Promissory Note Format (Pronote)
Fill in the borrower, lender and amount and get a one-page promissory note payable on demand, with the amount in words and space for the revenue stamp.
- 100% free
- No sign-up
- Runs in your browser
- Updated October 2026
A one-page pronote for a personal loan
When someone lends money to a friend, a relative or a small trader, the simplest written proof is a promissory note, often just called a pronote. It is a short note in which the borrower promises, without conditions, to pay a fixed amount to the lender. Pronotes are widely used across India for hand loans, and the format is the same everywhere: amount, place and date at the top, the promise in the middle, and the borrower's signature across a revenue stamp at the bottom.
This page opens the loan tool on the promissory note. Fill in the borrower, the lender and the amount, and the note is ready to print.
What makes a valid promissory note
Section 4 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 sets out what a promissory note is. Read against that definition, the note needs:
- Writing: an oral promise is not a promissory note.
- An unconditional undertaking to pay: "I promise to pay". A mere acknowledgement such as "Mr. B, I O U Rs. 1,000" is not enough, according to the Act's own illustrations.
- A certain sum of money: a fixed amount. "Rs. 500 and all other sums which shall be due to him" is not a certain sum.
- A certain person to be paid: the lender, or anyone the lender orders it paid to.
- The maker's signature: the borrower signs.
The Act also gives examples of what fails: a promise to pay "seven days after my marriage with C", or "on D's death, provided D leaves me enough to pay", depends on uncertain events and so is not a promissory note.
How this note reads
The note made here follows that shape:
- The amount in figures at the top left, and place and date at the top right.
- "On demand, I, [borrower, relation, address], promise to pay [lender, relation, address], or order, the sum of ₹[amount] ([amount in words])", with interest if you set a rate, "for value received" by bank transfer, cheque or cash.
- A marked space for the revenue stamp, with the borrower's signature and name below it.
- Optional lines for two witnesses.
"On demand" means the lender can ask for payment at any time, which is the usual form for personal pronotes. If you want fixed instalments or a fixed date, put those terms in the loan agreement and keep the pronote as the borrower's simple promise.
Before you hand over the money
- Lend through the bank. Under section 185 of the Income-tax Act, 2025, a loan of ₹20,000 or more can't be taken in cash, and section 188 says the same for repaying it.
- Write the UTR or cheque number in the note, so it ties to your bank statement.
- Check the borrower's name and address against an ID document.
- Ask a notary which revenue stamp value applies, and have the borrower sign across it.
- Keep the original note safe; it is the document you would rely on to recover the money.
Prefer Hindi? Switch the language to हिन्दी and the note becomes a प्रोनोट (वचन पत्र), with the amount in Hindi words. This is a draft format, not legal advice. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Other loan formats
Need more options? Open the full Loan Agreement & Promissory Note Generator.
Frequently asked questions
What is a promissory note?
Under section 4 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, it is an instrument in writing, not a bank-note or currency-note, containing an unconditional undertaking, signed by the maker, to pay a certain sum of money only to, or to the order of, a certain person, or to the bearer.
Who signs a promissory note?
The borrower, who is called the maker. The lender doesn't need to sign. Witnesses are optional but useful.
Can a promissory note carry interest?
Yes. Set an interest rate and the note says the sum is payable with interest at that rate per year from the date of the note until payment. Leave it at 0 for an interest-free note.
What stamp goes on a promissory note?
In practice the borrower signs across an adhesive revenue stamp. Ask a notary or the stamp vendor which stamp value applies to your note.
Is a pronote enough, or do I also need a loan agreement?
A pronote is short and simple. For instalments, security, a guarantor or a default clause, also make the loan agreement: switch to it at the top and your details carry over.