Wondering when your Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) refund will hit your bank account this year? For the Assessment Year 2025-26 (Financial Year 2024-25), the Income Tax Department has significantly streamlined the refund process.
When can you expect your TDS refund?
While the official ITR filing window typically opens in April, and most salaried individuals file after receiving Form 16 (by June 15th), you can generally expect your refund within 7 to 20 days of filing and e-verifying your return, provided all details are accurate and your bank account is pre-validated and linked to your PAN.
ITR Refund: Here’s what each TDS status mean
If you’re checking your Income Tax Return (ITR) refund status, here’s what some common messages mean:
‘No e-filing has been done this year.’ – This appears if you haven’t filed or verified your ITR. To fix this, you need to re-verify your return.
‘Refund determined and sent out to refund banker.’ – This means your return is being processed, and your refund details have been sent to the refund banker.
‘Refund unpaid.’ – This message shows up if the bank details you gave, especially the IFSC code, are incorrect.
‘Refund paid.’ – This simply means your refund has been successfully credited.
‘Not determined.’ – Your ITR was filed last month and is still being processed.
‘Sent for Refund’ – This status appears if your return was filed over a month ago and the refund is now being processed.
If you see any other message that’s not listed here, it may mean your TDS refund is stuck and needs attention.
Steps to check your TDS status
– Open the homepage of the Income Tax e-Filing portal.
– Log in using your user ID and password.
Note: If you’re an individual and your PAN isn’t linked to your Aadhaar, a message will appear saying your PAN is inactive. You can choose to link it by clicking ‘Link Now’, or click ‘Continue’ to proceed without linking.
– After logging in, go to the e-File menu, then select Income Tax Returns, and click on View Filed Returns.
– From here, choose the Assessment Year you want to check. You’ll be able to see your refund status.
– Click on View Details to see the full timeline and progress of your filed return.