Quick answer
Why is my income tax refund not received?
An income tax refund not received for AY 2026-27 usually means the return is unverified or still processing, the bank account is not pre-validated, the refund was adjusted against an earlier demand, or your TDS figures differ from Form 26AS and AIS. Check the status under View Filed Returns, then use refund reissue, a grievance or rectification.
- Check status at e-File, Income Tax Returns, View Filed Returns
- A failed refund needs a refund reissue request
- A refund that is pending too long needs a grievance
- Wrong figures need rectification or a revised return
Why is my income tax refund not received for AY 2026-27?
Most AY 2026-27 refunds that have not arrived are held up by a step the taxpayer can fix: missing e-verification, an unvalidated or closed bank account, an inoperative PAN, or a mismatch between the return and the tax credit the department can see. A smaller group is held because the system adjusted the refund against an older demand or flagged a claim for review.
AY 2026-27 covers income earned in FY 2025-26. These returns are still filed and processed under the Income-tax Act 1961, even though the Income-tax Act 2025 came into force on 1 April 2026, so the old forms and processes apply to this refund.
| Reason | What you see | Who fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| Return not e-verified | Status shows the return as filed but not verified | You, through e-Verify Return on the portal |
| Still being processed | Status reads successfully verified, with no intimation yet | Usually nobody: wait, then raise a grievance if it drags on |
| Bank account not validated | Refund failed, or account shows as not validated under My Bank Account | You: validate an active account in your own name with the correct IFSC |
| PAN inoperative | Refund held or failed despite a correct account | You: fix the PAN and Aadhaar link, then follow up |
| TDS or income mismatch | Intimation shows a lower refund or a demand | You or your CA: correct the deductor's TDS return or file rectification |
| Adjusted against old demand | Refund amount reduced, with a note about adjustment | You or your CA: accept it or respond to the demand |
Reasons compiled from the e-filing portal's refund reissue user manual and AY 2026-27 coverage by taxaj.com and studycafe.in, read November 2026.
How do you check your income tax refund status?
Log in to the income tax e-filing portal with your PAN, open e-File, then Income Tax Returns, then View Filed Returns, and select AY 2026-27. The timeline on that screen shows filing, verification, processing and refund issue in order, so you can see exactly where it stopped.
- 1
Log in with your PAN
Use your PAN as the user ID. If you have forgotten the password, reset it through Aadhaar OTP rather than creating a new account.
- 2
Open View Filed Returns
Go to e-File, Income Tax Returns, View Filed Returns and pick the return for AY 2026-27.
- 3
Read the timeline
Note the last stage reached: filed, verified, processed, refund issued or refund failed. Download any intimation shown.
- 4
Check AIS and Form 26AS
Compare the TDS and income shown there with what you put in the return. A gap here explains most reduced refunds.
- 5
Check My Bank Account
Under your profile, confirm the refund account is validated and nominated for refund, and that the name matches your PAN.
Need help with income tax refund not received? Talk to a chartered accountant in Delhi today. First call is free.
What does each refund status mean, and what should you do?
Match the stage shown on your timeline to the action below. Raising a grievance when the real fix is a bank validation only adds weeks, so diagnose first.
| Status on the portal | What it means | Your next step |
|---|---|---|
| Filed, pending verification | The department treats the return as not yet complete | e-Verify through Aadhaar OTP, net banking or a bank account EVC |
| Successfully verified | Processing has not finished | Wait for the intimation; check AIS for mismatches in the meantime |
| Processed with refund due | Refund approved and sent to the bank | Check the nominated account; allow some days for credit |
| Refund failed | The bank rejected the credit | Validate a working account, then raise a refund reissue request |
| Processed with demand or lower refund | Your figures were changed on processing | Read the intimation; accept, correct through rectification, or reply |
| Processed with no demand and no refund | The system found no refund due | Compare the intimation with your computation to find what was disallowed |
How to raise a refund reissue request
A refund reissue request is the right fix only when the portal shows that a refund was issued and then failed, usually because the bank account was closed, wrongly entered or not in your name. You need a validated bank account on the portal before you start.
| Task | Portal path |
|---|---|
| Check status | e-File, Income Tax Returns, View Filed Returns |
| Validate bank account | My Profile, My Bank Account |
| Reissue a failed refund | Services, Refund Reissue |
| Report a delay | Grievances, Submit Grievance |
Source: e-filing portal user manual on refund reissue, read November 2026. Menu labels can change; follow the portal's own wording.
- 1
Validate the account first
Add or revalidate an active savings or current account in your name under My Bank Account and wait for validation to succeed.
- 2
Open Refund Reissue
On the dashboard go to Services, then Refund Reissue, and click Create Refund Reissue Request.
- 3
Select the record
Pick the AY 2026-27 refund that failed and continue.
- 4
Choose the bank account
Select the validated account where the refund should now be credited.
- 5
e-Verify and track
Verify the request, note the reference, and track it later under View Refund Reissue Request.
How to raise an income tax refund grievance
Use the grievance route when your return is verified and processed, or has sat in processing far longer than similar returns, and the portal gives no reason. A grievance asks the department to look at your case; it does not change your figures.
- Log in and open Grievances from the dashboard or the footer link on the portal.
- Choose the right category: CPC ITR for processing and refund delays, CPC TDS for credit problems linked to a deductor, or Assessing Officer if your case has been moved to the jurisdictional officer.
- Enter the AY, the acknowledgement number of your return, the refund amount and a short, factual description of what you have already checked.
- Submit and save the grievance number, then track it under View Grievance.
The e-filing portal also lists two helpdesk numbers for intimation, rectification and refund queries: 1800 103 0025 and 1800 419 0025. Call with your PAN, AY and acknowledgement number ready.
If the delay comes from a notice or an open demand, a grievance will not move it. That needs a proper reply; see our page on income tax notice reply.
Refund reduced or wrong: rectification, revised return or belated return?
When the refund arrives smaller than you claimed, or turns into a demand, read the processing intimation line by line. It compares your figures with the department's and shows each change. The remedy depends on whose mistake it was.
- The department's processing missed something on record. For example, a TDS credit that now shows in Form 26AS. Request rectification of the intimation on the portal.
- The deductor filed its TDS return wrongly or late. Ask the employer, bank or tenant to correct its TDS return so the credit appears against your PAN. Businesses can see how this works on our TDS return filing page.
- You made an error in the return. Missed income, wrong deduction or the wrong ITR form needs a revised return, not a grievance.
- You never filed for AY 2026-27. No return means no refund. A belated return can be filed until 31 December 2026, with a late fee under section 234F of ₹1,000 if income is up to ₹5 lakh and ₹5,000 above that.
Audit cases have until 21 November 2026 to file the original return under CBDT Circular 07/2026, so a business owner expecting a refund on an audited return should file before then rather than wait for the belated window. All the cut-offs are on our ITR due dates page.
Worked example: a failed refund fixed in one sitting
Take a hypothetical salaried professional in Rohini whose employer and bank deducted more tax than was due, leaving a refund of ₹38,500 for AY 2026-27. The return was filed in July and e-verified the same day. In October the timeline still showed no money, so they opened View Filed Returns.
The timeline read processed, refund issued, then refund failed. Under My Bank Account, the nominated account was a savings account they had closed after moving banks. The fix took four steps: add the new account, wait for it to validate, raise a refund reissue request for AY 2026-27, and e-verify it. No grievance and no CA were needed.
Now change one fact. Suppose the intimation instead showed a refund of only ₹26,500, because ₹12,000 of bank TDS was missing from Form 26AS. Refund reissue would not help. The bank has to correct its TDS return, after which rectification can be requested. That second case is where most people bring in a professional, because it involves chasing a third party and reading the intimation correctly. The figures here are illustrative.
Common mistakes that delay income tax refunds
Most long delays come from fixing the wrong thing, or from small profile errors that stop the money at the last step.
- Filing but not e-verifying. An unverified return is not processed at all.
- Leaving an old account nominated. Closed accounts and accounts not in your name cause refund failure.
- Raising a grievance for a failed refund. A failed refund needs a reissue request, not a complaint.
- Ignoring the intimation email. It explains every change made to your figures.
- Claiming TDS that is not in Form 26AS. The system allows only credit it can see.
- Filing a revised return to chase a delay. Revising restarts processing and can push the refund further back.
- Ignoring an old demand. Unpaid demands from earlier years can absorb this year's refund.
When should a CA handle an income tax refund not received?
You do not need to pay anyone to validate a bank account, e-verify a return or raise a refund reissue request: these are quick self-service steps. A professional earns their fee when the refund is reduced or turned into a demand, when TDS credit is missing, when an older demand is adjusted, or when a notice is involved.
Those cases call for someone to read the intimation, reconcile it with AIS and Form 26AS, decide between rectification, a revised return and a reply, and draft it properly. NRIs whose refunds come from higher TDS on rent, interest or property sale often fall into this group; see NRI tax filing.
Refund follow-up is not reserved for chartered accountants, so any competent tax professional can do it. Two firms in our directory of chartered accountant firms in Delhi list income tax work: Khubchandani & Co. Chartered Accountants, whose CAs have more than 35 years of experience by the firm's own account, and Moneymji, a business registration and compliance firm that handles income tax and TDS. If you are near Pitampura, the Netaji Subhash Place office is next to the metro, and you get a fixed quote before any work starts. For a new return this year, start with our income tax return filing page.
Frequently asked questions
How long does an income tax refund take for AY 2026-27?
There is no fixed published timeline. Processing only starts after e-verification, and returns with mismatches or flagged claims take longer than clean ones. If yours has been verified for much longer than similar returns and the timeline shows no progress, raise a grievance under CPC ITR.
My ITR is processed but the refund is not received. What should I do?
Open View Filed Returns and check whether the refund shows as issued or failed. If it failed, validate an active bank account in your name and raise a refund reissue request under Services. If it shows as issued, check the nominated account and contact your bank with the date shown.
Can my refund be adjusted against an old tax demand?
Yes. If an earlier year shows an outstanding demand, the department can set this year's refund off against it, and the intimation will say so. If you believe the old demand is wrong, respond to it on the portal under Pending Actions instead of only chasing the refund.
Will I get interest on a delayed income tax refund?
The department generally adds interest to refunds that arise from excess tax paid, and the amount shows in the processing intimation. How much depends on the period and on whether the delay was caused by you, so check the intimation rather than assuming a figure.
Can I get a refund if I missed the ITR due date?
Yes, if you file a belated return for AY 2026-27 by 31 December 2026. A late fee under section 234F applies: ₹1,000 if income is up to ₹5 lakh and ₹5,000 above that. If you are owed a refund, the fee is usually still worth paying.
Does a revised return delay my refund?
It can. A revised return replaces the original and is processed again, so file one only if the original contains an actual error. If the problem is simply that processing is slow, a revised return will not speed it up.
Who do I call about an income tax refund?
The e-filing portal lists 1800 103 0025 and 1800 419 0025 for intimation, rectification and refund queries. Keep your PAN, AY and acknowledgement number ready. For written follow-up, a grievance on the portal leaves a reference you can track.