The Income Tax Department has decided not to extend the deadline for taxpayers to file income tax returns (ITRs) despite demands from tax bodies to give some more time to tax filers to file ITRs as they faced continuous technical glitches for days during the month.

Meanwhile, the Income Tax Department’s data shows that over 7.28 crore taxpayers have filed ITRs till July 31, the last date to file returns. Of them, over 6.32 crore taxpayers have e-verified their returns and more than 2.69 crore returns have been processed by the tax department.

Those whose ITRs are e-verified and processed by the department are eagerly awaiting their refunds. So most of you must be wondering how long will it take to get your ITR processed by the department after filing the return.

Also read: Income Tax Return: Can you revise your ITR after receiving a notice from the Income Tax Department?

Why is ITR processing taking so much time this year?

Like previous years, ITR processing time this year too is varying on a case to case basis. In some cases, where ITRs were filed solely on the basis of Form 16, such taxpayers’ returns got processed in less than 10 days and refunds received within 15 days, says a chartered accountant. But there have been time variations as far as the processing of complex ITRs are concerned, he added. Processing and tax refunds especially in cases where the ITRs were filed with more intricate financial details and complex transactions like income from different sources and capital gains are taking more time, the CA said.

How long it takes to get refunds after receiving ‘ITR processed’ message

In most cases it takes 2 to 3 days to receive tax refunds once the Income Tax Department sends “ITR processed” message to you through an email and SMS.

When will you get your tax refunds after filing ITR, I-T department says this

However, the Income Tax Department says that the refund processing starts only after the return is e-verified by the taxpayer. Usually, it takes 4-5 weeks for the refund to be credited to the account of the taxpayer, it adds.

“If refund is not received during this duration, the taxpayer must check for intimation regarding discrepancies in ITR; check email for any notification from the IT department regarding the refund. The taxpayer can also check refund status on the e-filing as per the process detailed hereunder,” the I-T Department suggests.

How to check tax refund status online
Steps to check your income tax refund status online:

Step 1: Go to the e-Filing portal homepage.

Step 2: Click Income Tax Return (ITR) Status.

Step 3: On the Income Tax Return (ITR) Status page, enter your acknowledgement number and a valid mobile number and click Continue.

Step 4: Enter the 6-digit OTP received on your mobile number entered in Step 3 and click Submit.

Note:

-OTP will be valid for 15 minutes only.
-You have 3 attempts to enter the correct OTP.
-The OTP expiry countdown timer on screen tells you when the OTP will expire.
-On clicking Resend OTP, a new OTP will be generated and sent.

On successful validation, you will be able to view the ITR status.

Note: If your PAN is inoperative, refund cannot be issued. Kindly link your PAN with Aadhaar after paying requisite fee u/s 234H.