Over 53 Lakh Income Tax Refunds Pending for AY 2025 - 26
A large number of taxpayers are still awaiting their income tax refunds for the Assessment Year 2025–26. According to data from PDICAI, around 8.80 crore income tax returns were filed as of January 2026, but refunds have been issued for only 8.15 crore returns so far, leaving nearly 53 lakh refunds pending.
As per guidelines of the Income Tax Department, refunds are usually credited within four to five weeks. However, delays have increased due to intensified cross-verification of high-value refunds with the Annual Information Statement (AIS), the launch of the data-driven NUDGE campaign to ensure accurate reporting of foreign assets and income, and the heavy workload at the Centralised Processing Centre (CPC) following the extended ITR filing deadline.
Other common reasons for delay include bank account not being pre-validated, mismatches between PAN and bank details, inactive bank accounts, and incorrect IFSC codes. Taxpayers can check their refund status on the Income Tax e-filing portal or the NSDL website.
In case of prolonged delays, taxpayers can contact the CPC helpline, with refunds being processed through the State Bank of India, the official refund banker.
