Income Tax Return Processing

If you have filed your income tax return and have not received an income tax refund within a reasonable time, first confirm if you have verified your income tax return online or offline. ITR filing is incomplete and is not processed till it is e-verified. In case ITR V is verified, you can follow up with CPC on their helpline numbers 1800 103 4455 (or) +91-80-46605200 from Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 8:00 pm. In case of refunds of previous years, you need to write a letter to the Assessing officer of your jurisdiction stating reasons for delay/non receipt of refund. 

Please login to the e-filing website using PAN, password, DOB and captcha. Go to “My account > refund/demand status”. A screen will open, displaying the status.

When your income tax paid is more than your income tax liability for a given year, the excess amount paid is refunded by the Income tax department. This refunded amount is known as an “Income tax refund”

Yes, it is necessary to file an income tax return to claim the refund. 

The income tax department processes the verified ITR after the same is filed. In case you have claimed a refund in the ITR, then there can be various status reflecting  and the actions that you are required to take as detailed below:

• Assessment year not visible in refund status- Please file the return, as the absence of AY means return filing is pending. 
• Refund paid- the refund should be received by you, either in your bank account or by a cheque as selected by you. In case of non-receipt of the cheque, please track your speed post reference number on the TIN website.
• Not determined–  please confirm if your return is filed and duly verified. 
• No demand no refund– If as per the IT department, you are not eligible for a refund, then “no demand no refund “ will be reflected. An intimation u/s 143(1) will be issued showing the comparison of their calculation on your registered email. Review the comparison and rectify the return if required. 
• Refund unpaid–  This status gets reflected due to an error in bank or address details. Please update the correct details on the income tax portal and raise a refund reissue  request
• Refund determined and sent out to the refunding banker- It means a refund request is generated and sent for processing. Refunds should be received within a few days. 
• Demand determined– It means the IT department has rejected the refund and raised a demand u/s 143(1). Intimation will be received with the calculation of tax liability as per the IT department, either on a registered email ID or through physical notice. 
• Contact Jurisdictional assessing officer – This means the IT department needs some clarification. Contact the AO of your region.

The intimation notice received from the Income Tax Department comes with password protection, and you need to decode the password before opening it. The default password set by the income tax department comprises your PAN and date of birth.

For Example: If your PAN is CMDPP5555E, and your date of birth is March 16,1994, your Intimation notice password will be cmdpp5555e16031994.

The most common reason is that the information that you submitted in the return does not tally with that of form 26AS or AIS (Annual Information Statement). Different stages of return include filing of return, verification of return, followed by processing of return.