Missed the December 31 Deadline? Here's How to Get Your Tax Refund:

Missed the December 31 Deadline to File Revised Return? Here's How to Get Your Tax Refund Have you missed the December 31 deadline to file a belated or revised income tax return (ITR) for FY 2024-25 (AY 2025-26)? The good news is that even though the chance to revise it is over, you can still get your tax refund. Let us explore the available options that can get you your income tax refund. The due date to file a belated return and a revised return was December 31, 2025, for AY 2025-26. Until this date, taxpayers had two simple options: either they file a revised return to correct mistakes in earlier filing or file a belated ITR if they had missed the original due date. After this date, the taxpayers cannot revise deductions or exemptions to increase their refund or correct errors to reduce tax liability via a revised return.

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However, you can still get your income tax refund only if you filed your ITR on time and are entitled to receive a refund. The Income Tax Department has time to process ITRs and credit the refund, even after December 31. But correcting the errors depends on the nature of the error. Option 1: Wait if Your Return is Still Being Processed If your ITR status shows "under processing", then there is no need for quick action. The Centralised Processing Centre (CPC) follows a fixed timeline to process returns and issue intimation notices. If your return is correct and you are eligible for a refund, it will be processed automatically along with the applicable interest. If processing is taking more time than usual, then taxpayers can file a grievance through the e-filing portal or CPGRAMS to fix the delay. Option 2: Fix Error through Section 154 Rectification Taxpayers can file a rectification request if the Income Tax Department has processed their ITR and they have received an intimation under section 143(1), but the refund amount is incorrect or rejected due to a mistake. Taxpayers can use this option if the problem is caused by:

• Wrong tax or interest amounts
• TDS or TCS mismatches
• Typing or Arithmetical errors
• Wrong loss carry-forwards

To file the rectification request, just log in to the income tax e-filing portal and submit the request. This option remains available even after the December 31 due date. Option 3: Updated Return (ITR-U) Taxpayers have another option to file an updated ITR (ITR-U) from January 1, 2026. However, this option is limited to certain restrictions. ITR-U can only be filed to declare extra income or correct under-reporting of income. However, you cannot use ITR-U to claim a new refund or increase an existing refund. Additionally, taxpayers must pay extra tax and interest if they are filing ITR-U.

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What Should Taxpayers Do? Taxpayers must:

• Make sure that the bank account details are verified.
• Check their ITR status on the income tax portal.
• Check the intimation notice.
• File a rectification request immediately if there is a mismatch.