Rent receipt format and free rent receipt generator for HRA

If you live in a rented home and get house rent allowance (HRA) in your salary, your employer will ask for rent receipts — usually in February or March, when investment and allowance proofs are due. Without them, your HRA can be taxed in full.

A rent receipt is a short, signed note from your landlord confirming that they received your rent. This page covers the rent receipt format employers expect, the landlord PAN and revenue stamp rules, and how to make a whole financial year of receipts in one go.

Our rent receipt generator needs no sign-up. Your details stay in your browser, and you download every receipt in a single A4 PDF.

What to include on a rent receipt

• Receipt number, counting up across the year (for example RR/26-27/01, RR/26-27/02).
• Receipt date in DD/MM/YYYY — the day the rent was paid.
• Tenant's name — the person claiming HRA.
• Landlord's name, and their address if your employer asks for it.
• Full address of the rented property, including city, state and PIN code.
• Rent amount in figures and in words, such as "Rupees Forty-Five Thousand Only".
• Rent period — a month ("April 2026") or a range ("April 2026 to June 2026").
• Payment mode — cash, UPI, bank transfer, cheque or other — and a reference such as the UPI transaction ID or cheque number where it helps.
• Landlord's PAN, when annual rent is more than ₹1,00,000.
• Landlord's signature, plus a ₹1 revenue stamp for cash rent over ₹5,000.

Each receipt from Invoice Native reads: "Received with thanks from tenant the sum of ₹ amount (amount in words) towards rent of the property at address for period", followed by the payment details and the landlord's signature line.

Worked example: a year of quarterly rent receipts

Say you pay ₹15,000 a month by bank transfer on the 5th, and your employer accepts quarterly receipts for the financial year April 2026–March 2027. Your annual rent is ₹1,80,000, so the landlord's PAN is needed. The generator makes four receipts:

Receipt no.	Period	Date	Amount
RR/26-27/01	April 2026 to June 2026	05/04/2026	₹45,000
RR/26-27/02	July 2026 to September 2026	05/07/2026	₹45,000
RR/26-27/03	October 2026 to December 2026	05/10/2026	₹45,000
RR/26-27/04	January 2027 to March 2027	05/01/2027	₹45,000

Each quarterly receipt shows the monthly rent as well as the total. Choose monthly instead and you get twelve receipts of ₹15,000; choose one for the whole period and you get a single receipt for ₹1,80,000. Because the rent went by bank transfer, no revenue stamp box is printed.

Landlord PAN: the ₹1 lakh rule

When the rent you pay is more than ₹1,00,000 in a financial year, employers generally need the landlord's PAN before they allow the HRA exemption. That works out to more than ₹8,333 a month. If your landlord has no PAN, ask them for a signed declaration saying so — most employers accept that instead. The generator checks monthly rent × 12 and warns you if it is above ₹1 lakh and no PAN is entered; the PAN, when entered, prints on every receipt.

Revenue stamp on cash rent

Under the Indian Stamp Act, a receipt for more than ₹5,000 paid in cash needs a ₹1 revenue stamp, signed across by the landlord. Rent paid by bank transfer, UPI, cheque or card needs no stamp. The generator adds an "Affix ₹1 revenue stamp and sign across it" box next to the signature only on cash receipts above ₹5,000, so you don't print empty boxes you don't need.

HRA claim basics

• Old tax regime. The HRA exemption (commonly known as section 10(13A)) generally matters only if you have opted for the old tax regime. Check with your employer which regime you are on.
• How much is exempt. Your employer works it out, usually as the least of: the HRA you actually received; rent paid minus 10% of salary; and 50% of salary in a metro city or 40% elsewhere. From 1 April 2026 the 50% list covers eight cities: Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad and Bengaluru.
• Relationship with the landlord. Employees are now asked to disclose how they are related to the landlord. Rent paid to a spouse is generally not accepted; rent paid to parents is usually accepted with proof that it was actually paid, and the parent reports it as income.
• Keep proof of payment. Bank or UPI payments leave a trail that backs up your receipts. Many employers also ask for a rent agreement.

Rules and employer policies differ, so check with your employer or a chartered accountant for your situation.

Common mistakes on rent receipts

• Missing landlord PAN when annual rent is above ₹1 lakh.
• No revenue stamp on a cash receipt over ₹5,000 — or a stamp on a UPI receipt, where it isn't needed.
• An incomplete property address, without the city or PIN code.
• Amounts that don't match your rent agreement or bank statements.
• Receipts with no signature, or signed by someone other than the landlord.
• Gaps in the period, such as a missing month.

Checklist

• ✅ Receipt number, date and rent period on every receipt
• ✅ Tenant and landlord names
• ✅ Full property address with city and PIN code
• ✅ Rent in figures and in words
• ✅ Payment mode shown
• ✅ Landlord PAN if rent is more than ₹1,00,000 a year
• ✅ ₹1 revenue stamp for cash rent over ₹5,000
• ✅ Landlord's signature

Paying a driver or domestic help as well? Make their salary receipts the same way.