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§10.5.4

Tables Inside Forms

A grid inside a form—a table or individual fields?

✅ NormativeSettled. The requirement holds as written.📄 Page ruleCan be applied from the page alone.Read §10.5.4 in the RFC ↗

The requirement

Inside a form, a table MUST be used only for a genuine grid: one shared set of printed column headers over repeating rows of the same shape, or a printed row-by-column matrix. Where it is ambiguous, the fields SHOULD be rendered as individual field lines.

Reading the examples. Each one pairs a source page with the output the rule expects. ✅ Sample: the rule applies. ❌ Counter-sample: it looks like it applies and does not, or a rendering got it wrong. A non-conforming output, in red, is shown only for contrast. … marks content left out of an excerpt.

Numbered form lines are never table rows

A line with its own caption and one amount box is a field line, even when the amount boxes align into a ruled column. It MUST be rendered as a field line, not as a table row: the alignment is typesetting, the caption is the structure.

Dollars and cents printed in two ruled columns MUST be rendered as one value — 1,234.00 — never split.

A matrix keeps its blank corner

The empty corner header of a matrix MUST be kept. Dropping it shifts every heading one column left:

<table>
  <tr><th></th><th>Beginning</th><th>Ending</th></tr>
  <tr><td>Profit</td><td>1.0000000000 %</td><td>1.0000000000 %</td></tr>
  <tr><td>Loss</td><td>1.0000000000 %</td><td>1.0000000000 %</td></tr>
  <tr><td>Capital</td><td>1.0000000000 %</td><td>1.0000000000 %</td></tr>
</table>

This is the rule of a blank corner cell in any table (§9.3.1).

Cells carry the normal form notation

  • A checkbox cell MUST be rendered [x] or [ ]. A blank cell intended to be checked is a checkbox; a blank cell not intended to be checked stays empty.
  • Every printed row MUST be emitted, blank rows included, as full rows of empty cells. Rows MUST NOT be merged, reordered or added.
  • Each entry belongs to its own row's rule lines, never to a neighbour's. Insurance-application coverage grids are the stress test.
  • A cell containing form fields MUST use the normal form notation, as list items inside the cell.
<tr><td>Jane</td><td>Doe</td><td>987-65-4321</td><td>Daughter</td><td>[x]</td><td>[ ]</td></tr>
<tr><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>- [ ]</td><td>- [ ]</td></tr>

A table as a field's value

Some keyed entries take a grid as their value. The key MUST stay a normal field line, and the table MUST be placed below it, indented to the list item's content column, with a blank line on each side:

- \[J\] **Partner's share of profit, loss, and capital (see instructions):**

  <table>
    <tr><th></th><th>Beginning</th><th>Ending</th></tr>
    <tr><td>Profit</td><td>1.0000000000 %</td><td>1.0000000000 %</td></tr>
  </table>

- **Check if decrease is due to sale or exchange of partnership interest.**: [ ]

The indent is load-bearing. An indented table belongs to the list item, so the list — and the depth of everything after it — survives. A flush-left table between bullets ends the list and flattens everything that follows.

Not every table on a form page is form content

A large standalone data table that is not part of the fillable form — an embedded financial schedule — is an ordinary table. See Is This Even a Table (§9.1.5).

01

✅ SampleThe rule applies

a self-certification form built from grids

Part III prints two side-by-side asset grids sharing one header row (Type of Asset, (A) Cash Value*, (B) Annual Income), each rendered as its own table; Parts I, II and IV are field lines, and the description tables under Parts III and IV are empty pre-printed rows. Several empty value cells print only a $ — see Fill-Ins (§10.4.4).

Source page
Tables Inside Forms — a self-certification form built from grids. Source page.
Expected output

Borvika Housing Trust BHT

Exhibit D

Exhibit D – Asset Self-Certification

For households whose combined net assets do not exceed the applicable Imputed Income Limitation.

**(Complete only one form *per household; include assets of children.)***

For the following asset types, include the current Cash Value of each asset held by any family member and the actual income that the asset earns. *Cash value is current market value minus cost to convert an asset to cash, such as broker’s fees, settlement costs, outstanding loans, penalties for early withdrawal, etc.

  • Property Name: [blank]
  • Property Number: [blank]
  • Household Name: [blank]
  • Unit Number: [blank]

[Part I] Assets Disposed of for less than Fair Market Value (FMV)

  • Within the past two (2) years, I/we have sold or given away assets below their fair market value (FMV)?
    • [ ] Yes
    • [ ] No
  • Asset #1: [blank]
  • Date of Disposal: [blank]
  • FMV – amt received: [blank]
  • Asset #2: [blank]
  • Date of Disposal: [blank]
  • FMV – amt received: [blank]

[Part II] Federal Tax Return or Refundable Federal Tax Credit

  • Have you received a federal tax return or refundable federal tax credit in the last 12 months?
    • [ ] Yes
    • [ ] No
  • Amount of return/credit: $[blank]

[Part III] Non-Necessary Personal Property (NNPP)

  • Do you or members in the household have any non-necessary personal property?
    • [ ] Yes
    • [ ] No

If yes, list below.

Type of Asset (A) Cash Value* (B) Annual Income
Cash on Hand $[blank] N/A
Pre-paid Debit Card (including Govt. Benefits) $[blank] N/A
Checking/Savings $[blank] $[blank]
Checking/Savings $[blank] $[blank]
Savings $[blank] $[blank]
Internet based assets (Cash App, Venmo, PayPal, Crowdfunding, etc.) $[blank] $[blank]
Type of Asset (A) Cash Value* (B) Annual Income
Whole Life Insurance $[blank] $[blank]
Cryptocurrency $[blank] $[blank]
Money Market/ CD $[blank] $[blank]
Annuities $[blank] $[blank]
Brokerage Account $[blank] $[blank]
Stocks/Bonds $[blank] $[blank]
Other: $[blank] $[blank]
Non-Account Based Possessions not generally held in an account such as vehicles used for recreation (e.g., RVs, ATVs, and boats), antique cars, collectibles (e.g., stamps, jewelry, coins, and artwork.), and equipment/machinery that is not used to generate income for a business.
Description (A) Cash Value *
$[blank]
$[blank]

[Part IV] Real Property

  • Do you or members in the household have any real property?
    • [ ] Yes
    • [ ] No

If yes, list below.

Description of Property (C) Cash Value* (D) Income
$[blank] $[blank]
$[blank] $[blank]

Under penalty of perjury, I/we certify that the information presented in this certification is true and accurate to the best of my/our knowledge. The undersigned further understand(s) that providing false representations herein constitutes an act of fraud. False, misleading, or incomplete information may result in the termination of a lease agreement.

  • Signature: [blank]
  • Date: [blank]
  • Signature: [blank]
  • Date: [blank]

PENALTIES FOR MISUSING THIS CONTENT: Title 18, Section 1001 of the Borvika Code states that a person is guilty of a felony for knowingly and willingly making false or fraudulent statements to any department of the Borvika Government. BHT and any owner (or any employee of BHT or the owner) may be subject to penalties for unauthorized disclosures or improper uses of information collected based on the consent form.

1 REV. 4/4/25

Tables Inside Forms · Source page

a self-certification form built from grids

Tables Inside Forms — a self-certification form built from grids. Source page.

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Rule id forms-tables-inside-forms · forms tables