Three months after the extended ITR deadline (September 16, 2025), lakhs of taxpayers are still staring at “Refund Pending” on the income tax portal. While
the department has processed a record 7.57 crore returns and issued Rs 2.42 lakh crore in refunds till November 10, a stubborn tail of 1.5–2 crore cases remains stuck — many of them legitimate refunds worth Rs 10,000– Rs 5 lakh each, said a Hindustan Times report. If you’re one of them, you’re not alone — and it’s probably not your fault. Why Your Refund Is Delayed (The Top 5 Reasons in 2025) Bank Account Not Pre-Validated The single biggest culprit. From July 2025, the portal made pre-validation of bank accounts mandatory. If you added or changed your bank details after filing but didn’t click “Pre-validate,” the refund fails silently. Fix: e-File → Profile → My Bank Accounts → Click “Pre-validate” (takes 5 minutes). Aadhaar–PAN Linkage or Inoperative PAN If your PAN is marked “inoperative” (not linked to Aadhaar by the June 30, 2025 deadline), processing stops. Even a single mismatch in name or date of birth triggers this. Fix: Complete Aadhaar–PAN linking on the portal homepage → takes 2 minutes. Mismatch with Form 26AS / AIS / Form 16 TDS claimed more than TDS reported in 26AS or AIS triggers an automatic red flag. Common triggers: • Salary TDS not updated by employer • Interest income from savings/FD missing • Capital gains not matching broker statements Fix: Download latest AIS/26AS → file revised return if needed (no penalty till Dec 31). High-Value Refund Claims Under Manual Review CBDT Chairman Ravi Agrawal confirmed in November that refunds above Rs 50,000 or with large deductions (80C, 80D, HRA, capital loss set-off) are being manually reviewed this year. Letters have been sent asking taxpayers to file revised returns. Fix: Check registered email/SMS → respond within 30 days → processing resumes. E-Verification Pending or Done via Wrong Mode If you filed but forgot to e-verify (or used paper ITR-V), the clock never starts. Fix: e-Verify instantly via Aadhaar OTP or Net Banking (valid 30 days from filing). Current Processing Timeline (Real Data – Dec 2025) Category → Average Time Taken (2025) → Status as of Dec 11
- Simple salary returns → 10–17 days → Mostly cleared
- Standard cases (verified + validated bank) → 20–30 days → 80% cleared
- High-value / mismatch cases → 45–90+ days → Bulk of pending
- Revised returns (post-notice) → 30–60 days after revision → Rising volume
Source: CBDT press releases, CPC Bengaluru data, taxpayer forums
How to Check Your Refund Status Right Now (3 Methods)
Method 1 – Income Tax Portal (Recommended)
• Login on the income tax portal
• e-File → Income Tax Returns → View Filed Returns
• Select AY 2025–26 → Click “View Details”
You’ll see the exact status:
• “ITR Processed – Refund Issued on DD-MM-YYYY”
• “Refund Failed – Bank Account Not Validated”
• “Under Processing – Additional Information Required”
Method 2 – NSDL-TIN Website
Check refund status on the NSDL-TIN refund page using PAN + AY.
Method 3 – SMS
Type “ITRSTATUS <12-digit Acknowledgement Number>” and send to 7738299899.
What Happens If Delay Continues?
• Interest @ 0.5% per month (6% p.a.) under Section 244A starts from April 1, 2025.
• No penalty for genuine delays.
• If stuck for more than 90 days → raise grievance at incometax portal → e-Nivaran → “Refund Failure”.
Quick Fixes That Unlock 90% of Stuck Refunds
• Pre-validate your bank account today (even if done earlier — re-do it).
• Link Aadhaar–PAN if not done.
• Download latest AIS/26AS → compare with your ITR → file revised return if mismatch exceeds Rs 50.
• Respond to any email/SMS from CPC Bengaluru (check spam).
• If refund > Rs 50,000 and no notice received → proactively file revised return with correct data.
Bottom line: Most pending refunds in December 2025 are stuck due to one of the five reasons above — not because the department is “sitting on your money.” Fix the mismatch today, and you’ll likely see the amount in your account within 7–21 days.
