DA Form 7013 is the Army’s Certificate of Appreciation, a single-page document used to recognize contributions that deserve formal acknowledgment but don’t warrant a monetary award or a higher honorary decoration. To fill it out, you enter the recipient’s full name, the presenting organization, the dates or timeframe of the service, and a specific citation describing what the person did. A local commander or other locally authorized official signs it, and the unit presents it in a short ceremony. Army Regulation 672-20 governs its use and keeps the process deliberately informal.
Who the Certificate Is For
AR 672-20 authorizes DA Form 7013 for three groups. Paragraph 8-11 covers Army civilian employees when a monetary or higher-level honorary award is not appropriate.1Army Publishing Directorate. Army Regulation 672-20 – Incentive Awards Paragraph 9-8 extends eligibility to private citizens and organizations, including other federal employees, community volunteers, and civic groups that support Army installations or missions.2United States Army. Army Regulation 672-20 – Incentive Awards Paragraph 8-14d references the form for military personnel in the context of acknowledging participation in subsequent eligible operations, and some commands also use it when a departing service member’s contributions don’t warrant a formal military decoration.
One boundary worth flagging before you draft anything: defense contractors and any person or company with a commercial or profit-making relationship with the DoD or Army are generally ineligible under paragraph 2-3j. A narrow exception exists when the contribution is completely unrelated to the contractual relationship and recognition is clearly in the public interest, and in that case the certificate must be signed at the lowest applicable level of the organization, with no ceremony or reception.2United States Army. Army Regulation 672-20 – Incentive Awards
Where to Get the Form
The current version is available through the Army Publishing Directorate at armypubs.army.mil. Search the form number field for “7013.” Some Army forms require a Common Access Card, so use a government workstation if the form won’t load on a personal computer.3Combined Arms Research Library. Finding Military Publications
Electronically generated versions are permitted as long as the output contains all data elements and matches the exact format of the official printed version. Commands may also overprint the certificate for particular groups or events at the commander’s discretion, which works well for volunteer appreciation days or unit-level recognition.1Army Publishing Directorate. Army Regulation 672-20 – Incentive Awards
Completing Each Block
The form is a single page. The fields are simple, but errors are conspicuous because the finished product goes straight to the recipient and often ends up framed.
- Recipient name. Enter the full name exactly as it appears in official records. For civilian employees, match the name in the personnel file. For private citizens, confirm the spelling directly with the person or their organization.
- Presenting organization. Use the unit, office, or command’s full official designation, not an abbreviation.
- Dates or timeframe. State the inclusive dates of the service being recognized, or the date of the specific event or achievement. Vague timeframes weaken the certificate.
- Citation narrative. Describe the specific contributions, their impact on the organization or mission, and why the service merits recognition.
Proofread everything before it moves to the signing authority. A misspelled name or wrong date on a framed certificate is the kind of error people remember.
Writing the Citation
The citation block accommodates several lines of text. Keep it concise but specific. A common mistake is writing something like “for outstanding support to the organization,” which could describe anyone. Name the program, event, or initiative the person contributed to, and explain the result of their effort.
For volunteer recognition, describe how the individual’s work affected the organization. Language along the lines of “provided outstanding support to daily operations at [Organization], whose dedication furthered the organization’s initiatives in [specific area]” gives readers enough context to understand what happened. Tailor each citation to the actual contribution rather than recycling the same language across multiple certificates.
Who Signs and How to Present It
AR 672-20 keeps approval informal. For both civilian employees and private citizens, the certificate “may be granted by local commanders or other locally authorized individuals.”1Army Publishing Directorate. Army Regulation 672-20 – Incentive Awards The regulation does not specify a minimum rank or grade for the signing official. In practice, the signer is typically the commander or senior civilian leader of the organization presenting the award.
Once the signing authority has authenticated the document, print the final version on heavy certificate stock to distinguish it from routine paperwork. Most units present the certificate during a formation, staff meeting, or organized ceremony. For private citizens and community volunteers, a presentation at the supported event or at the commander’s office is common. The ceremony doesn’t have to be elaborate, but handing someone a certificate in a manila envelope at the end of the day defeats the purpose.
Records and Replacement
DA Form 7013 is locally produced and granted, so it generally does not follow the same filing path as formal military decorations. Available guidance does not specifically list the Certificate of Appreciation among documents required for upload to a soldier’s Army Military Human Resource Record through iPERMS. Recipients who want to preserve the recognition should keep the original and make a digital copy.
For civilian employees, a copy may be placed in the local personnel file at the supervisor’s discretion, where it can support future performance evaluations or award nominations.
If a certificate is lost or damaged, the issuing unit is the best point of contact for a replacement, since the original citation and approval exist at the local level. The National Personnel Records Center handles replacement of formal military medals and decorations but does not maintain records of locally issued certificates of appreciation.4National Archives. Replace Veterans Medals, Awards, and Decorations If the original unit has been deactivated or reorganized, contacting the U.S. Army Human Resources Command’s Awards and Decorations Branch at Fort Knox may help locate historical records, though success depends on whether the unit retained the documentation.