The last date for filing income tax returns (ITR) for the assessment year 2021-22 was extended till December 2021. Many salaried individuals have completed the process but some are still waiting for their refunds. One of the common reasons for the delay in receiving refunds is technical glitches in the new portal, but this issue has been resolved and the process has been expedited.
Likely reasons why you have not received ITR refund?
Outstanding taxes: If any income tax amount is yet to be paid by the individual or business, the IT department rejects the ITR refund request. In this case, a notice is sent to the taxpayer with the outstanding amount. Upon payment of the remaining tax within the specified deadline, the taxpayer can re-apply for the ITR.
Invalid Bank Account: The bank account of the taxpayer must be pre-validated to receive the ITR refund. Tasks like e-verification, secure login, ITR password change can also be done only with a pre-validated bank account. Individuals must ensure that the mobile number and email in the bank account are the same as that mentioned in the income tax forms. In case of a mismatch, a warning sign will appear on the e-filing portal next to the mismatched details. You will need to update the information on the e-filing portal to match with your bank account and get validated.
Unverified ITR: The ITR must be verified to be considered valid. It can be verified electronically or by sending a signed copy of ITR-V to the Centralised Processing Centre (CPC) in Bengaluru. The ITR should be verified within 120 days from the date of filing. The ITR can be e-verified using Aadhaar OTP as well. A message on the transaction ID or email address will be sent confirming that your ITR verification has been successful.
Additional Documents & Eligibility: A reason for the delay could be that the Income Tax department requires additional documentation to make the process of your refund request ahead. A taxpayer can contact the assessing office through telephone or post to resolve this issue and submit the required documents to an acknowledgment from the officer for the same. Another reason could be that you may not be eligible for a refund. There may be a calculation mistake or a missed inclusion of income from an investment or saving that the department may have taken into account via Form 26AS.
Under the ‘My Account’ menu, click on ‘Refund/ Demand Status’
The details regarding the ITR refund failure will be displayed on the web page(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)
First Published: Mar 23, 2022 6:38 PM IST
