ITR filing: How can taxpayers check their income tax refund status online? A step-by-step guide

Now that you have filed your income tax returns, you must be wondering when you will receive your income tax (I-T) refund. And if you have not yet filed your return, you can still file a belated return before December 31, 2024, by paying a penalty.

For more details about filing a belated return, you can read this Livemint article.

Normally, the income tax department takes four to five weeks to issue a refund. But when you do not receive the refund on time, it is imperative to check the intimation received from the income tax department.

What if there was a query from the tax department or the department rejected your return as an incomplete one? So, keep checking for any information that you may have received from the tax department.

If this is not the case, you must check the status of your income tax refund.

You need the following to check the income tax refund status:

1. User ID and Password: It is a given that you need a user ID and password to log into the system.

2. PAN is linked with Aadhaar: Also, your PAN should be linked to Aadhaar.

3. ITR filed claiming refund: Additionally, to be able to check the status of a refund, you must have filed your income tax return which claims a refund.

Steps to follow to check your I-T refund status:

1. At the outset, you need to visit the e-filing portal: eportal.incometax.gov.in/iec/foservices/

2. Now you are supposed to enter the user ID and password.

3. In case your PAN is not linked with your Aadhaar, you will see a pop-up message that your PAN is made inoperative as it is not linked with your Aadhaar. In order to link your PAN with Aadhaar, click on 'Link Now' button, otherwise click ‘Continue’.

4. Now you can go to the e-file tab > income tax returns > view filed returns.

5. You can now check the refund status for the desired assessment year.

6. Now you can view details. You can also check the life cycle of filed ITRs.

7. Now there could be four different scenarios:

A. The refund is issued

B. The refund has been issued, but only partially.

C. The department has adjusted the full refund.

D. The tax refund is failed