AY 2025-26 income tax refund delay: When it may arrive, how to check status

For many taxpayers, the painful wait for income tax refunds continues, not sparing even those who had filed it several months before the original July deadline (that was later extended).

The delays at the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) are due to "high-value" ITR filings, which are being carefully assessed to avoid errors. "Red-flagged" ITR filings have also been cited as a reason for the delay, as they also need to be carefully assessed.

CBDT Chairman Ravi Agrawal told PTI that with low-value ITR refunds already being disbursed, the remainder of the payouts could be expected by December.

He added that the department has also advised taxpayers to file a revised ITR in case they had made possible errors in their filing.

Here are 5 possible reasons from the taxpayer's end why the department may flag your ITR form, delaying the refund process:

1) If the information provided in the ITR form, form 26AS, and AIS does not match, the Income Tax department will immediately flag it. This could even be for something as simple as getting a digit wrong in the IFSC code, or getting a name wrong.

2) E-verification is an important step that needs to be done within 30 days of the ITR form being submitted. The later the e-verification, the later your refund.

3) If your bank account is not linked to your PAN card, you can expect delays in refunds.

4) Similarly, if your Aadhaar card is not linked to your PAN card, delays in refunds can be expected.

5) If you have mentioned high-value transactions in your ITR form, there are chances it could be delayed. 

How to check refund status

Assuming the errors above do not apply to your ITR filing, here is how you can check the status of your refund application:

1) Go to the income tax e-portal homepage.

2) Enter user ID and password.

3) Go to e-File  >  Income Tax Returns  >  View Filed Returns.

4) Now you can check the refund status for Assessment Year 2025-26.