Is your income tax refund for AY 2025-26 delayed? Here are 5 common reasons to check

Are you, like me, an early Income Tax Return (ITR) filer still waiting for that much-anticipated message from the Income Tax Department: “ITR refund of ₹XXXXX has been credited to your bank account”?

Income tax refund means a refund amount that is initiated by the tax department if the amount paid by taxpayers in taxes exceeds the actual amount due.

However, if refund is not received during this duration, the taxpayer must check refund status on the e-filing portal

Step 1: Visit the Income Tax e-Filing Portal

Step 2: Log in using your User ID (PAN/Aadhaar) and password

Step 3: Navigate to e-File > Income Tax Returns > View Filed Returns

Step 4: Select the relevant Assessment Year to view the refund status

A portion of your refund has been adjusted against any outstanding tax dues; the remaining amount (if any) is credited.

Your entire refund amount has been used to offset previous tax liabilities. No refund will be credited.

The refund could not be credited, often due to incorrect bank details or a mismatch in records.

Five reasons of refund failure

1)If your PAN is inoperative, your refund will get failed and you will see a warning message to link your PAN with the Aadhaar.

2)In case the bank account is not pre-validated.

3)The name mentioned in the bank account does not match with PAN card details.

4)Invalid IFSC code.

5)If the account that you have mentioned in the ITR has been closed.

Even minor issues like incomplete e-verification, wrong account details, or outdated addresses can delay refunds.

"Delay in refund can happen if taxpayers do not complete the e-verification procedure properly," said CA Siddharth Maurya, Founder & Managing Director of Vibhavangal Anukulakara Private Limited.

Refunds can also be delayed if the tax credit in your return doesn’t match your Annual Information Statement.

"Any discrepancy, even the slightest mismatch, between the amount declared in the return by the taxpayer and the amount reported by employers, banks, or financial institutions may delay your refund," said Maurya.