ITR refund not received — how to check status and raise a grievance

You filed your ITR on time, your return was processed, and the portal even says a refund is due. But weeks have passed and your bank account looks exactly the same. No credit, no message, nothing.

This happens more often than it should. The good news is that there’s a clear process to track it down — and if something’s genuinely stuck, you can force a resolution without ever visiting an income tax office.

First, Confirm What “Processed” Actually Means

A lot of people assume that once the ITR status shows “processed,” the refund is on its way. Not quite. Processed just means the department has accepted your return and computed the tax. It doesn’t mean the refund has been issued yet.

There are two separate things to check: whether your return is processed, and whether the refund has actually been dispatched. These are different stages, and the portal tracks them separately.

How to Check Your Refund Status

Go to incometax.gov.in and log in with your PAN and password. Under the “e-File” menu, look for “Income Tax Returns” → “View Filed Returns.” Click on the relevant assessment year and you’ll see the current status.

If refund has been issued, it’ll say something like “Refund Issued on DD/MM/YYYY” along with the amount. You can also check refund status directly on the NSDL portal at tin.tin.nsdl.com — just enter your PAN and the assessment year.

The NSDL page will tell you exactly what happened: whether it was sent to your bank, whether it failed, and if it failed, why.

The Three Most Common Reasons It Gets Stuck

Bank account not validated. This is the single biggest reason refunds don’t land. Your bank account must be pre-validated on the income tax portal and linked to your PAN. If you opened a new account at HDFC or SBI and updated it without completing the pre-validation step, the refund will bounce back to the department.

Mismatch in account details. If your name on the bank account doesn’t exactly match your PAN records — say, “Priya Sharma” vs “Priya R Sharma” — the credit can fail.

Return selected for scrutiny or adjustment. Sometimes the department has an outstanding demand from a previous year and they adjust your current refund against it. So if you were due ₹18,000 for AY 2024-25 but had an outstanding demand of ₹5,000 from AY 2022-23, you might only receive ₹13,000 — or nothing, with a notice explaining the adjustment.

What to Do If Your Refund Shows “Failed”

Head to the income tax portal, go to “Services” → “Refund Reissue.” Select the assessment year, update the correct pre-validated bank account, and submit. The department will reprocess the refund, typically within 4 to 6 weeks.

Before you do this, double-check that the account is pre-validated. Go to “My Profile” → “My Bank Account” and confirm the status shows “Validated.” If it doesn’t, add the account, validate it using EVC or net banking, and then raise the reissue request.

When to Raise a Grievance

If your refund shows as “issued” but hasn’t actually hit your account even after 30 days, it’s time to escalate. Go to “e-Nivaran” or the Grievance section on the portal — it’s under the “Help” or “Grievances” tab depending on which version of the portal you’re on.

Draft a short, factual grievance: your PAN, the assessment year, the refund amount due (say, ₹22,500 for AY 2024-25), the date it was marked as issued, and the fact that it hasn’t been credited. Attach a screenshot of your bank statement showing no credit. Keep it factual, not emotional — these are processed by humans and clarity speeds things up.

You can also call the CPC helpline at 1800-103-4455 (toll-free). Have your PAN and acknowledgement number ready.

Before all of this, it helps to know exactly what refund you’re entitled to. If you want to cross-check your tax liability and expected refund, use our tax calculator to run the numbers.

How Long Should a Refund Take?

There’s no hard statutory deadline, but in practice, refunds for straightforward salaried returns are typically processed within 20 to 45 days of ITR verification. If you verified late — say, you filed in July but verified in September — the clock starts from verification, not filing.

If it’s been more than 90 days since verification and there’s no resolution even after a grievance, you can write to the Assessing Officer (AO) for your jurisdiction. Your AO details are available in the “My Profile” section of the portal.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I check if my ITR refund has been issued?

Log in to incometax.gov.in, go to “View Filed Returns,” and select the relevant assessment year. Alternatively, check on the NSDL refund status page at tin.tin.nsdl.com with your PAN and assessment year. If it’s been issued, the date and amount will be shown.

My refund failed — what do I do now?

Go to “Services” → “Refund Reissue” on the income tax portal. Make sure your bank account is pre-validated under “My Profile,” then submit a reissue request. It typically takes 4 to 6 weeks to get credited after that.

Can the income tax department keep my refund?

Yes — if you have an outstanding tax demand from a previous year, the department can adjust your current refund against it under Section 245 of the Income Tax Act. You’ll receive a notice about this. If you disagree with the old demand, you can respond to it on the portal and request that the adjustment be reversed.

It’s been 60 days and my refund still hasn’t come. What do I do?

Raise a grievance on the income tax portal under the Grievances section. Include your PAN, assessment year, refund amount (for example, ₹15,000 for AY 2024-25), and a screenshot of your bank statement. You can also call CPC on 1800-103-4455 for an update.

Will I get interest on my delayed refund?

Yes. Under Section 244A, the income tax department pays interest at 0.5% per month on delayed refunds, calculated from April 1 of the assessment year. So if your ₹20,000 refund for AY 2024-25 is delayed by 4 months, you’d be entitled to roughly ₹400 in interest on top of the refund amount.