Check your income tax refund at incometax.gov.in → Login → e-File → Income Tax Returns → View Filed Returns, or on the NSDL/Protean refund page using your PAN and assessment year. For e-verified e-filed returns, refunds are typically credited in 20-45 days to your pre-validated bank account. Interest at 0.5% per month is added under Section 244A when the refund is delayed.
How to Check Income Tax Refund Status Online
The income tax portal is the primary source; NSDL (Protean) confirms the bank-level credit date from the Refund Banker (SBI).
- 1Log inincometax.gov.in with PAN & password
- 2View Filed Returnse-File → Income Tax Returns
- 3Pick the yearSelect AY 2026-27
- 4View statusSee refund state & date
- Portal path: Login → e-File → Income Tax Returns → View Filed Returns → View Details.
- NSDL/Protean: enter PAN + Assessment Year on the refund-status page to see the ECS dispatch date.
- SMS: send REFUND <PAN> <AY> to 7738299899 for a quick status reply.
- Ensure your ITR is e-verified within 30 days — an unverified return is never processed and no refund is issued.
Refunds are only credited to a bank account that is pre-validated and linked to your PAN on the portal (My Profile → My Bank Accounts). An un-validated or closed account is the single most common cause of a "Refund Failure" status.
Refund Status — What Each Message Means
The status shown against your return tells you exactly where the refund is and what to do next.
| Status | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Return Not Processed | Filed, not yet processed by CPC | Confirm e-verification is done. Wait 7-10 days; if pending >30 days, raise a grievance. |
| Under Processing | Return being processed / verified | Wait for processing. Beyond 60 days, raise a grievance on the portal. |
| Refund Initiated | Refund issued by the department | Check your bank; confirm the exact credit date on NSDL. |
| Refund Credited | Money credited | Look for "INCOMETAX REFUND" in your statement with the order number. |
| Refund Failure | Bank rejected the credit | Pre-validate the correct account and raise a Refund Reissue request. |
| No Demand No Refund | Tax = TDS, nothing due | No action needed — liability exactly matched taxes paid. |
| Demand Determined | Tax payable > taxes paid | Review the Section 143(1) intimation; pay or file a rectification. |
| Adjusted vs Demand | Set off under Section 245 | Check Pending Actions → Response to Outstanding Demand; dispute if wrong. |
Statuses reflect the incometax.gov.in portal for AY 2026-27. NSDL wording can differ slightly; the portal is the more detailed source.
Refund showing failure or adjusted against an old demand?
Get Expert Help →How to Raise a Refund Reissue Request
If the status is Refund Failure, the refund was returned because of a wrong account number, wrong IFSC, an un-validated account or a closed account. Reissue it in four steps:
- 1Validate bankMy Profile → My Bank Accounts
- 2Refund ReissueServices → Refund Reissue
- 3Select returnChoose year + validated account
- 4Submit & verifye-verify via Aadhaar OTP
After a successful reissue request the refund is normally re-initiated within 7-10 working days. Keep the acknowledgement number of the return handy while raising it.
Interest on a Delayed Refund (Section 244A)
Refund of ₹40,000 delayed 5 months
Total credited to bank
Interest received under Section 244A is credited automatically with the refund, but it is taxable as "income from other sources" in the year you receive it — declare it in your next ITR to avoid a mismatch with your AIS.
Want your next ITR filed right so the refund lands fast?
File ITR with TaxClue →Common Reasons Your Refund Is Delayed
- Return not e-verified within 30 days
- Wrong bank account number or IFSC in the ITR
- Bank account not pre-validated on the portal
- Return picked for scrutiny or a defect notice u/s 139(9)
- Old demand set off against the refund u/s 245
- Mismatch between AIS / Form 26AS and the ITR
- Belated or revised return — slower to process
- Aadhaar-PAN not linked
Cross-check your Form 26AS and AIS against the ITR before filing — a TDS or income mismatch is the biggest cause of manual processing and slow refunds.
Most "stuck refund" cases are not a portal problem — they are a data problem. A clean return that reconciles with 26AS/AIS and lands in a pre-validated account is what gets processed and refunded quickest.
- File & track: incometax.gov.in
- Refund status (NSDL/Protean): tin.tin.nsdl.com
- Refund set-off: Section 245, Income-tax Act
- Interest on delayed refund: Section 244A, Income-tax Act
Disclaimer: This guide is general information based on the law and notifications in force when it was last updated. It is not professional advice for your case — rates, thresholds and due dates change, so check the current position or speak to our CA team before you act on it.