When Will You Get Your Income Tax Refund After Filing? Know the Process, Timeline and Reasons for Delay

An income tax refund takes about four to five weeks from ITR verification in a standard case. For some it arrive within days. Filing accurate income tax return, verifying it at once and validating your bank account help avoid delays.

When Does the Refund Process Start?

The refund process does not start when you submit the ITR. It starts after you verify the return.

After verification, the Centralised Processing Centre checks the return under Section 143(1). It compares your ITR with tax and transaction records held by the Income Tax Department, including:

• Form 26AS
• Annual Information Statement
• TDS and TCS statements
• Tax payment challans
• Salary and interest details
• Share, mutual fund and property transactions

After processing, the Department sends an intimation under Section 143(1). The intimation states whether a refund is due, no amount is due, or tax remains payable.

The approved refund then goes to the bank account chosen for refund on the e-Filing portal.

How Long Does It Take?

It takes about 4 to 5 weeks. There is no fixed payment date.

A simple salary return with matched TDS and valid bank details faces fewer checks. Returns with capital gains, business income, foreign assets, large deductions or a high refund claim involve more data checks.

How Fast Were Refunds Processed in Past Years?

Income tax return processing is much faster now than few years back.

For AY 2023-24, the average processing time was 10 days. The government data released in December 2024 also said that more than 3.87 crore ITRs were processed within seven days. Refund amount of more than Rs. 2.35 lakh crore was issued during that period.

But this does not mean every person will get refund in seven or ten days. ITR processing and refund credit are two different steps. First the return gets processed, then refund is sent to the bank account. Any mismatch or bank issue will take more time.

What Should Taxpayers Expect This Year?

Taxpayers should use four to five weeks from the date of verification as the main reference period. A return with correct income, matched TDS, no pending response and a valid refund bank account stands a better chance of fast processing. A mismatch or risk check will extend the wait.

The Department now uses data from banks, employers, stock exchanges, mutual funds, property registrars and tax statements. A refund claim that does not match these records faces added checks.

Main Reasons for Refund Delay

The ITR Has Not Been Verified

An unverified return is not complete. The Department does not start refund processing until verification. Check whether the return status shows:

• Successfully e-Verified
• Processing
• Processed

If the status shows “Pending for e-Verification,” complete the verification at once.

TDS Does Not Match Form 26AS

A refund claim depends on tax credit shown in the Department’s records. For example, your Form 16 shows TDS of Rs. 50,000, but Form 26AS shows Rs. 40,000. The missing Rs. 10,000 creates a mismatch.

Ask the employer, bank or other deductor to correct the TDS return. Check the PAN, assessment year and TDS amount before claiming credit.

Income Does Not Match AIS

AIS contains details such as:

• Bank interest
• Salary
• Dividend income
• Share and mutual fund transactions
• Property transactions
• TDS and TCS
• Foreign remittances

A return that leaves out reported income faces a mismatch. Where an AIS entry is wrong, submit feedback on the portal and keep records that support the correct amount.

The Deduction Claim Has an Error

A wrong claim under Section 80C, Section 80D, Section 80G or another provision changes the refund amount.

Common errors include:

• Claiming a deduction under the wrong section
• Claiming an expense that does not meet the section conditions
• Entering the same deduction twice
• Claiming old-regime deductions under the new tax regime
• Entering an incorrect donation amount

The Department adjusts an unsupported claim during processing or sends a notice.

The Refund Claim is High

A high refund in relation to income or past returns attracts added checks. This issue arises where:

• TDS is high against reported income
• Deduction claims rise from the prior year
• Exempt income is high
• Business expenses reduce profit by a large amount
• Capital gains do not match transaction reports
• The tax regime in the ITR differs from payroll records

A genuine refund remains valid, but the taxpayer must hold proof for each claim.

The Return is Defective

The Department issues a notice under Section 139(9) where the return has a defect.

A defect arises from matters such as:

• Use of the wrong ITR form
• Missing business schedules
• Missing balance sheet details
• Incomplete profit and loss data
• Incorrect tax audit information
• Income figures that do not support the tax calculation

The taxpayer must respond within the time stated in the notice. Failure to respond puts the return at risk of being treated as invalid.

A Response is Pending

The Department sends messages where a refund claim requires confirmation or review.

Check:

• Registered email
• SMS
• Pending Actions on the e-Filing portal
• e-Proceedings
• Worklist
• Compliance Portal

Use the official portal to respond. Do not open tax links sent from unknown numbers or email addresses.

An Old Tax Demand Exists

Section 245 permits the Department to adjust a refund against an outstanding tax demand after giving the taxpayer a chance to respond.

Check the demand before accepting it. Submit a response where:

• The demand has been paid
• The demand belongs to a different assessment year
• Credit for tax payment is missing
• An appeal order has reduced the demand
• The demand contains an error

The Bank Account is Not Validated

A refund requires a bank account that is added, validated and chosen for refund on the e-Filing portal.

The Department states that bank validation takes up to 10 to 12 working days after submission of the request.

A refund fails where:

• The account is closed
• The IFSC is wrong
• PAN is not linked with the account
• The name does not match PAN records
• Bank validation has failed
• The account is not chosen for refund
• The Return Has Complex Income

Returns with business income, capital gains, foreign assets, foreign income or several house properties contain more schedules and require more checks. A longer processing time does not, by itself, mean that the return is under scrutiny.

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