ITR Refund Delays: What’s holding up your income tax refund this year, when to expect and how to check status

With the Income Tax Return (ITR) filing window for the assessment year (AY) 2025–26 closed on September 16, 2025, most refunds have been processed; however, many taxpayers are still awaiting their refunds.

An 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), as stated by the income tax department. The tax is calculated after taking into account all deductions and exemptions at the time of assessment by the income tax department.

When is ITR refund processed?

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According to the ITR department, "Refund processing by the tax department starts only after the return is e-verified by the taxpayer."

Usually, it takes 4 to 5 weeks for the refund to be credited to the taxpayer's account. However, if the refund is not received during this duration, the taxpayers are advised to check for any intimation regarding discrepancies in the ITR; check their email for any notification from the IT department regarding the refund.

The taxpayer can also check the refund status on the e-filing portal of the ITR department.

Pre-requisites for availing this service

• Valid User ID and Password
• PAN is linked with Aadhaar number
• ITR filed claiming refund

How to check your ITR refund status?

Taxpayers can track their ITR refund online through the official income tax portal. Here's the step-by-step guide explaining how you can do it:

Step 1: Go to the e-Filing portal homepage:- https://eportal.incometax.gov.in/iec/foservices/

Step 2: Enter the user ID and password

Step 3: Go to the e-file tab, then Income Tax Returns and then to view filed returns

Step 4: Here, you can check the refund status for the desired assessment year

Step 5: Click on 'view details', where you can also check the life cycle of filed ITR.

What are the reasons for ITR refund delays?

According to the ITR department, if your PAN is inoperative, your refund will be delayed or fail. Moreover, you will also likely see a warning message saying to link your PAN with the Aadhaar.

Other reasons:

In addition to the above, a refund from the Income Tax Department scheduled to be paid may be delayed to get credited to your bank account for the following reasons:

1. In case the bank account is not pre-validated, as it is now compulsory to pre-validate your bank account.

2. If the name mentioned in the bank account does not match with PAN card details.

3. In case of an invalid IFSC code.

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

5. Discrepancies between Form 26AS, Form 16, and the Annual Information Statement (AIS) will also hinder the refund processing.