How to check your ITR refund status

A free, step-by-step guide · Last checked: 26 Oct 2026

Refund details are on the income tax e-filing portal. Log in, open your filed return for the assessment year and look at its status and life cycle. Without logging in, you can check the ITR status with your acknowledgement number and a mobile OTP; the portal's FAQ says refund details are fully available after login.

Steps (with login)

Open the portal. Type incometax.gov.in into your browser yourself. Check the address ends in incometax.gov.in.
Log in with your user ID and password, yourself. If your PAN is not linked with Aadhaar, a pop-up says it is inoperative.
Open View Filed Returns. Go to the e-File tab, then Income Tax Returns, then View Filed Returns.
Pick the assessment year and click View Details. This shows the refund status and the life cycle of the return.

The manual lists four refund statuses: refund issued, refund partially adjusted, full refund adjusted, and refund failed.

Without logging in

On the portal home page, open the ITR status option.
Enter your acknowledgement number and a valid mobile number.
Type the 6-digit OTP sent to that number yourself. It expires after 15 minutes and you get 3 attempts.

How long it takes

The portal's manual says refund processing starts only after the return is e-verified and that "usually, it takes 4-5 weeks" to credit. If it has not arrived, check the ITR for an intimation of discrepancies and your email for messages from the department.

If something goes wrong

Refund failed. The manual lists these causes: PAN inoperative (link PAN with Aadhaar), bank account not pre-validated, account holder name not matching PAN, invalid IFSC, or a closed account.
Still stuck. The portal lists 1800 103 0025 or 1800 419 0025 for refund and processing queries (08:00 to 20:00, Monday to Friday).

Stay safe

Never share the OTP or your password with anyone.
Use only the official site, ending in incometax.gov.in. Ignore SMS or email links that promise a refund if you click.
Lookalike sites copy the official look, so check the address before you type anything.

Pocko is not part of the income tax department and this guide is not official. Screens change; if a step looks different, follow what the official site shows, or check the official site's help.

Sources

Last checked: 26 Oct 2026

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