Income Tax Refund Delayed? Why, and How to Check It

If you filed your income tax return for FY 2025-26 (AY 2026-27) and e-verified it, a refund should follow within a few weeks. For a growing number of taxpayers it does not, and the reasons are usually the same handful of things. Here is why refunds get stuck, how long is normal, and exactly how to check and fix yours.

The short answer

• Normal timeline: a simple, e-verified return is usually processed in 7–45 days, and the refund lands within 4–5 weeks of processing.
• Belated returns (filed after the due date) are processed after on-time ones, and can take 12–24 weeks.
• The backlog is real: for the previous filing year (AY 2025-26), the government told Parliament that 24.64 lakh of the 8.80 crore ITRs filed were still pending beyond 90 days.
• Most delays trace to four things: a TDS/26AS mismatch, an unvalidated or mismatched bank account, an old outstanding tax demand, or a risk-based scrutiny flag under the CBDT’s NUDGE campaign.
• You are owed interest on a delayed refund — 0.5% a month under Section 244A — and it is added automatically when the refund is finally paid.

Why refunds get delayed

Reason	What it means
TDS/26AS or AIS mismatch	The TDS you’ve claimed in your ITR doesn’t match what your employer, bank or other deductor reported. The return gets paused for reconciliation.
Bank account not pre-validated	About a third of refund failures trace to this: the account isn’t pre-validated on the e-filing portal, or the name doesn’t match PAN records exactly.
Old tax demand outstanding	If an earlier assessment year shows a pending demand, this year’s refund can be adjusted against it, in full or in part, under Section 245.
NUDGE campaign flag	The CBDT’s data-driven NUDGE checks flag returns with large deduction claims (80G, 80GGC, 80E), foreign income or assets, or other patterns for a closer look before processing.
CPC backlog	With crores of returns filed in a short window, the Centralised Processing Centre simply has a queue, especially for returns filed close to or after the deadline.

How to check your refund status

1. Log in to the e-filing portal at incometax.gov.in and go to Services → Know Your Refund Status, or check the e-Filed Returns list under e-File → Income Tax Returns.
2. Confirm your ITR is verified. An unverified return is not processed at all — check the ITR-V status first if you filed but didn’t e-verify immediately.
3. Read the exact status shown: “Processed with refund due”, “Refund issued”, “Refund failed” and “Under processing” each mean something different — a “failed” refund usually means a bank account problem you can fix and resubmit.
4. Check your bank account is pre-validated under Profile → My Bank Account, and that the name on the account matches your PAN exactly.
5. Check for outstanding demand under Pending Actions → Response to Outstanding Demand. If a refund was adjusted against an old demand, you’ll see it here.
6. If it’s been well beyond the normal window, raise a grievance through the portal’s Grievance section (e-Nivaran) rather than waiting indefinitely.

What it means for you

Your situation	What to do
Filed on time, e-verified, under 4–5 weeks	Normal. No action needed yet.
Filed a belated return after the due date	Expect a longer wait — 12–24 weeks is common.
Refund status shows “failed”	Check and fix your bank account validation, then raise a refund reissue request.
Received an intimation about a mismatch or demand	Respond promptly through the portal; unanswered notices are a common cause of long delays.
Refund is very late with no clear reason	Raise a grievance on the e-filing portal, and remember interest under Section 244A is added when it is finally paid.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a refund normally take? For most simple, e-verified salaried returns, processing takes about 7–45 days and the refund credits within roughly 4–5 weeks of processing. Complex returns, or ones flagged for a closer look, take longer.

Do I get interest for a delayed refund? Yes. Under Section 244A, you’re entitled to interest of 0.5% a month (6% a year) on the refund amount, calculated from the start of the assessment year (or the filing date, if filed late) until the refund is issued. This is computed and paid automatically with the refund.

Why was my refund adjusted or reduced? Usually because of an outstanding demand from an earlier year under Section 245, or a mismatch between the TDS you claimed and what is reflected in your Form 26AS or AIS. Check “Response to Outstanding Demand” on the portal for details.

What is the NUDGE campaign, and does it mean I’m being investigated? NUDGE (Non-intrusive Usage of Data to Guide and Enable) is a CBDT data-analytics exercise that flags returns with patterns like large deduction claims or undisclosed foreign assets for verification before the refund is released. It is a compliance check, not an investigation, but it does add time to processing.

Sources

• Upstox, “Income tax alert: 24.64 lakh returns pending as 8.80 crore ITRs filed for AY 2025-26”: upstox.com
• CAalley, “Income tax refund delay: as refunds fall 19% in FY25-26, Minister reveals reasons in Parliament”: caalley.com
• Angel One, “ITR processing delays continue: over 24 lakh tax returns pending beyond 90 days”: angelone.in
• Income Tax Department e-filing portal: incometax.gov.in