When you file your Income Tax Return (ITR), you may be eligible to get a tax refund. This happens when the total tax you have already paid during the year (through TDS, advance tax, or self-assessment) is more than your final tax liability. In such cases, the extra amount is refunded by the income tax department.
For Assessment Year (AY) 2025-26, the filing of ITRs started later than usual. This delay was because the government released the ITR forms (ITR-1 to ITR-7) and the required utilities for online and offline filing much later than expected.
Due to this delay, the deadline for filing ITRs has also been extended. Originally, the last date was July 31, but it has now been pushed to September 15, 2025.
Even with this delay, many taxpayers have already filed their returns. As of now, around 1,95,750 ITRs have been filed, and 1,80,514 of them have been verified. After filing and verifying their returns, these taxpayers are now waiting to receive their refunds (if they are eligible).
Are you also concerned about your tax refund status? Naturally, you will want to know how to check it. Although most people check their refund status on the official website of the Income Tax Department, there are two other options available. These alternatives are not widely known but offer the same outcome.
Want to learn about them? In this article, we will explain all three ways in which you can check the status of your income tax refund for AY 2025-26. Also, you will understand how to claim your income tax refund and the common reasons why a refund may be delayed.
Furthermore, you will learn about the various types of refund status messages and what each of them means.
How to check your ITR refund status for AY 2025-26?
After filing and verifying your ITR, you might want to know whether your refund has been processed. There are three reliable ways to check your refund status for the AY 2025–26.
Let’s understand each method in detail so you can track your refund easily:
1. How to check income tax refund status through the Income Tax Portal
This is the most commonly used method. It gives you complete details about your:
- ITRs filed
and - Refund status
All the information is directly made available on the official income tax portal. Follow these steps:
- Step 1: Visit the Income Tax e-Filing portal and log in using your:
- PAN
- Password
- Captcha code
- Step 2: After logging in, click on ‘e-File’ in the top menu. Then select ‘Income Tax Returns’ and choose ‘View Filed Returns’.
- Step 3: Now, a list of your current and previous income tax returns will appear.
- Step 4: Click on ‘View Details’ for the relevant Assessment Year. In the instant case, select AY 2025–26.
- Step 5: On the details page, you will see the:
- Refund status
- The amount refunded
- The mode of payment
- The date of the refund issue
2. How to check income tax refund status through the NSDL portal
This method allows you to check the status of your tax refund via the National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL) website. Follow these steps:
- Step 1: Visit the NSDL refund tracking page.
- Step 2: Enter your PAN and select the Assessment Year (2025–26) from the dropdown. Then enter the captcha code displayed on the screen.
- Step 3: Click on ‘Proceed’ under the ‘Taxpayer Refund (PAN)’ option.
- Step 4: You will be taken to a page displaying the refund status. It will show the following details:
- The date of refund
- The mode of payment (NEFT, cheque, etc.)
- The refund amount
3. How to check income tax refund status through TRACES
In this method, you check if a refund has been credited to your account by looking at the tax credit entries in your Form 26AS on the TRACES portal. Follow these steps:
- Step 1: Log in to the Income Tax e-Filing portal using your credentials.
- Step 2: Go to ‘e-File’, click on ‘Income Tax Returns’, and select ‘View Form 26AS’.
- Step 3: You will be redirected to the TRACES (TDS Reconciliation Analysis and Correction Enabling System) page. Click on ‘Confirm’ and then proceed to the TRACES website.
- Step 4: Scroll to the bottom and click ‘View Tax Credit (Form 26AS)’.
- Step 5: Choose Assessment Year 2025–26 and set view format to ‘Text’.
- Step 6: You will see details of:
- Any tax refund paid
- The credited amount
- The date of payment
By using any of these three methods (Income Tax Portal, NSDL Portal, or TRACES), you can check your income tax refund status.
A brief guide about Income tax refund status
What is an Income tax refund?
For a particular assessment year, the actual income tax that you pay may exceed your tax liability due to various reasons. In such cases, you are eligible to receive an income tax refund from the Income Tax Department. For instance, your fixed deposit issuer may cut tax at source on your interest income even though you fall under the tax exemption limit. In such cases, you can claim an income tax refund for the excess amount.
A brief guide about income tax refund status
The Income Tax Department usually credits the refund to your bank account within 4 to 5 weeks. In many cases, it is processed even before this period. However, sometimes the refund is delayed.
If your refund has not been received even after several weeks, there may be a few possible reasons. Let’s understand what you should check and do:
Things to check if your refund is delayed
- Make sure the bank account information you entered while filing the return is correct and pre-validated on the income tax portal.
- Confirm that the account is in your name and it is correctly spelt. Your name must match your PAN and Aadhaar records.
- Check if the bank account is still active. If you have closed the account or changed it after filing the ITR, update the new account details on the income tax portal.
Possible reasons why a refund may be rejected or held
- If there are any errors in your return, such as incorrect income details or deduction claims, the department may hold or reject the refund.
- If the tax information in your ITR does not match the details in Form 26AS (tax credit statement), the refund may be delayed or denied.
- If you filed your return close to the due date, the refund may take longer due to the high number of returns being processed at that time.
What you can do
If there is an unusual delay and none of the above issues apply to your case, you can raise a grievance on the income tax portal. Request them to update you on your refund status.
Alternatively, check for any:
- Notices
- Demands
- Intimation messages sent by the department
These messages usually explain the reason for any delay or issue. To do so, follow these steps:
- Log in to the Income Tax e-Filing Portal
- Go to e-File > Income Tax Returns > View Filed Returns
- Now, if you have received any intimation, you can find it here
How to claim an income tax refund?
You can claim an income tax refund when filing ITR for a particular financial year. Once you fill out the ITR form, the system auto-calculates your tax payable as per your applicable income tax slab, and also tells you the refund amount you qualify for. However, this refund is calculated based on the details that you enter and therefore, may not reflect the actual figure. The actual refund is calculated and paid to you only after the IT department processes your income tax return.
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