Income tax refund still not received after almost a year? Tax expert explains what you should do

Responding to the query, tax expert Balwant Jain advised taxpayers to first log in to the income tax e-filing portal and raise a grievance.

"You have to raise a grievance on the income tax e-filing portal after logging into your account. You will have to chase it. You can also check in your income tax login whether the refund has gone back for any reason. In that case, you will have to raise a request for reissue of the refund," Jain said.

Income tax refund

Income tax refund means a refund amount that is initiated by the income tax department if the amount paid in taxes exceeds the actual amount due (either by way of TDS or TCS or Advance Tax or Self-Assessment Tax). The tax is calculated after taking into consideration all the deductions and exemptions at the time of assessment by the income tax department.

What taxpayers should do if their refund is delayed

If your refund has not been credited even after your return has been filed and e-verified, experts recommend:

• Check whether your ITR has been processed.

• Verify the refund status in your e-filing account.

• Ensure your bank account is pre-validated and linked with PAN.

• Check if the refund has failed or been returned due to incorrect bank details.

• Raise a grievance through the e-filing portal if there has been no update for an extended period.

• If the refund has failed, submit a refund reissue request after correcting the bank details.