Filing Income Tax Return (ITR) is an important process for taxpayers. The refund from this is a good news for taxpayers, but if the refund does not come in the account even after waiting for a long time, then the worry increases.
Many people have to face the problem of not getting refund after filing income tax returns. In such a situation, if you have filed ITR on time for Assessment Year 2025-26 and refund has not come yet, then there may be some common but important reasons behind it.
E-verification
It is not enough to file an ITR, unless you e-verify your returns, the Income Tax Department does not take any action on it. Without e-verification, the refund process does not begin.
Linking of Aadhaar and PAN
The Income Tax Department has made it mandatory to link PAN card to Aadhaar to file ITR. If there is any missamach in your documents, such as the separation of the name or the difference in the date of birth, then the linking will not be fulfilled. Not only this, if you have not completed the linking process, then the process of refund will not be started. So first check whether PAN and Aadhaar are correctly links.
Inequality in documents
If your Form 26AS, Form 16, and the figures given in the annual information details (AIS) do not match, this can also be a reason. For example, if your TDS entry is seen in Form 26AS but you have not included it in ITR, the department can ask you for clarification and stop the refund process.
Ban due to false claims or incomplete information
Many times taxpayers claim some deductions or discounts to save tax, for which they do not have enough documents. In such cases, the Income Tax Department can stop returns for investigation. Especially if you have claimed a large amount of refund, then the department definitely conducts additional check. If the information is not found correct, then there may be a delay in giving the refund or it can also be rejected.
Error in bank account information
While filling ITR, your bank account is the means in which refund is sent. But if you have filled the wrong account number or IFSC code, or your bank account is not verified on the income tax portal, then the refund may hang. Keep in mind that only the bank account is valid which is already verified and in your name.