You can check your income tax refund status any time on the e-filing portal, under your filed returns. This guide shows exactly where to look, explains every status you might see — issued, failed, adjusted, not determined — and tells you what to do when a refu…
You can also open Services → Refund/Demand Status for a summary across years.
Your return must be e-verified first. Until it is, processing doesn't start, and nothing happens to your refund.
| Status | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
Return processed, refund issued | The refund has been sent to your bank account | Check the account. It usually reaches you within a few days of the issue date. |
Refund failed | The bank couldn't credit it, typically because the account wasn't pre-validated, was closed, or the name didn't match | Fix the bank account, then raise a refund reissue request |
Refund adjusted against demand | The refund was used to clear tax the department says you owe for another year | If you disagree, respond to the adjustment intimation and dispute the old demand |
Processed with reduced refund | The department changed some figures | Read the 143(1) intimation to see what changed |
Processed, no refund / no demand | Your tax paid equals your tax due | Nothing |
Not yet processed | Still in the queue | Wait, and make sure you have no pending action on the portal |
The reissued refund goes to the new account. Raise only one request at a time and wait for it to be processed.
A refund can quietly disappear into an old demand. Before chasing a refund, open Pending Actions → Response to Outstanding Demand on the portal. If there is a demand from an earlier year, the department can adjust your refund against it after sending an intimation.
Old demands are also why some refunds show "adjusted" when you expected cash in the bank.
Yes. When a refund is due because more tax was deducted or paid than needed, the department pays interest of 0.5% a month (6% a year), generally from 1 April of the assessment year if you filed on time. It is added to the refund automatically. That interest is taxable income: report it in next year's return as income from other sources.
Want the refund right the first time? TaxQue's income tax return filing service matches your return to your AIS and Form 26AS before filing, which is what keeps refunds from getting stuck. Our ITR documents checklist shows what to keep ready.
This article is published by TaxQue (ARB FinTech LLP) for general informational, educational, and business guidance purposes only. Tax laws, GST rules, MCA circulars, and judicial precedents are subject to frequent statutory revisions. This content does not constitute formal individualized tax, accounting, or legal counsel.
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