Income Tax Refund - How To Check Income Tax Refund Status For FY 2024-25 (AY 2025-26)?

By CA Mohammed S Chokhawala

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Updated on: May 29th, 2025

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10 min read

Income tax refund arises when the tax you paid to government is more than what you are supposed to pay. Government collects taxes through TDS, advance tax at the time of filing the returns.

Refund can be claimed at the time of filing the returns. Refunds are usually credited to the taxpayer's account within 4 to 5 weeks. Read on to learn about the refund process, the usual time it takes, how to check your refund status, and what to do if it's taking longer than expected.

Refund status may be checked using 'Know Refund Status' service on the left side of the income tax portal home page.

What is Income Tax Refund?

  • An Income Tax Refund is issued by the Income Tax Department if a taxpayer has paid more income tax than was due for the financial year.
  • Normally, the tax is paid by the assessee at the time of filing returns after he assessess the tax liability by himself. This is the concept of Self-Assessment.
  • But the actual tax liability and the tax amount paid may not be the same in all the cases due to a few factors.

Income Tax Refund = Total Taxes paid – Total Tax Liability 

How does a Refund Situation Arise? 

  • Tax payment not only occurs at the time of filing the returns. It also occurs during the year when 
    • When the payer deducts TDS amount and directly pays it to government or 
    • When Advance tax is paid as per provisions of the act . 
  • In some cases, an income tax refund can also arise in case the tax liability is reduced by claiming deductions, exemptions, set off of losses, or tax credits while filing the income tax return.

Is There Interest on Refund in case of Delay in Refund Processing?

Post-filing, the Income Tax Authorities assess the taxpayer's tax liability. In case the tax liability assessed exceeds the amount paid, the excess tax paid is refunded to the taxpayer along with interest at 0.5% per month or part of the month (i.e. 6% per annum) until the date of refund.

Income Tax Refund - An Illustration

On 1st April, 2024, Mr. X has estimated that Rs. 10,00,000 would be taxable income for the financial year 2024-25. He is a freelancer. He paid the taxes in the following situations.  

  1. TDS was deducted at Rs.10,000 by his customer
  2. Advance tax of Rs. 50,000 was paid by him, during the financial year as per the provisions.

At the end of the financial year, his taxable income turned out to be Rs.9,00,000. So, his overall tax liability was reduced. The tax liability was Rs.41,600 as per applicable slab rates. (including cess). 

ParticularsAmount(Rs)Amount(Rs)
Tax Liability 41,600
(Less) - Tax Already Paid:  
         TDS10,000 
          Advance Tax50,000 
Total Tax Paid 60,000
Refund (Receivable) 18,400

The excess amount will be refunded along with interest at the rate of 0.5% per month or part of the month.

How to Claim an Income Tax Refund?

To get your income tax refund or TDS refund, all you need to do is file your Income Tax Return and declare your income, deduction and tax paid details to the Income Tax Department. Once the ITR is processed successfully and if there is any excess tax, it will be issued in your pre-validated bank account. Follow the process and file your ITR via Cleartax.

Process to file on Cleartax

You have to finish E-filing to get your Income Tax Refund. Make sure to e-file this year to get your tax refund faster. Tax refunds are initiated by the tax department once you have E-verified your return.

You can check the refund status by below mentioned steps.

How to Check your ITR Refund Status for AY 2025-26?

If you are concerned about your tax refund status, you can check the status of the income tax refund in three different ways, here are the methods listed below.

1. Through the Income Tax Portal

Step 1: Visit the income tax portal and log in to your account

income tax portal login

Step 2: Click on 'e-File', choose 'Income Tax Returns' and then select ‘View Filed Returns’

View filed returns

Step 3: You can see the status of your current and past income tax returns.

view filed returns

Step 4: Click on 'View details,' and you'll see the status of your income tax refund, as shown in the picture below.

View refund details

2. Through NSDL Portal 

Step 1:  Visit the NSDL Portal

Step 2: Enter your PAN details, select the Assessment Year from the drop-down option for which tax refund is awaited and enter the Captcha Code

PAN, AY in NSDL

Step 3: Click ‘Proceed’ under the ‘Taxpayer Refund (PAN)’ option

Taxpayer refund nsdl

You will be directed to a page that displays the ‘Refund Status’.

3. Through TRACES

Step 1: Log in to the income tax portal

login through traces

Step 2: Click on ‘e-File’, select ‘Income Tax Returns’ and hit ‘View Form 26AS’

Income tax returns 26AS

Step 3: You will be directed to the TDS Reconciliation Analysis and Correction Enabling System (TRACES) page, and Click on ‘View Tax Credit (Form 26AS/Annual tax statement) at the bottom of the page

TRACES website

Step 4: Select the Assessment Year from the drop-down menu, and select view as ‘text’

TRACES AY

You are directed to a page that displays the details of the paid refund

Why my Refund is Delayed?

  • If the tax payer is eligible for refund, the department usually credits the refund in the bank account within 4-5 weeks. More often than not, the refund is credited well before this time frame.
  • If the refund credit is getting delayed, in other words, the refund is awaited beyond this time, the following steps are recommended
    • Check if the bank account details furnished are correct and it is duly pre-validated.
    • Confirm that the bank account provided is in your name and the spelling is correct
    • Check if the bank account is still active. If you have changed the bank account anytime post filing the return, update it on the portal.
  • The refund request might be rejected by the department because of
    • Error in filing the returns
    • Mismatch between the returns filed and Form 26AS. 
    • You can login to your income tax portal, login to e-filing portal > e-File > Income Tax Returns > View filed returns. If you have any intimation or notices, you can find it there.
  • If the returns are filed close to due date, due to high volume of return filing, the refund might be delayed.

You can raise a grievance at the income tax portal if there is undue delay in refund processing. 

What Does my Refund Status Mean?

Here’s a list of different types of status of refund with meanings:

StatusMeaning  
No Result FoundThis means that, according to the IT department, no records were found for the ITR filed, and the PAN and acknowledgement number added need to be cross-checked.
Refund is already credited to your prevalidated bank account. This states that the refund is already credited. In case of any doubt, contact:
CMP, State Bank of India 
Address: Survey No.21 Opposite: Hyderabad Central University, Main Gate, Gachibowli, Hyderabad -500019
Refund Cheque is already encashedYour income tax refund is processed and credited to your bank account. If you have not received it, please contact:
CMP, State Bank of India 
Address: Survey No.21 Opposite: Hyderabad Central University, Main Gate, Gachibowli, Hyderabad -500019
Refund not determinedAccording to IT Department, no refund was determined in this case.
Unable to credit refund as the account number provided is incorrectThis clearly states that the bank account number provided is incorrect. You need to apply for refund reissue by providing a prevalidated account number.
Defective return u/s 139(9) (or) ITR filed is defective or incompleteThis shows that the ITR filed was defective under the Income Tax Law. Please check on the e-filing website to find the correct reason.
ITR Processed but need to submit rectification requestThere might be a mismatch in the calculation done by department and ITR filed. File a rectification request justifying the refund claimed.
Return submitted. ITR Transferred to Jurisdiction AOThis implies the return will be processed by the jurisdictional AO. Contact the AO and make the necessary submissions to claim the refund.
Pending for e-verificationThis means that the ITR was submitted successfully but not e-verified within 30 days of ITR submission. Verify to process the return and claim the refund.
Processed with no demand/refundIt shows that the ITR is processed without any demand or refund. To understand this, check the intimation order u/s 143(1) on your email id.
Processed with demand dueIn this case the return is processed and there is demand, i.e. tax payable to the IT department. To understand this, check the intimation order u/s 143(1) on your email id. Also, submit the response to this through the e-filing website under the e-file->Response to Outstanding Tax Demand.
Processed with refund dueThis implies that the return is processed with refund and it will be credited in some days in the pre-validated bank account.
Refund FailureDue to incorrect bank account details, the refund was not credited successfully. Please apply for refund reissue under “My account” -> Service -> Refund Reissue Request
E-Return for this PAN and Acknowledgement Number has been digitally Signed The ITR is digitally signed and filed successfully. 
Under ProcessingThis means that the income tax department has still not processed your income tax return. Please check your refund status after a month to see if it has been updated.
Refund IssuedThis means the income tax department has sent the refund to you (by cheque or by direct credit to the bank account number you provided while e-filing). No further action required.
Return Submitted and Verified The return is submitted and verified. So, wait for some days for the refund to be credited.
Invalid original return, File Revised ReturnThe return was treated as invalid and there is a need file a revised return to claim the refund.
Return Processed and Rectification Rights Transferred To Assessing OfficeThis implies that the return was processed and transferred to jurisdictional AO. So, filing an offline rectification request to the AO will help you get the refund. We can connect you to an expert who can help you file a rectification.
Return Processed. Refund Adjusted Against Demand (or) Refund kept on hold, Intimation u/s 245 is issued proposing adjustment of refund towards outstanding demand.In this case if any tax payable is outstanding with the department, then the IT department will adjust the refund first against the demand. But before they adjust, a notice u/s 245 will be sent to you for your confirmation. If the response is not submitted the department goes ahed with adjusting the demand. In this case our expert CAs can help you get the refund.
ITR AcceptedITR is successfully received and pending for processing
ITR-V rejectedThis shows that the return filed is defective.
Return Submitted and verified after the due date.The ITR filed was received after 30 days of filing, so the return needs to be filed again.
Successfully e-Verified after due dateThe IT department has received a condonation request filed in respect of the return e-verified after 30 days. The return is transferred to AO and till it is approved, it is treated as invalid.
Rectification processed with refund dueThe rectification request is processed with refund.
Rectification processed with no demand/refundThe rectification request is processed successfully with no demand/refund.
Processed and partially refund adjustedThe refund is partially processed by adjusting it with the tax payable in the previous years. However, the department sends the notice u/s 245 to get your confirmation before adjusting.
Under Processing Original return will not be considered, as revised return is taken up for processingOnce a revised return is filed, it replaces the original return filed. So this shows that revised return is under processing.
Another Return filedAnother return was file, check with the other acknowledgement number.
Refund Re-issue failureRefund reissue request was failed due to some incorrect details. Raise the new request to get the refund.
Rectification filedRectification request has been filed and its processing
Refund is determined - Yet to be shared with the Refund bankerRefund amount is determined and validated by the department. The department now verifies the bank account of the taxpayer. If the bank account is valid and correct, the refund amount is credited to the taxpayer's bank account.  If the bank account is found invalid or incorrect, it is intimated on the portal.
Restricted RefundArises due to mismatch between name as per PAN and bank account. 

How to Request for Refund Re-issue?

In the case of refund failure, you can raise the refund re-issue request in the e-filing portal by following the steps below:

Step 1: Login to ‘e-Filing’ Portal

Step 2: Click on Services menu and click on ‘Refund reissue’

Step 3: Create Refund Reissue request

Step 4: You will get the details of Assessment Year for which refund got failed

Step 5: Select the Assessment Year and click on continue

Step 6: You will get the bank details in the next page. Validate the bank account if it is not validated

Step 7: Click on the ‘Submit’ button and submit the request 

Is the Income Tax Refund Taxable?

No, the refund amount is not taxable. But, the interest received on the tax refund is taxable. The rate of tax on the interest would be as per your applicable tax slab rate.

What is the Time Duration for a Tax Refund?

The time taken to receive the income tax refund entirely depends on the Income Tax Department’s internal process. Generally, it takes around 7 to 120 days, with an average time of 90 days after you have e-verified your return. The Income Tax Department implemented a new refund processing system to enable faster refund processing with an expected turnaround of a few days instead of a few months.        

What is the Mode of Receiving the Refund?

The Income Tax Department will send the refund amount through electronic mode (direct credit to the account) or through a ‘Refund Cheque’. You must enter the correct bank account number and IFSC code with complete address details, including the PIN code, at the time of filing your return to receive refunds. Refunds sent through cheques are dispatched to the address mentioned in the ITR through speed post.

What is the Interest on Income Tax Refund?

When the refund amount is more than 10% of the total tax payable for that particular year, you will receive a simple interest on the tax refund. Interest is computed at 6% per annum (0.5% per month or part of the month) on the refund amount. Here's how the interest on refund is computed:

Calculate interest on refund @0.5% per month

Interest on refund received is a taxable income and considered for income tax calculation in the year it is received.

How to Claim Refund for Missed ITR Filing on Due Date?

The deadline to file your ITR for non-audit cases is 15th September 2025, for FY 2024-25. However, if you cannot manage to file your taxes before the deadline, you can still file a late return, known as Belated Return. The last date to file a belated return is 31st December 2025. You can claim your tax refund through a belated return.

Income Tax Refund Helpline

You can contact the ‘Aaykar Sampark Kendra’ for any queries regarding income tax refunds. The toll-free helpline of the Aaykar Sampark Kendra Kendra is - 1800-180-1961. You can even send a mail with your refund query to refunds@incometax.gov.in

For refund-related queries or modifications in the refund record processed at CPC Bangalore, you can contact - 1800-425-2229 or 080-43456700. For any payment-related query, contact the SBI Contact Centre toll-free number at -1800-425-9760.

Frequently Asked Questions

I have e-filed my Income Tax Return but have not received my refund till now. What should I do?

If you have not received your refund to date, it could be due to the following reasons:

  • Your Income Tax Return has not been processed yet. Once the return is processed you may receive a Refund (if determined). To check the status of your e-filed IT return, log in to the income tax e-filing website and go to ‘e-File’ → ‘Income Tax Returns’→ ‘View Filed Returns’. 
  • Your income tax return has been processed but the Income Tax Department has determined no refund
  • Your income tax return has been processed with a refund but not credited to your account. You may have not pre-validated your account. Follow this guide to pre-validate your account. https://cleartax.in/s/pre-validate-bank-account-receive-income-tax-refund.
I checked the status of my IT Return and it is displayed as ‘Refund Failure’. How can I apply for it again?

Log in to the income tax e-filing website and go to ‘Services’ → ‘Refund Reissue’. Create a refund reissue request, and select the bank account number (if changed) where the refund needs to be credited. The refund will be credited only if the bank account is pre-validated.

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/TCS 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
Why is my refund failed?

In the case of a invalid IFSC code or bank account is not pre-validated or the name mentioned in the banka nd the PAN does not match. It can also happen if your account is closed.

What is the last date of income tax refund?

There is no specific deadline for receiving an income tax refund. Typically, refunds are processed within 4-5 weeks of filing your Income Tax Return (ITR). The Income Tax department has introduced an expedited refund processing system that aims to issue refunds within days. 

What is the direct link to check Income Tax refund status online?

To view your refund status, please visit the following link: https://tin.tin.nsdl.com/oltas/refund-status-pan.html

How will I get income tax refund?

In order to receive the income tax refund, you have to file your income tax return declaring all the applicable deductions, exemptions, and taxes paid. Post filing, If your tax payment exceeds the total liability, the excess will be refunded in your prevalidated bank account in 4-5 weeks. 

How to check the income tax refund status?

You can check the refund status through the Income tax portal, NSDL portal or TRACES by logging into your account and following the steps mentioned.

What is the income tax refund customer care/helpline number?

For income tax refund queries, you can contact the ‘Aaykar Sampark Kendra’ at 1800-180-1961, email refunds@incometax.gov.in, or for issues related to refund processing at CPC Bangalore, call 1800-425-2229 or 080-43456700.

What is the reason for delay in the income tax refunds?

There might be numerous reasons for a delay in an income tax refund. Some of them could be the discrepancies or errors in your ITR, incorrect bank details, or processing delays within the tax department. 

How will the extended due date impact Income Tax Refunds for AY 2025-26?

Interest on income tax refunds are calculated from April 1 of that year if the ITR has been filed within the prescribed due date. For AY 2025-26, with the due date for non-audit cases being extended to 15th September 2025, interest on refunds will be calculated from April 1 itself even if the ITR has been filed after 31th July but before 15th September 2025. 

About the Author
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CA Mohammed S Chokhawala

Content Writer
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I'm a chartered accountant, well-versed in the ins and outs of income tax, GST, and keeping the books balanced. Numbers are my thing, I can sift through financial statements and tax codes with the best of them. But there's another side to me – a side that thrives on words, not figures. Read more

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