Despite several months having passed since the September 16 income tax return (ITR) filing deadline, a segment of taxpayers continues to wait for their refunds even as most filings have already been processed. The prolonged delay has left many individuals repeatedly checking their refund status and revisiting their submissions for possible errors.
In November, Ravi Agrawal, Chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxation (CBDT), said the department was closely examining refund claims flagged by the system. Many of these were identified as “high-value” refunds or were red-flagged due to certain deduction claims. He added that the department has written to such taxpayers, advising them to “file a revised return” if any discrepancies exist.
When Are Income Tax Refunds Normally Issued?
Refund processing begins only after an ITR is e-verified. According to the Income Tax Department, once this step is completed, refunds are typically credited within four to five weeks.
However, delays can arise due to common issues such as:
- Unvalidated or incorrect bank account details
- Invalid or outdated IFSC codes
- Mismatch between name on the bank account and PAN
- Discrepancies between return entries and Form 26AS/AIS
Tax officials urge taxpayers experiencing delays to carefully review emails or portal notifications that may indicate verification prompts or requests for correction. Missing these alerts can halt refund processing entirely.
How to Check Your ITR Refund Status
Taxpayers can check the refund status easily on the income tax portal. Follow these steps:
- Visit the Income Tax portal: eportal.incometax.gov.in
- Login with your user ID and password
- Navigate to e-File > Income Tax Returns > View Filed Returns
- Select the relevant assessment year
- Click View Details to see refund status — whether issued, under review, or pending due to additional information required
The department also emphasizes that refunds will fail if your PAN is inoperative. Taxpayers can quickly link their PAN with Aadhaar via the “Link Now” option on the portal.
As ITR delays impact both businesses and individual taxpayers, officials advise prompt correction of discrepancies to ensure faster refund clearance.
