How to Check Your Income Tax Refund Online?
Your work after filing your income tax returns doesn’t end. You ought to step into another phase of your journey of awaiting your refunds. There are moments when you have already filled your returns but the wait gets extended for you. You have to wait for weeks guessing as to when your refund will arrive.
Income Tax Department made a very good move by introducing online filing of income tax returns. The department also took a step further and introduced a system that enables you to check your status of tax refund online. The “Refund Banker Scheme” kicked off from 24th January 2007. So now for you it is no more a hassle struck journey. Here’s how you enter your smooth drive.
Steps to Check Income Tax Refund Online
- In order to know the status of your income tax refund online you first need to click on to NSDL web site https://tin.tin.nsdl.com/oltas/refundstatuslogin.html
- You are then required to enter your Permanent Account Number (PAN) which is required to be mentioned in a box. You can be rest assured while you give away this information as NSDL is a secure website.
- You are then asked to fill in the year for which you need to check the status of your refund. Click Submit and there you go.
- You can also check the status of your income tax refund through a toll free number of SBI help desk 18004259760.
- You may also send across mail for the same [email protected] or [email protected].
- It is important to note that you will be able to check the status of income tax refund online only after 10 days when the refund has been sent to the refund banker by the Assessing Officer.
Modes of Income Tax Refund – Two different modes of income tax refund are adapted for all tax payers whenever tax refunds are applicable. These are as follows –
- Paper Cheque – While a Standared paper cheque is issued to you, the important information that are required are your correct bank account number and your correct address.
- RTGS/NECS – If your account is directly being credited with the refund amount than your bank account number along with the MICR/IFSC code of the bank branch with your correct address forms the vital part.
Types of Status Online – While you go verifying your income tax refund status online you may come across a number of status messages on the website. Following are two types of messages that usually appear on the website.
However, there can be other status messages too but that would depend upon the actual state of processing. Any kind of disparity that may have been noticed by the department may be reflected in status messages. In order to take further action, you reserve the right to appeal and inform the department about any kind of discrepancy that you may find at the status.
- Cheque Encashed- This status pops up when you have received the cheque and also encashed it. But in case if you have not received the cheque or have not encashed it yet and if the status reflects so then you need to immediately bring this to the notice of the department.
- Change of Address/Refund Cheque Returned Undelivered – This may happen to you if you have changed your address but have not brought the same in the notice of the Income Tax Department through the online registration system. Obviously, your cheque would return in this case. This case is commonly seen. The cheques return undelivered even after being dispatched on time by the income tax department.
Facts about Refund Status
- State Bank of India (SBI) has been chosen by the Income Tax Department as the refund manager. All transactions, refunds, cheques or online transfers are routed through the same.
- If you wish to receive your refund through RTGS/ECS/NECS than it is mandatory for you to provide your correct account number along with the MICR/IFSC code of the bank branch failing which cheques or demand drafts would be dispatched in your name.
- It takes 10 days after the refund has been made by the Assessing Officer that the online status is updated.
- You will be able to view your refund status online only if you have filed your returns correctly on time and they have been received by the department. You can be assured of this only if you have an acknowledgement receipt for the same in hand.
The online refund filing has come as a boon to all the tax payers. For those of you who have timely filed your returns and that too online the refund is faster, quicker and convenient.
Contributed By: Megha Sharma |
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Megha Sharma works as a guest lecturer in Delhi. She holds an MBA & Doctorate from the UPTU. With extensive knowledge and experience in various financial products, she also works as a consultant in banking & finance domains wherein she offers advice to her clients in managing personal finance. | |
