Patwari / Village Accountant

Maintaining village land records (who owns which plot, what is grown on it), updating them after sales, inheritance and partition, helping collect land revenue, surveying fields after floods or crop damage, and helping villagers get certificates and land documents. The post is called Patwari in many states, Lekhpal in Uttar Pradesh, Talati in Gujarat, Talathi in Maharashtra and Village Accountant or Village Administrative Officer in Karnataka.

A day in the work
You start at the village or the tehsil office, checking the register of plots (khasra or khatauni) and the maps. A farmer comes in to correct a name in the record after his father's death, and you note the change and send it for approval. After lunch you walk to the fields to measure a plot or check crop damage after rain. Back at the office you update the computer records and prepare certificates and reports for the tehsildar.

1. Step 1 · Class 10–12Study in any stream and finish Class 12. Check your state's rules early, because some states want a degree and some accept Class 12. Build good Maths, reading and writing in your state's main language.
2. Step 2 · After Class 12 (3 years if a degree is needed)If your state asks for a degree, do any BA, BCom or BSc. Learn basic computer work and typing. In Rajasthan a basic computer certificate was also asked for, and a CET (Graduate Level) score was needed (reported). (reported — check with the official body)
3. Step 3 · Watch for the notificationPatwari posts are not advertised every year. In Rajasthan the 2025 notice came in February 2025, and the posts were later raised from 2,020 to 3,705 (reported). The board's official site has the real notice, so read it and the age limit (18 to 40 in Rajasthan 2025, reported) before applying. Apply only on the official site. (reported — check with the official body)
4. Step 4 · Written examSelection is mainly by a written test. Rajasthan's 2025 paper had 150 multiple-choice questions, 300 marks, 3 hours and 1/3 negative marking (reported). Karnataka's 2024 exam had two 100-mark papers plus a compulsory Kannada test (reported). Topics are usually general knowledge, language, maths, reasoning and computers. (reported — check with the official body)
5. Step 5 · Document check and medicalIf you pass, your certificates, category papers and (where needed) computer certificate are checked. A medical check may follow. Rajasthan held document verification after the written result (reported). (reported — check with the official body)
6. Step 6 · Training and probationNew joiners are on probation. Punjab, for example, has about one year at a Patwar school and then six months of field training, with a stipend (reported). Himachal Pradesh hires Patwaris first as job-trainees at a fixed monthly amount (reported). You are then posted to a village circle (halqa). (reported — check with the official body)
7. Optional · LaterMany states let Patwaris move up in the revenue department (for example to Girdawar or Naib Tehsildar) through departmental promotion. The rules vary by state, so check yours. (reported — check with the official body)

• Degree-level states (e.g. Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh)Finish Class 12, complete any graduation, then apply when the state board advertises Patwari posts. Rajasthan also asks for a CET (Graduate Level) score (reported).
• Class 12-level states (e.g. Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka)You can apply right after Class 12. In 2025 Himachal Pradesh asked for 10+2 and Karnataka asked for 2nd PUC or equivalent in 2024 (reported). Competition is still very high, so many people do a degree while waiting.

Fees from: Bidar district (NIC) – Village Accountant Recruitment 2024 · Patrika – Rajasthan Patwari 2025 (reported) · Govt. P.G. College Bilaspur (H.P) fee structure 2026-27. Fees change every year — check the college's own fee page before you pay.

Pay starts modest and differs a lot from state to state, then grows with yearly increments, allowances, promotions and the pension or retirement rules of that state.

Age relaxation and reservations apply as per each state's rules (reported). In 2026 Madhya Pradesh advertised 200 Patwari posts reserved only for candidates with hearing, locomotor or multiple disabilities (reported), and its 2023 notice listed separate posts for women (reported). Field work needs walking, so check the physical rules in your state's notice.

• Class 7–9Draw a simple map of your home plot or a school field with measured sides. Work out its area and note who owns which part. This is the basic skill behind land records.
• Class 10–12Practise typing in your state's main language and in English. Take a free basic computer course on SWAYAM, because land records are now mostly digital.Open link ↗
• College or afterOpen your state recruitment board's website and read the last Patwari (or equivalent) notification and syllabus. Note the qualification, age limit and exam pattern, and solve its free previous papers.Open link ↗

• Posts open irregularly, often every few years. As of late September 2026, Rajasthan had not announced its next Patwari notice, and its CET (Graduate Level) was set for 1 to 3 December 2026 (reported).
• Pay, age limit and qualification change from state to state and year to year. Always use the board's latest official notice and ignore agents or Telegram groups that ask for money.
• Land records are going digital, so computer skills and careful, honest record-keeping matter more every year.
• Postings are in or near villages and transfers are possible within the district or state.