ITR Refund: Reason for Possible Delay and Steps to Resolve Issue

An Income Tax Return (ITR) is generally filed to get a refund in case the taxes paid are higher than the actual tax liabilities. The ITR refund is usually issued within a timeframe of 7 to 120 days from the date the return was filed. 

In the past few years, the average processing time for ITR refunds has gone down considerably with technological advancements and the filing process getting online.

The refund is given after the Centralised Processing Centre (CPC) processes the ITR. To receive an ITR refund, an individual must pre-validate his/her bank account on the Income Tax website. 

However, in case the ITR refund has not reached a taxpayer due to a mismatch of account numbers, they are required to check the bank account number and the Indian Financial System Code (IFSC) detail provided at the time of filing the ITR.

They must ensure that the numbers are correct and match the account number and IFSC code as per the bank account. If need be, they must contact the bank to verify that the account is still active and that there are no holds on the account.

Then, they must contact the Income Tax (IT) department to request a refund re-issue. A taxpayer would be required to furnish their Permanent Account Number (PAN), the assessment year, and the refund amount details. 

Here’s how to file a refund re-issue request via the Income Tax filing portal:

• Log in to the Income Tax official website.
• Click on the ‘My Account’ tab.
• Click on the ‘Service Request’ link.
• Choose the ‘Request Type’ as ‘New Request’ and select the ‘Request Category’ as ‘Refund Re-issue’ from the drop-down menu.
• The requisite information related to PAN, assessment year, and refund amount will be displayed.
• Click the ‘Submit’ hyperlink under the ‘Response’ column. The pre-validated bank account will be displayed along with the enabled Electronic Verification code (EVC).
• Select the bank account and click ‘Continue’. The bank account details will be displayed.
• Finally, choose the mode of e-verification, generate and enter EVC and submit the request.

After this process, the Income Tax department will review the request and issue the refund to the correct account at the earliest.