A lagaan receipt — also called a land revenue receipt — is the official proof that the annual land tax (bhu lagan) on a plot has been paid to the Bihar government for a given year.
It matters because unpaid land revenue can flag a property as being in arrears, which raises questions during a sale, loan application, or mutation — a clean, up-to-date lagaan record signals the land is being actively and legally maintained by its owner.
This guide covers what a lagaan receipt actually confirms, how to pay land revenue and download the receipt online in Bihar, what it costs, and what to do if past payments aren't showing correctly.
Whether you're an existing landowner keeping records current, or a buyer checking a seller's payment history before a purchase, this is the receipt you'll want to see.
Section 1 — What is a Lagaan Receipt in Bihar?
If you're checking payment history for a plot you're considering buying, it also helps to confirm the plot's location and listing first — the 2Bigha interactive map for Bihar lets you browse land listings across the state on an interactive map.
Definition:A lagaan receipt is the proof of payment issued when a landholder pays the annual land revenue (lagaan) due on their land in Bihar to the Bihar Revenue Department.
It's sometimes confused with the land tax assessment itself or with the Jamabandi record, but they're different things: the Jamabandi shows who owns the land and its details, while the lagaan receipt is proof that the ongoing annual charge on that ownership has actually been paid for a specific year. A correct Jamabandi entry doesn't tell you whether revenue is current or in arrears — only the receipt history does that.
A landowner needs this to keep their land record in good standing year over year, and a buyer needs it specifically to check whether a seller's land has any pending revenue dues before a purchase, since unresolved arrears can complicate a mutation application after the sale.
State-specific note: Bihar's Bhu Lagan portal currently accepts payment only through net banking — if the landowner doesn't have net banking access, payment typically needs to be routed through the local Circle Office instead.
Expert tip: Before buying land, don't just ask for the most recent lagaan receipt — ask for the last three to five years. A single recent receipt can be paid right before a sale to mask a longer gap in payments, while a consistent multi-year history is a stronger signal that the land has been properly maintained and isn't hiding a larger dispute over dues.
Section 2 — How to Get a Lagaan Receipt in Bihar?
Land revenue can be paid and the receipt downloaded fully online, or paid in person at the Circle Office. Here's the comparison:
Method | Cost | Time | Legally valid for registration? |
Online (Bhu Lagan portal, net banking) | Land revenue amount only, no extra charge | Instant receipt download | Yes |
Offline (Circle Office counter payment) | Land revenue amount + possible service handling | Same day to a few days for the physical receipt | Yes |
Visit the Bhu Lagan portal
Go to bhulagan.bihar.gov.in, or reach it via the "Pay Online Lagaan" option on biharbhumi.bihar.gov.in.
Search for your land
Select district, circle, and mauza, then enter the khata and khasra number to locate the plot's revenue record.
Review the amount due
Check the outstanding land revenue shown for the current and any pending years.
Pay via net banking
Complete the payment through your bank's net banking option, since other payment modes aren't currently supported.
Download the receipt
Once payment is confirmed, download or print the digital lagaan receipt for your records.
Visit the Circle Office
Go to the Anchal (Circle) office covering the mauza where the land is located.
Provide plot details
Give the khata, khasra, and owner details to the revenue counter.
Pay and collect the receipt
Pay the land revenue due at the counter and collect a physical, signed receipt.
This is typically resolved the same day if records are in order. Before treating the payment as final, check that the receipt correctly states the year it covers, the exact khata/khasra number, and that any prior year's dues have also been cleared.
Section 3 — What Does a Lagaan Receipt Contain?
A lagaan receipt is short, but every field on it matters — this is the record a bihar land receipt check will rely on, so it's worth reading the whole thing rather than just confirming payment happened.If you're selling property online, having these details accurate and up to date is often the first thing a serious buyer will ask to verify.
Field | What it means | What to check |
Khata & khasra number | The specific plot the payment relates to | Confirm it matches the plot you're checking, not a similarly numbered one |
Owner/raiyat name | Whose name the revenue was paid under | Should match the current recorded owner in the Jamabandi |
Year of payment | The specific revenue year covered | Check for continuity — look for any gap years in the payment history |
Amount paid | The revenue amount for that year | Should be consistent with the plot's classification and area |
Transaction/receipt number | Reference for that specific payment | Keep this for any future dispute over payment status |
Good sign: A trustworthy lagaan record shows continuous, unbroken annual payments under the current owner's name, with no gap years, and a khata/khasra reference that exactly matches the plot's other records — the Jamabandi and the sale deed, in particular.
Section 4 — Common Issues & How to Fix Them
Gap years missing from the payment history — revenue wasn't paid for one or more years. Fix: pay the outstanding arrears through the portal or Circle Office before treating the land's revenue status as clean.
Receipt shows the previous owner's name — mutation hasn't been completed yet. Fix: complete Dakhil Kharij so future lagaan payments are correctly recorded under the new owner.
Land not found under the given khata/khasra on the payment portal — a data mismatch between revenue and mutation records. Fix: confirm the correct khata/khasra with the Circle Office before attempting payment again.
Net banking payment failed but amount was deducted — a transaction sync issue. Fix: check the "Failed Transaction Status" option on the portal, and follow up with the bank if the amount doesn't reconcile within a few days.
Old receipts issued offline don't show up in the online payment history. Fix: keep physical receipts as backup proof, and ask the Circle Office to confirm they're reflected in the underlying revenue register.
Amount due appears higher than expected — could reflect prior arrears or a reclassification of land type. Fix: ask the Circle Office for a breakdown before paying, rather than assuming it's an error.
Section 5 — Recent Changes in 2026
No major changes have been reported as of August 2026.
Section 6 — Why a Lagaan Receipt Matters for Land Buyers
Confirms the land isn't carrying unpaid revenue dues that could complicate a future mutation
Serves as ongoing evidence of active, legitimate landholding, useful alongside the Jamabandi
Often requested by banks as supporting proof when processing a loan against agricultural land
Helps buyers gauge how consistently a seller has maintained their land records over time
Needed by the new owner going forward to keep their own record of bihar land revenue current after a purchase
Supports a smoother mutation process, since the revenue and ownership records are expected to stay in sync
Section 7 — Lagaan Receipt vs. Khatauni
These two documents are often requested together, but they answer different questions about the same plot.
Document | What it confirms | Frequency |
Lagaan Receipt | That annual land revenue has been paid for a specific year | Issued fresh every year the tax is paid |
Khatauni | The plot-by-plot details and current ownership under a khata | Reflects the current state, updated only when records change |
A khatauni tells you who holds the land and what it looks like on paper; the lagaan receipt tells you whether that holding is being kept current with the state. If you're preparing land for selling property online, having a clean, multi-year lagaan history ready — alongside the khatauni — reassures buyers browsing real estate websites that there's nothing hidden in the land's revenue status.
Section 8 — Related Documents
Khatauni Bihar Land Records
Khasra Bihar Land Records
Dakhil Kharij (Mutation) Bihar
Encumbrance Certificate Bihar
Title Deed Bihar
