How to Get a DC Certificate of Clean Hands, Step by Step
A Certificate of Clean Hands is the District’s proof that your business does not owe more than $100 in past-due taxes, fees, fines, or penalties to DC. It is issued instantly online through MyTax.DC.gov (the Office of Tax and Revenue portal) and is required on almost every DC grant application and government contract.
Nearly every DC solicitation and grant requires a current Certificate of Clean Hands. It expires, and any unpaid District balance, even a small one, blocks issuance until you pay it. Because it is required so often and is easy to let go stale, pulling a fresh one is usually the first thing to do for any DC submission.
How to pull your Clean Hands certificate
- 1Log in to MyTax.DC.gov
Sign in with your business tax account. If you do not have one yet, register the business first, you cannot request the certificate without an account tied to the entity.
- 2Open the Clean Hands request
From the business account home, find the "Request a Certificate of Clean Hands" link (under the more-options / "I want to" menu). You do not have to log payments first, the system checks for you.
- 3Let the system run its check
MyTax checks for any District debt over $100 across taxes, fees, fines, and penalties. If you are clear, the certificate is generated immediately as a downloadable PDF with a validation number.
- 4Clear any balance, then re-request
If a balance shows, the certificate is withheld. Pay the balance inside MyTax.DC.gov, wait for it to post, then request again. A common surprise is a small unpaid fee from a prior year, resolve it and re-run.
- 5Download and date-check before you submit
Save the PDF and confirm the issue date is recent. Funders reject stale certificates, so pull a fresh one for each application rather than reusing an old file.
Document checklist
- A MyTax.DC.gov business account tied to your entity
Common mistakes that get applications bounced
- ×Reusing an old certificate, they expire; pull a fresh one per submission.
- ×An unexpected small District balance (a prior-year fee) silently blocking issuance.
- ×Requesting under a personal account instead of the business entity’s account.
FAQ
It is free, and issued instantly online through MyTax.DC.gov when your account has no past-due District balance over $100.
Treat it as point-in-time. Many DC submissions want one issued recently, so pull a fresh copy for each application rather than reusing an older PDF.
A District balance over $100, taxes, fees, fines, or penalties, blocks issuance. Pay it inside MyTax.DC.gov, let it post, then request again.
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Browse opportunitiesThis guide is educational and explains the process in plain English, it is not legal advice. Forms and requirements change; always download the current version and confirm requirements at the official source.