Documents required for MGNREGA job card (2026 checklist)

• Application form — Free at the Gram Panchayat office, in the state-prescribed format
• Aadhaar of family head — Primary ID; used for DBT wage routing. If you do not have Aadhaar, the Panchayat accepts alternative ID and helps you enrol
• Aadhaar of all adult family members — For inclusion as job card members
• Photographs of all adult members — The Gram Panchayat photographs you free; no studio photo needed
• Residence proof — Voter ID / Ration card / Electricity bill / Aadhaar (with rural address)
• Bank or post office account details — For DBT wage payment; Aadhaar-linked where possible
• Self-declaration — That the household is willing to do unskilled manual work, on the prescribed form

• Caste certificate — For SC/ST priority in allotment of work
• Disability certificate — For PwD-suitable work assignments
• Migration declaration — For families that have recently moved into the gram panchayat
• Old job card — For renewal or inter-panchayat transfer

• Free — No fee at any stage. Refuse anyone demanding money.
• Card valid for at least 5 years, renewable after verification (Schedule II, MGNREGA).
• 100 days of wage employment per household per financial year — a legal entitlement under Section 3, MGNREGA.
• Daily wage — Fixed state-wise and revised annually, usually from 1 April. Check nrega.nic.in for the current rate in your state.
• Both spouses can be on the same card; a single mother can be the family head.

Gram Panchayat office, in person. There is no online application at the job-card stage — the portal is for checking status and wage lists.

→ Official portal: nrega.nic.in

If the Gram Panchayat refuses or delays your card beyond 15 days, file an RTI to the Block Development Officer (BDO) asking for the reason, and complain to the State Lokpal for MGNREGA. The entitlement is statutory and cannot be denied for want of documents without a recorded reason.

→ Use our AI RTI Drafter to draft a free Section 6(1) RTI application asking for the rejection reason in under a minute.

The card is for a rural household. If you live in a rural area, you can hold the card even if you also work in a city.

Set state-wise and revised annually, usually from 1 April. See the state-wise list on nrega.nic.in, or our state-wise MGNREGA wages page.

Apply for work in writing on the prescribed form. If work is not allotted within 15 days of your demand, a daily unemployment allowance becomes payable — one-fourth of the wage rate for the first 30 days and one-half thereafter, that financial year (Schedule II, MGNREGA).

Apply for a duplicate at the Gram Panchayat, free.

The card is panchayat-specific. Surrender it at the old panchayat and apply fresh at the new one.

• State-wise MGNREGA wages: MGNREGA wages across all 36 states
• RTI route for MGNREGA: Full RTI guide for MGNREGA wage issues
• Citizen RTI playbook: All 100+ RTI scenarios
• Other citizen documents: All documents checklists

• Mahatma Gandhi NREG Act 2005 — Section 3 (100-day guarantee), Schedule II (job card, 15-day issuance, unemployment allowance)
• Official portal: nrega.nic.in
• RTI Act 2005 — ss. 4, 6, 7, 19

Last reviewed: 17 July 2026.