The Tax Compliance Certificate (TCC), otherwise known as KRA Clearance Certificate, is a document that’s used to show your tax compliance as provided by the law; that is, paying your taxes and filing your tax returns.
This certificate is one of the clearance documents that are often required when applying for government and county jobs. It’s also required by individuals and companies seeking to apply for various tenders.
Unlike the other clearance certificates however, the TCC comes free of charge. Your physical presence is also not necessary as the whole process is carried out on KRA’s online iTax Portal.
Consequently, you need to have an existing KRA PIN to apply for the tax compliance certificate. If you don’t have one, refer to our guide on how to apply for a KRA PIN.
Before you make the application, ensure that your tax payments are up-to-date and that you’ve submitted your returns to ensure that your certificate is approved.
On the other hand, if you’ve no source of income to declare either because you’re unemployed or a student, make sure that you’ve filled for a nil return.
You can then apply as follows:
Step 1: Make Application on iTax
- Go to the KRA iTax Portal and enter your PIN to proceed.
- Next enter your Login ID (KRA PIN) and password then just below answer the security question and click the login button.
- Once you’re logged in your iTax dashboard, go to the menu and select Certificates.
- In the certificates sub-menu, select Apply for Tax Compliance Certificate (TCC).
- In the next page you’ll be required to provide a reason for making the application. Once you’re done writing the reason, click the Submit button.
- After submitting your reason, you’ll get a message alerting you that your Application for the Tax Compliance Certificate has been submitted successfully.
- You’ll then be provided with an acknowledgement number for tracking your application and a link to download the acknowledgement receipt in PDF form. You will also get an email from KRA acknowledging this application.
Step 2: Download and Print Tax Compliance Certificate
Once your application is submitted, you’ll have to wait for a few days as your application is reviewed. This may take up to 3 business days.
If approved, the certificate will be sent to the email address you’ve registered your KRA PIN with.

The certificate will be attached in PDF format. You’ll therefore need a PDF software like Adobe Acrobat to open and print it.