ITR Filed But No Refund? 5 Reasons It's Stuck

Millions of Indians file their ITR every year but never get their refund. The reason is usually a small mistake you can fix yourself in 10 minutes on the Income Tax portal.

Here's what happened: Many taxpayers see 'ITR processed' on the portal but still receive no refund — often due to a bank account validation failure or wrong IFSC code.. The Income Tax Department can also pause refunds if your PAN is not linked to Aadhaar, or if there is a pending tax demand from a previous assessment year.. Refunds are issued only to pre-validated bank accounts linked to your PAN — if your account details changed after filing, the refund bounces back silently..

What you should do: Log in to incometax.gov.in and check your refund status under 'My Account' — look for any 'defective return' notice or outstanding demand that needs clearance.. Pre-validate your bank account on the IT portal: go to Profile > Bank Accounts, confirm your IFSC and account number are current and the account is marked as 'ECS enabled'.. If your refund shows 'failed' or 'returned', raise a refund re-issue request immediately via the portal's 'Services > Refund Reissue' section — do not wait for a letter..

Pro tip: If your refund is delayed beyond 60 days from ITR processing, you are legally entitled to interest at 6% per year under Section 244A — check if the IT dept owes you extra.