Income Tax Return (ITR) Processing Time

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 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.

If you have filed you ITR with a refund claim in April, then your refund should be processed and credited to your bank account within 7 days. However, if your tax return has any discrepancies or the bank details provided by you is incorrect then your refund initiation will take more time. 

If you have filed your ITR in May with a refund claim, then your refund will be initiated and credited your bank account within 7 days. However, if there are any discrepancies in your tax return or the bank account details provided by you are incorrect then you might face delay in the refund process. 

If you filed your ITR in June with a refund claim, then it will take around 7 working days to get the refund initiated and credited to your bank account. However, if there are any discrepancies or the details provided by you are incorrect then your refund might get delayed. 

If you have filed your ITR in July with a refund claim, then your refund will be initiated and credited to your bank account within 7 working days. However, if there are any discrepancies or your bank details are incorrect then your refund will be delayed. 

As per income tax, ITR processing time is within 9 months from the end of the financial year in which the return is furnished. For Example, if the ITR for FY 2024-25 is filed on July 31, 2025, then the processing deadline is December 31, 2026. However, in most cases, ITR is processed after 7-30 days of e-verification. If processing takes more time, there may be a reason for checking arithmetic accuracy, incorrect claims, or comparing with other relevant financial data.