With over 1.8 lakh income tax returns (ITRs) filed over the last 6 days for AY 2025-26, these income tax assessees will now be keenly waiting for the Income Tax Department to process their tax returns and issue refunds, if any. In this story, we will talk about different methods available for taxpayers to check their income tax refund status.

An income tax refund is received when you have already paid more tax to the government than what you had to pay that year. Tax can be paid in many ways — such as TDS (tax deducted at source), advance tax, or by self-assessing tax while filing returns.

If after filing the return, it is found that you have paid more tax than required, then the government refunds that extra money to you.

This situation can occur due to several reasons — higher TDS deduction, advance tax payments or lower tax dues after allowances, deductions and set-offs in returns.

The ITR filing this year has started a bit late as the government released the necessary offline and online utilities for ITR-1 and ITR-4 very recently. The ITR Forms (1-7) too were released almost with a delay of one month. Considering the delay in release of ITR forms and corresponding utilities to facilitate tax return filing, the government has decided to extend the ITR filing deadline from July 31 to September 15, 2025.

Also read: Over 1.23 lakh ITRs filed in 5 days: When will Income Tax Dept process returns and issue refunds? Experts explain

Now coming back to the current ITR filing numbers, as many as 1,95,750 ITRs have already been filed and of these 1,80,514 got verified. So now these income taxpayers would surely be tracking their tax refunds, if due for them.

When it comes to checking your income tax refund status for FY 2024-25 (AY 2025-26), most taxpayers immediately log into the official Income Tax Department website. While that’s the most common method, it’s not the only way to track your refund. In fact, there are two other quick and convenient alternatives that many taxpayers are unaware of.

Ashish Mehta, Partner at Khaitan & Co, suggests these options that can save you time and hassle, helping you stay updated on your refund status more easily.

While e-filing website is the most convenient way to check refund status, one may also write an email to the Central Processing Center or call them on the contact details available on the income tax website and enquire, says Mehta. “Apart from these, one may also get refund status on the NSDL website (by just quoting PAN and assessment year) as well as on the TRACES website (after logging in). The Income tax department also sends regular SMS and email updates regarding processing of returns and issuance of refunds,” he adds.

How to claim income tax refund?

To get a refund, all you need to do is file your income tax return correctly, which contains details of your income, deductions and taxes. Usually, the refund is credited to your bank account within 1 to 3 weeks. If there is a delay, the income tax department also charges you interest, which is around 6% per annum, till the refund is received.

Also read: Income Tax Department opens online filing for ITR-1 & ITR-4 – Check eligibility, deadline and other details here

When will you get income tax refund this year?

Regarding how much time will the Income Tax Department may take this year to process ITR and issue refunds to taxpayers, Ashish Mehta says, “We have seen returns being processed very swiftly and refunds being credited generally between one to three weeks of tax filing in cases where there are no queries raised on return processing.”

However, in case of an income tax filed with a refund request (especially including taxes that may have been withheld by the payer only in the last quarter of a year – January 25 to March 25 as far as last financial year was concerned), refunds may not be processed until the month of June 2025 as deductors had time until 31 May to file their TDS returns, he observed.

“Only after filing and processing of these TDS returns, will the tax payment reflect in the deductees / income earners PAN (vide form 26AS, AIS, etc.). Thus, it is generally better to file returns after all TDS deductions start reflecting against the PAN to minimize errors in processing on account of mismatch of TDS credit,” Mehta noted.

Also read: ITR Filing: Claiming deductions under Old Tax Regime? Be ready for tough scrutiny in AY 2025-26

How to check income tax refund status for AY 2025-26?

  1. Income Tax Portal (Most common way)

Most people log in to the Income Tax e-filing portal to check their refund status:

Go to the official portal and login with your credentials

Select ‘e-File’ > ‘Income Tax Returns’ > ‘View Filed Returns’

Click on ‘View Details’ against your return to view refund status

  1. NSDL Portal (Fast and easy option)

If you don’t want to login to the Income Tax portal, you can also check your refund status by visiting the NSDL website:

Go to the NSDL refund status page

Enter your PAN and select the correct assessment year

Fill the captcha and click on ‘Proceed’

Refund status will be displayed immediately

  1. TRACES website (for detailed tax credit)

You can also check refund status in Form 26AS through the TRACES portal:

Login to the Income Tax portal and click on ‘e-File’ > ‘Income Tax Returns’ > Go to ‘View Form 26AS’

You will be redirected to the TRACES site, select ‘View Tax Credit (Form 26AS)’ there

Select the correct assessment year and view the refund details

Also read: How to file ITR online: Step-by-step guide for e-filing income tax return for AY2025-26

What to do if the tax refund is delayed?

Usually the refund is credited to the bank account within 3 weeks, but sometimes there can be a delay, which can be due to:

Wrong or closed bank account details

Mismatch between ITR and Form 26AS

Any mistake in return filing

Filing returns close to the deadline, causing a backlog

Summing up…

If the refund is delayed, first check whether your bank account details are correct or not. If you have changed banks, update them. You can also check the notice or intimation on the income tax portal. If the problem still persists, you can lodge a complaint on the portal.

By knowing these three methods, you can keep an eye on the status of your refund without logging into the website again and again. So next time, don’t just depend on the Income Tax website, check the NSDL and TRACES portals once and save your time.