ITR Refund Delayed? Who To Contact And How To Track Your Income Tax Refund

ITR Refund Delay: Waiting for a refund of your income taxes can be quite stressful, especially if you have filed on time. In the year 2026, everything is done automatically; however, sometimes a delay may occur as a result of some errors in verifying your bank accounts. Below is a brief guide on how you can monitor your status and whom to contact in case you encounter a delay.

Who To Contact And How To Track Your Income Tax Refund

1. How to Track Your ITR Refund Status

Before reaching out to officials, check your current status online using one of these two official methods:

Method A: Through E-Filing Portal

1. Log in to the income tax E-Filing portal.

2. Click on ‘e-File’ > ‘Income Tax Returns’ > ‘View Filed Returns’.

3. Choose the relevant Assessment Year (AY 2025-26) and then click 'View Details'.

4. Here, you can view the life cycle of your ITR as Processed, Refund Issued, or Refund Failed.

Method B: Through the TIN-NSDL Website

5. Go to the TIN-NSDL Refund Status webpage

6. Enter your PAN number and choose the Assessment Year. This will display when the money was refunded or if it was returned by your bank.

2. Key Contact Details for Refund Queries

If your status shows ‘Processed’ but you haven't received the money, or if it's stuck for more than 4-5 weeks, use these helplines:

Email Support:

• For ITR Processing: [email protected]

• For E-filing issues: [email protected]

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3. How to Raise an Official Grievance (e-Nivaran)

If phone calls do not work, the most effective way to reach them would be the e-Nivaran module:

1. Log in to the e-filing site.

2. Click on 'Grievances' tab > 'Submit Grievance'.

3. Choose 'CPC-ITR' as the department and 'Refund' as the category.

4. Briefly describe your problem (e.g., “ITR processed on this date, Refund Not Received”) and submit your form. An ‘Acknowledgement Number’ to track the status of your resolution will be generated.

4. Common Reasons for Delay

• Bank Account Not Pre-Validated: Although you might have used the same account last year, please verify if your account status is ‘Pre-validated’ on the portal.

• PAN Aadhaar linking: If your PAN is non-functional because of non-linking of Aadhaar, the refund shall remain withheld.

• Outstanding Demand: Perhaps your refund has been set against an outstanding demand for taxes for an earlier year. Look out for a Section 245 notice in your e-mail.

Image credits: Freepik

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