ITR Filing: Verification done, waiting for ITR refund? Here is how long you have to wait

ITR Filing: Once the income tax return (ITR) is filed and submitted, many taxpayers wait for their income tax refunds, especially when they paid more income tax than required during their ITR filing.

Therefore, there is always a big question for such taxpayers — When does an ITR refund come?

ITR Filing: How long does an ITR refund take?

After you have verified your ITR filing, the income tax department takes between 7 and 21 working days to start processing the refund, if applicable.

“Usually, it takes 4-5 weeks for the refund to be credited to the account of the taxpayer,” according to the income tax department.

It must be noted that the ITR refund processing by the tax department starts only after the return is e-verified by the taxpayer.

If your bank account is pre-validated, your ITR refund can be tracked faster.

However, issues such as verification, bank mismatch, or incorrect information can delay the ITR refund process.

The Income Tax department advises to check information regarding discrepancies as well as their emails for any notification if the ITR refund is not credited within 4-5 weeks.

“However, if refund is not received during this duration, the taxpayer must check for intimation regarding discrepancies in ITR; check email for any notification from the IT department regarding the refund.”

Step by step process of ITR refund

Therefore, there are a few steps for your ITR refund to come —

• The first step is ITR filing, where you file your income tax return.
• The next step involves the taxpayer too, when you e-verify after filing ITR.
• Now, the income tax department starts processing your refund.
• Finally, if everything is correct, the ITR refund is issued and credited to your bank account.

How to tracks ITR refund status?

Step 1: Visit the the income tax portal at eportal.incometax.gov.in/iec/foservices/.

Step 2: Log in to your account with your Income Tax user ID and password.

Step 3: Choose the ‘e-File’ tab, click on 'Income Tax Returns' followed by ‘View Filed Returns’

Step 4: The status of your current and past income tax returns will be displayed on the screen.

Step 5: Select the 'View details,' to check the status of your income tax refund.