Check Your Income Tax Refund Status in 5 Steps

• ITR refunds issued when taxes paid exceed liability after deductions and exemptions.
• Refund processing begins after e-verification, typically taking 4-5 weeks.
• Check refund status on e-filing portal: e-File > Income Tax Returns > View Filed Returns.

5 steps to check ITR refund: Filing an income tax return is mandatory if you have a refund claim in the return or have a total income of more than Rs 2.5

lakh under the old tax regime. To facilitate a smooth and convenient filing experience for taxpayers and considering the time required for system readiness and rollout of ITR utilities for Assessment Year (AY) 2025-26, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has decided to extend the due date for filing returns. Therefore, it’s better to file early or within the said time period to avoid errors and to have time to fix any issues, as delaying ITR filing or filing ITR at the last moment in a hurry may lead to mistakes. In this story, we will explore 5 steps to check the ITR refund status online on the Income Tax website. Take a look.

What is Income Tax Refund?

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). The tax is calculated after taking into consideration all the deductions and exemptions at the time of assessment by the income tax department.

When can you receive ITR refund?

Refund processing by the tax department starts only after the return is e-verified by the taxpayer. Usually, it takes 4-5 weeks for the refund to be credited to the account of the taxpayer. However, if the refund is not received during this duration, the taxpayer must check for intimation regarding discrepancies in the ITR; check the email for any notification from the IT department regarding the refund. The taxpayer can also check the refund status on the e-filing as per the process detailed hereunder.

What are steps to check ITR refund status online?

5 steps to check ITR refund status online on Income Tax website as follows:
Step 1: Go to the e-Filing portal homepage.
Step 2: Enter the user ID and password.
Step 3: Go to the e-File tab > Income Tax Returns > View Filed Returns.
Step 4: Now you can check the refund status for the desired Assessment year.
Step 5: Check the life cycle of filed ITR

For individual users, if PAN is not linked with the Aadhaar, you will see a pop-up message that your PAN is made inoperative as it is not linked with your Aadhaar.
To link the PAN with Aadhaar, click on the Link Now button else click Continue.