ITR Refund: The process of filing Income Tax Return (ITR) has now become faster. Many people have filed their returns for the assessment year 2025-26. Now they are waiting for the refund. Let us know in how many days the refund comes and where and how you can complain if there is a delay in it.
ITR Refund: The process of filing Income Tax Return (ITR Filing 2025) for the assessment year 2025-26 has become faster. This time the last date for filing returns has also been extended to September 15. As the number of filings is increasing, questions are arising in the minds of taxpayers that in how much time and when will the refund be received.
How long does the refund come?
According to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the Income Tax Department has reduced the average time of issuing refund to 10 days through automation and improvement in the process.
However, tax experts say that this is just an average. In many cases, the refund is received within a few days. At the same time, in some cases there may be a delay of weeks or months due to investigation or technical reasons. Legally, in complex cases, the tax department can get up to 9 months after the end of the assessment year. This means that the refund can be issued even till December 2026.
Why can there be a delay in refund?
E-verification: Just filing ITR is not enough. Unless e-verification is done, the process will not start.
PAN and Aadhaar link: If PAN and Aadhaar are not linked, the system of the Income Tax Department can stop the ITR from being processed.
Difference in TDS details: If there is a difference between the tax shown in Form 26AS and the figures recorded in ITR, then the case may go to scrutiny.
Wrong bank details: Refund comes directly into the account. Transaction may fail due to wrong account number or IFSC code.
IT Department Inquiry: If the department sends an email or notice and the taxpayer does not respond, the refund can be stopped.
What to do to avoid refund delay?
Taxpayers should e-verify the return immediately after filing it. For this, Aadhaar OTP, net banking or other digital means can be used. Also, ensure that PAN and Aadhaar are linked, TDS and income related information is filled accurately. Also, there should be no mistake in the bank details.
Your legal rights on refund delay
If the refund is not released within 30 days, the tax department has to pay interest at the rate of 6% per annum every month. This interest is applicable on the refund amount until it is transferred to your account.
If the AO (Investigating Officer) deliberately delays your refund processing, you can complain against it to a senior officer of the CBDT or Income Tax Department.
You have the legal right to check the status of your refund online and know its complete track record. You can check it on www.incometax.gov.in or on the NSDL portal.
If the refund is continuously delayed, you can file a complaint with the Income Tax Department under the e-Nivaran system. This is the official grievance redressal system of the department.
If your refund is delayed excessively and unnecessarily and all administrative remedies have failed, you can file a writ petition in the High Court. In many cases, the court has given orders in favor of taxpayers.
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