)→ Residence certificate→ Rice card (ration card)
Updated on 30-10-2026
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