Income Tax Refund: When can we expect refund after filing ITR? How to check status
After filing Income Tax, the first thing that one awaits is the possibility of any refund. It is easy to feel frustrated for a taxpayer to wait for refunds. How can you check the status of refunds if you haven't got they amount yet?
Kolkata: There are very few things that offer unalloyed happiness like income tax refunds. As long as tax refunds are not credited to the account, it shows "under processing". While refunds take a little time, there are a few reasons which can delay the credit of the amount. Taxpayers venting their frustration about these delays on social media is also quite common. People also complain that they have raised "grievances" to no avail. Experts have pointed out that one can expect to get refund between two and five weeks of submission of ITR and the process being completed through e-verification.
Probable reasons for IT refunds not being credited
There are well documented reasons, any of which can also hold up the credit of the refund amount to your account registered with the Income Tax Department. Some of these are:
E-verification not done of the ITR
Wrong IFSC code submitted by taxpayer
Spelling discrepancy between the name given in the ITR and that in the records of the savings account where the money should flow in
The savings account mentioned in the ITR has been inadvertently closed
Bank account is not pre-validated, which is a mandatory step
PAN not linked with the Aadhaar card
How can one check ITR refund status
Checking the tax refund status is quite easy. To begin with, if the tax refund is credited, the taxpayer is communicated through an SMS or email. The sms mentions the total amount of refund and a refund sequence number. It is done according to the section 143(1) of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
Otherwise, one can perform the following steps:
ONE: Visit www.incometax.gov.in, log in with your PAN and password (PAN must be linked with Aadhaar card)
TWO: Click "Services" top menu? Know "Refund Status"
THREE: Click e-file tab, then click on Income Tax Returns tab and select View Field Returns
FOUR: Refund status for chosen assessment year is displayed
A point to note is that there is no ceiling for income tax refunds. The Income Tax Department does not retain any extra tax that you might have paid during the entire course of the financial year. The department will pay interest at 50 basis points per month in case of a delay.