Here are three possible reasons why your income tax refund is still pending.
Check if your ITR has been processed by the tax department
First of all, you need to check whether your ITR has been processed by the Income Tax Department or not. You will get the refund only after your ITR is processed and the tax department confirms the same. Note that you will receive a refund only if the tax department confirms that you are eligible for a refund after processing the income tax return. If the Income Tax Department believes that no tax refund is pending, you will not get any refund.
the inspection income tax refund status
If your income tax return has been processed and the refund is confirmed but still pending, you need to check the status of the refund. You can check the status of your refund on the NSDL website.
How to check income tax refund status through NSDL website
1) Visit: https://tin.tin.nsdl.com/oltas/refundstatuslogin.htmle
2) Enter your PAN and relevant assessment year
3) Then, enter the captcha and click on ‘Submit’
4) Based on the status of your refund, a message will be displayed on your screen.
Read also:
How to check income tax return status
You can also check income tax refund status on the Income Tax e-filing website. Here is a step by step guide
1) Log in to your account on Income Tax e-filing portal using User ID and Password.
2) Then, go to the ‘e-File’ option and click on ‘Income Tax Return’. Then select ‘View Filed Returns’ and ‘View Details’.
One of these three options will appear on your screen
a) “Refund Issued” with mode of payment, refund amount and date of withdrawal of refund.
either
b) “Refund Failure” with reason of failure, date of communication and registered email id.
either
c) ‘Refund on Hold’ with link for response of outstanding demand, date on which it is communicated and your registered email id where it is sent.
If your refund request is failed, you will have to request for re-issuance of Income Tax Refund through Income Tax e-filing portal.
If it shows ‘No Records Found’, it may be that the tax department has not yet released the tax refund details.
bank account pre-verification
There may also be an error in pre-verifying your bank account or your PAN may not be linked with your bank account, which may lead to delay in income tax refund.
How to check whether your bank account is pre-verified or not?
You can easily check whether your bank account is pre-validated or not on the Income Tax e-filing portal. This way
1) Visit the Income Tax e-Filing Portal and login to your account with User ID and Password.
2) Once you have logged into your account, click on ‘My Profile’ and select ‘My Bank Account’ option.
3) You can see the pre-verified bank accounts on the screen. It will also show you the bank account that you have chosen to receive income tax refund for FY2021-22.
If you have not pre-verified your bank account, the income tax refund will not be credited.
You should also check with your bank to ensure that the PAN is linked to your bank account.
Read also:
How to Pre-validate Bank Account to get Income Tax Refund (ITR)
for outstanding demand
Your income tax return may also get delayed if you have any outstanding demand pending from the previous financial year.
If any outstanding demand is pending, your income tax refund will be adjusted against that demand. You will be informed about this through an intimation notice issued under section 143(1). Thus, once your ITR is processed, it is important to ensure that you have received an intimation notice. Once this is received, you should check and confirm that the income tax refund is pending with you.