What is Income Tax Refund?

An income tax refund refers to the amount of money that a taxpayer receives from the government when they have paid more income tax during a particular financial year than what they owe. It represents a return of excess tax paid by the taxpayer to the tax authorities. When individuals or businesses pay their income tax through tax deductions at source (TDS), advance tax payments or self-assessment tax, they may end up paying more tax than their actual tax liability. This can occur if they have claimed excessive deductions or if their tax liability is reduced due to exemptions, deductions, or tax credits.

In such cases, when the taxpayer files their income tax return and the tax authorities assess their tax liability, they calculate the actual tax liability based on the income and deductions declared. If the assessed tax liability is lower than the tax paid, the excess tax amount is refunded to the taxpayer. Remember, you have to finish e-filing to get your Income Tax Refund.

refund status

How to file ITR for FY 2022-23 (AY 2023-24)?

You can file the ITR with Tax2win easily with just a few clicks. Select your income sources (to accurately e-file) and click on continue to experience Tax2win's customized & easiest ITR e-filing process. File your ITR

You can also take the assistance of our experts, who guide you at each step and help you prepare your income tax return. It is personal, convenient & fast, with a maximum refund calculated for you. File your ITR with experts


How to claim an Income Tax Refund?

To claim an income tax refund, you need to file your income tax return (ITR) and disclose all the income and taxes paid information with the Income tax department. Once the ITR is processed by the Income Tax Department, and if there is any excess tax paid, the refund will be issued to you.

Once the refund is generated, it will be either directly credited to your bank account or a refund cheque will be sent to your registered address. You can track the income tax refund status online through the Income Tax Department's website or through the Tax2win Income Tax Refund status tool.


How to Check ITR refund status?

How to do ITR Status Check through E-Filing Website?

To check the status of the refund, there is no separate tab for it in the new portal, just click on e- file tab and then click on the “ View Filed returns” tab and by clicking on view details, you can check the status of the current return filed as well as the previous returns filed.

How to Check ITR Refund Status through TIN NSDL Website?

  • Enter your PAN number
  • Select the assessment year for which you want to check the refund status
Through TIN NSDL website

How to Check the Income Tax Refund Status through Tax2win?

  • Enter your PAN, email address, and select the relevant assessment year
  • Enter the acknowledgment number if you also want to know the receipt / e -verification status of your ITR
Tax2win

Meanings of different Income Tax Refund Status?

Status Meaning
No Result found

We were unable to check the filing status and e-verification status for PAN and Acknowledgement numbers entered by you. Kindly verify if the details entered by you are correct.

Refund is already credited to your bank, please contact your bank. Refund has been processed and credited to your Bank Account
If your refund has not been credited, then contact:
CMP, State Bank of India
Address: Survey No.21 Opposite: Hyderabad Central University, Main Gate, Gachibowli, Hyderabad -500019
Email: [email protected]
Toll-free Number: 1800 425 9760
Refund cheque has already been encashed. Your income tax refund process is complete & it has been credited to your Bank Account, and the same has been encashed.
If your refund has not been credited, then contact
CMP, State Bank of India
Address: Survey No.21 Opposite: Hyderabad Central University, Main Gate, Gachibowli, Hyderabad -500019
Email: [email protected]
Toll-free Number: 1800 425 9760
Refund Not Determined As per the Income Tax department, no refund is determined after processing of your ITR
Unable to credit refund as the account number provided by you is incorrect. This means that the account number provided by you was incorrect. You are requested to apply for refund reissue by providing the correct account number to claim your refund.
Defective return u/s 139(9) (or) ITR filed is defective or incomplete It may be that your return has been treated as a defective Return. For the exact reason, you can check this on your income tax website account.
ITR Processed but need to submit rectification request This may occur due to a mismatch in the calculation of the department & ITR filed. For this, you may receive an intimation from the department on your registered email id.
Return submitted. Processing rights transferred to Jurisdictional Assessing Officer. (or) ITR Transferred to Jurisdiction AO This implies that your return will be processed by your Jurisdictional Assessing Officer (AO). Please contact AO for further details. Need help from an Expert CA? Click here.
Pending for e-verification This implies that your return has been submitted successfully but it has not been e-verified either through post or online mode. Further, until and unless you verify your return, it would not be processed by the income tax department. So, please verify within 30 days from the date of filing.
Processed with no demand/refund It implies that your return has been processed successfully without any additional tax payable or refund due. Further, you can check the details from the intimation received u/s 143(1) on your mail id.
Processed with demand due This implies that your Income has been assessed by the Income tax department from your filed ITR and tax payable amount has been determined upon it.
You can check the details from the intimation received u/s 143(1) on your mail id.
In that case you need to submit the response through the E-Filing website under “efile tab” -> “Response to outstanding tax demand”.
Need help from Expert CA? Click here.
Processed with refund due This implies that your refund claim has been forwarded to the refund banker for processing.
So, wait for some more days and the refund amount will be credited in the bank account mentioned by you at the time of filing the return.
Refund failure This implies that the income tax department has sent a refund to you but your bank details (account number or IFSC code) are incorrect, due to which refund was not credited/paid.
In that case you need to place a refund reissue request stating the failure reason under “My Account” -> Service -> “Refund reissue request”.
Need help from Expert CA? Click here.
e-Return for this PAN and Acknowledgement Number has been digitally Signed (or) e-Return for this Assessment Year or Acknowledgement Number has been Digitally signed This implies that your return has been filed successfully and it is digitally signed.
Under Processing This implies that your Income-tax Return is still not processed. It is under process. Further, no need to worry if you have e-verified or sent your signed ITR V by post as it will definitely be processed by the department sooner or later and then you will receive a refund. It would be credited along with interest
Refund issued (or) Refund Re-issued This implies that your return as well as refund has been processed successfully and the refund has been credited in your bank account. Now, no further action is needed from your side for this year.
Return Submitted and Verified (or) Successfully e-verified (or) E-Verified (or) ITRV Received This implies that your return has been submitted and successfully verified. It will now be processed by the Income Tax Department. So, you have to wait for some more days
Invalid original return, File Revised Return This implies that your return has been treated as an invalid return by the Income Tax Department. You need to file your return again in this case.
Need help from Expert CA? Click here.
Return Processed and Rectification Rights Transferred To Assessing Office This implies that your return has been processed. However, for rectification, you need to contact your Assessing Officer as the rectification rights have been transferred by CPC. So, instead of the online route, you have to submit your rectification request to your local AO directly. For more information/ query, please feel free to call us at +91 91166 84439 or write to us [email protected] and our expert CAs will be happy to assist you.
Return Processed. Refund Adjusted Against Demand (or) Refund kept on hold,Intimation u/s 245 is issued proposing adjustment of refund towards outstanding demand. If any previous amount is outstanding by the department, then the department will adjust the amount you owed in the current year's refund. But before adjusting that amount they will send you a notice u/s 245, stating that they are adjusting your refund with the previous years' outstanding amount. You have to submit your response to it whether you agree with the department or not. If the response is not submitted timely then the department adjusts the demand and processes the return after adjusting the demand. For more information/ query, please feel free to call us at +91 91166 84439 or write to us [email protected] and our expert CAs will be happy to assist you.
ITR Accepted Your ITR has been successfully received at CPC Bangalore & pending for processing.
ITR-V rejected It may be that your return has been treated as a defective Return.
Need help from an Expert CA? Click here.
Return Submitted and verified after due date. (or) ITR-V received after due date This means that the Income Tax Department has received your ITR-V after the due date, i.e., after 30 days from the date of filing of your income tax return. You are now required to file your return again.
Need help from an Expert CA? Click here.
Successfully e-Verified after due date The Income Tax department has received your condonation request of E-verification post expiry of 30 days of filing ITR. Your condonation request is forwarded for approval of the assessing officer. Your ITR will be treated invalid till it is approved by the department. There is no specific timeline to approve this condonation request.
Need help from an Expert CA ? Click here.
Rectification processed with refund due Your rectification request has been processed by the department & refund is generated.
Rectification processed with no demand/refund Your rectification request has been processed by the department & no demand/refund is due.
Processed and partially refund adjusted If any demand is outstanding of any previous years with the department, then the department may adjust the outstanding demand with the current year’s refund. But before adjusting the amount, the department will send you a notice u/s 245, stating that they are adjusting your refund with the previous years\' outstanding demand. You have to submit your response to it that whether you agree with the department or not. If the response is not submitted timely then the department adjusts the demand and processes the return after adjusting the demand. For more information/ query, please feel free to call us at +91 91166 84439 or write to us [email protected] and our expert CAs will be happy to assist you.
Under Processing Original return will not be considered, as revised return is taken up for processing Once a revised return is filed then it replaces the original ITR. Your revise ITR is under processing which will take place the original ITR.
Another Return filed You have filed another return,Please check status using the latest acknowledgment number.
Refund Re-issue failure It implies that your refund re-issue request has been failed due to some incorrect details. Please raise a new refund Re-issue request to claim your refund.
Rectification filed Your rectification request has been filed & it is under process.

First, verify your Income Tax Return, then track the status of your income tax refund with the department. In case, you have still not received your refund then one of the reasons for the ITR refund delay could be due to a problem in your bank account or address details.
In such a situation, you can make a “refund reissue” request to the Income Tax Department but only after receiving an "Intimation"

Simple steps to apply for Refund Reissue:

  • Step 1: Go to https://www.incometax.gov.in/iec/foportal/
  • Step 2: Log in with your User ID and password.
  • Step 3: After logging in, you will see a dashboard

    refund status dashboard

  • Step 4: Click on the services tab and refund reissue

    refund reissue

  • Step 5: When you click on refund reissue, you will see a window with a tab refund reissue.

    refund reissue request

  • Step 6: Once you select the “Refund Reissue” tab visible on your screen, you will be redirected to the refund reissue page where you need to create a refund reissue request.

    refund reissue request

    refund reissue request

  • Step-7: Select the bank account in which you want your refund and click Proceed to move to the verification stage.

    verification

  • Step 8: For successful submission of a Refund Reissue request, users must have EVC. (Users must authenticate the refund reissue request through Aadhaar OTP & EVC code).

    Aadhaar OTP & EVC code

    Aadhaar OTP & EVC code

  • Step-9: Click on the submit Button

    submit

    submit

Once all these steps are done successfully, you can then check the tds refund status on the dashboard.


What are the reasons for the Income Tax Refund delay?

There can be several reasons for a delay in receiving an income tax refund. Here are some common factors that can cause delays:

  1. Incorrect or Incomplete Information: If there are errors or discrepancies in your tax return, such as incorrect bank account details, missing information, or mismatched income statements, it can lead to delays in processing your refund.
  2. Manual Processing: In some cases, when tax returns require manual review or verification by tax officials, it can result in delays. This usually happens when there are complex tax situations, high-value refunds, or random selection for scrutiny.
  3. Tax Return Errors: Any mistakes made while filling out your tax return, such as calculation errors, incorrect deductions or credits claimed, or missing attachments, can lead to processing delays.
  4. Taxpayer Identity Verification: Tax authorities may sometimes conduct additional verification procedures to ensure the identity of the taxpayer, especially in cases of suspected identity theft or fraud. These additional checks can cause delays in issuing the refund.
  5. Outstanding Tax Dues: If you have any outstanding tax dues or liabilities from previous years, the tax authorities may offset your refund against those dues, leading to a delay or partial refund.
  6. High Volume of Filings: During peak tax filing periods, when there is a high volume of tax returns being processed, the tax authorities may experience delays due to the sheer number of returns they need to handle.
  7. Change in Tax Laws or Procedures: If there have been recent changes in tax laws or procedures, tax authorities may need additional time to adapt their systems and processes, resulting in delayed refunds.

Will I also get any interest for the delayed refund?

Yes, the Income Tax department takes the responsibility of granting a simple interest @ 0.5 percent per month to compensate for the delayed refunds .In the case of refund arising out of TDS / TCS / Advance Tax - Interest is calculated @0.5% for every month or part of a month for a period starting on 1st April of the relevant AY till the date of grant of refund, in case the return is filed on time i.e., on or before the due date. However, if the return is not filed within the due date the period of interest shall be from the date of filing the return to the date of grant of refund. In this case, if the refund is less than 10% of the tax determined under assessment or in intimation u/s 143(1), then you are not entitled to any interest.

Reason of Refund

What are the different ways in which refund is issued by the Department?

The Refunds are sent by the Income Tax Department in two ways-

RTGS/NECS: This is the fastest facility provided by the department to get refunds. Under this facility your refund is directly credited in your bank account.

Paper Cheque: Under the new policy, the income tax refund is not allowed through cheques.

The Income Tax Department has altered the process of claiming the ITR refund a bit. It has been made compulsory by the IT Department to pre-validate your bank account in which you wish to receive the income tax refund. Pre Validating a bank account alone is not enough, the individual also needs to link the PAN with the bank account. This has come into force from March 1, 2019. The last date for linking Aadhaar and PAN is 30th June 2023.

I forgot to file my Income Tax Return within the due date. Can I claim my refund now?

It is advisable to file your ITR within the due date to avoid any complications and ensure timely processing of your refund. However, if you have missed the deadline, you can still claim the refund (if applicable) by filing a belated return under section 139(4). To know more about Belated Return, refer to our blog
Do remember-The due date to file ITR for FY2022-23 (AY2023-24) is 31st July 2023.

I am eligible for a refund as per my ITR but haven't received it yet?

Refund processing by the tax department starts only after the return is e-verified by the tax filer. Usually, it takes 25-60 days for the refund to be credited to your account. However, If you haven't received your refund during this time duration, you must check for discrepancies( if any) in your ITR status check; check your email for any notification from the IT department regarding the TDS refund status. Or you may not have to pre-validate your bank account on the Income tax Portal.

To know how to verify your Income Tax Return, refer to our guide.

If your ITR has already been verified, then the reason for not receiving your TDS refund can be:

  • Your ITR status is still under processing.
  • You have received a notice/ communication from the IT department regarding your filed ITR. For e.g., Defective notice u/s 139(9) or notice for proposed adjustments u/s 143(1)(a).
  • Your ITR has been processed but the Income Tax Department determined: No Refund Due.
  • The Return has been processed after determining the refund, but the refund could not be credited due to reasons like an incorrect bank account number, incorrect postal address etc.
  • Your ITR has been processed after adjusting it with outstanding demand (if any).

FAQ on Income Tax Refund Status

Q- What is the difference between an income tax return and a refund?

The income tax return is furnishing your income and tax details yearly in prescribed ITR forms. Whereas, income tax refund means the amount due or received when taxes paid are greater than taxes actually payable. The refund can only be claimed after the successful filing and verification of the return.


Q- Is the income tax refund & TDS refund status the same?

Yes, broadly Income Tax refunds and TDS refunds are one and the same thing. The excess of TDS deducted over and above the actual payable amount is known as an income tax refund. But, an income tax refund can also result from excess.

  • Self Assessment Tax
  • Advance Tax
  • TCS

Q- When will the income tax refund be received?

Once the ITR filing has been completed you need to verify your income tax return. After verification the return is processed by the Income Tax Department and a refund is issued(if due).


Q- Is income tax refund taxable?

No, the income tax refund is not taxable. However, the interest received is taxable and should be shown as “Income from other sources.”


Q- How to get a refund from the Income Tax Department?

To get a refund, file your return and e-verify the same, it is as simple as that.


Q- How to check bank details for income tax returns?

Download your ITR form, and from there you can check your primary bank details.


Q- How long does the income tax refund take to get credited to the account?

There is no standard guideline for the same, but normally it takes 25-60 days to get income tax refunded.


Q- Can income tax refund be credited to another account?

Yes, it is possible to credit your refund to another account in certain cases. For this:

  • You can file a revised return or
  • If the refund has already been initiated but failed to be credited to your bank account due to wrong details then you can submit a refund reissue request.

Q- How many days does it take for a tds refund to get credited to my Bank Account?

Generally, as mentioned earlier, it takes 25-60 days from the date of e-verification of your Income Tax Return to get your refund credited. However, for the returns verified through sending of ITR-V to CPC Bengaluru, it may take some more time.

Q- For how many previous years can I claim an income tax refund or check my online refund status?

Earlier, taxpayers had the freedom to file IT returns for two financial years. However, as per the new rules, IT returns u/s 139 of the Income Tax Act can only be filed for one financial year.

In case, you have a refund due for the years preceding the aforesaid year, and you forgot to file an income tax return for those years, then you can take despite of CBDT Circular No: 9/2015 to get a refund for the previous six assessment years. However, as per the circular, no condonation application for a claim of refund/loss shall be entertained beyond six years from the end of the assessment year for which such application/claim is made. So, as per the provisions of this circular, you can claim a refund for the AY 2017-18 AY 2018-19; AY 19-20; AY 20-21; and AY 21-22.

This circular can be used only where your refunds are the result of the excessive deduction/collection of tax and/or excess deposit of advance /self-assessment tax.

For taking benefit of the above circular, you need to make an application to the relevant authority depending upon the amount of claim.

Amount of claim (refund / loss) for any one assessment year Application To:
10 Lakhs or less Principal Commissioner of Income-tax/ Commissioner of Income-Tax
More than Rs.10 Lakhs but less than Rs. 50 Lakhs Principal Chief Commissioners of Income-tax/Chief Commissioners of Income-tax
More than 50 Lakhs Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT)

Note: These authorities have all the powers to make necessary inquiries or scrutinize to ascertain the correctness of the claim and accept/ reject your application. Also, in such cases,, the Income Tax department shall not pay any interest on the delayed refunds.

Q- How to update Address/Email id/Mobile number for all communications with the Income Tax Department?

  • Step 1: Go to https://www.incometax.gov.in/iec/foportal/
  • Step 2: Log in with your user ID and password.
  • Step 3: After logging in, click on Dashboard and you will see the options to edit the details.
    edit the details
  • Step 4: To edit your contact details or bank account details, go to the respective tab and click update.

The changes made by you, in the bank/address details, will be automatically updated in the centralized TIN database, and your refund amount will be reissued to you as per your updated records.

Q- Can any other person get my tds refund?

As per the law, only the person whose excessive tax is deducted is eligible to get a refund. However, there are a couple of exceptions to this: When your income is included in any other person's income (as per provisions of the law), then the latter alone can get your refund. In case of death, incapacity, insolvency, liquidation or any other reason when you are unable to claim/receive a refund, then your legal representative or trustee or guardian or receiver shall be entitled to your refund.

Q- How to contact an assessing officer for an income tax refund?

You can read our guide which will guide you on how to know your AO details and then you can contact him/her. You may also choose to file a grievance on the income tax official portal.