Income Tax Returns: How to check ITR refund status on incometax.gov.in? A step-by-step guide

When a taxpayer has paid more taxes than he/she owes, the Income Tax department refunds the additional amount. The taxation authority evaluates a taxpayer's income, tax liability, exemptions, and deductions carefully before making the final calculation.

Refunds are issued to eligible taxpayers, who paid more tax than they owed in the form of Advance Tax, TDS (Tax Deduction at Source), Self-Assessment Tax, etc.

How to check ITR refund status?

• Your valid ID and password for the income tax e-filing portal
• The acknowledgement number that you received when you filed your ITR
• Your PAN linked with your Aadhaar

• Login to the income tax e-filing portal incometax.gov.in using your ID and password
• On the ‘e-File’ tab, select ‘Income Tax Returns’ and click on ‘View Filed Returns’
• Check the refund status for the assessment year

• Open the NDSL website and enter your PAN
• Select the relevant assessment year
• Fill the captcha
• View your refund status

How many days does it take to get the ITR refund?

According to the I-T department’s website, it takes four to five weeks for the ITR refund to be credited to the taxpayer’s account. They will only receive the refund if they have e-verified their return. If any taxpayer does not receive a refund within this time period, they should check discrepancies in their ITR filing and check if they received any email from the I-T department.

• If the taxpayer’s bank account is not pre-validated. Refunds are only processed to the pre-validated bank accounts through an Electronic Clearing Service (ECS) to verify the name with the PAN card.
• If the name of the bank account owner doesn’t match with the PAN card.
• If the taxpayer’s ITR isn’t e-verified.
• If the IFSC code is invalid.
• If the bank account/PAN card is invalid.

There can be many more reasons for an ITR refund to fail, so make sure you check for irregularities thoroughly.

When would you not get any ITR refund, or interest on ITR refund?

If the refund amount is less than ₹100, the I-T department will not issue an ITR refund.

If you are eligible for an ITR refund and it is delayed, you will get an interest with the payment at a specified rate. The interest is calculated from the beginning of the assessment year until the refund is credited to the bank account.

Under Section 244A of the Income Tax Act, the IT department has to pay you an interest of 0.5% of the refund amount per month, or part thereof. However, this interest is not applicable if the refund amount is less than 10% of the tax amount that was paid by you.

If you haven’t filed your ITR yet, don’t wait for too long, as the July 31 deadline is getting super close.