Income Tax Refund 2025: How to Check Status, Causes of Delay, and When You’ll Get Your Refund

The Income Tax Department says that after you file your tax return, your refund is usually sent to your bank account within 4 to 5 weeks. But if the refund amount is large, it may take more time because the department does some extra checking before releasing the money.

If you filed your return before September 16, the government has to pay you interest at 0.5% per month on your refund amount. This interest is calculated from April 1 until the day your refund is actually paid.

From April 1 to November 10, the total refunds issued went down by about 18%, but even then the department still paid out more than Rs 2.42 lakh crore in refunds.

Reasons for Refund Delay

Following are some factors that can lead to delays in refund processing:

• TDS/TCS credit doesn’t match with government records.
• Wrong tax deductions claimed.
• Incorrect salary-related allowances claimed.
• Income not reported properly, making the return defective.
• Deductions claimed without proof or with fake documents.

How to Check Your Income Tax Refund Status

Taxpayers can easily track their refund status online through the Income Tax e-filing portal by following these steps:

Step 1: Go to the Income Tax e-filing portal.

Step 2: Log in using your User ID (PAN) and password.

Step 3: Go to e-file, then go to Income Tax Returns, then View Filed Returns.

Step 4: Choose the Assessment Year to view refund status.

Step 5: Select ‘View Details’ to check the full processing timeline.

Why CBDT Delayed Your Refund?

CBDT Chairman Ravi Agarwal said that most delays are happening because the department is checking big or suspicious claims. He said small refunds are already being given, and the remaining genuine refunds should come by December. If someone forgot to mention a deduction, they may be asked to file a corrected return.

He added, “We hope to release the remaining refunds by this month or by December. This is a continuous process to ensure accuracy and prevent wrongful claims.”