In India, filing your Income Tax Return (ITR) is a mandatory requirement laid out by the Income Tax Act, 1961, for individuals and businesses liable to pay income tax under the Act. But your compliance journey does not end with the submission of your ITR. After filing, it is vital to check your ITR status online as soon as possible to make sure that your ITR is verified, processed, and accepted by the Income Tax Department.
However, there are a large number of taxpayers who are confused after filing their returns and neglect to follow up with their ITR verification or processing. This can create complications such as delayed refunds, compliance notices, or invalidating a return. This blog elaborates on how you can check your ITR status online, what each status means, and why timely monitoring is essential.
What is ITR status?
ITR status is the current status/ stage of your filed return. After you submit your return, you need to verify it electronically or physically. Once your return is verified, the Income Tax Department will process your return and update the status. The ITR status can suggest various stages like “Return Submitted”, “Successfully Verified”, “Processed”, “Refund Issued”, “ITR Under Processing”, “Defective Return” or “Need Action”.
Each of the stages lets you know whether your return is under review, accepted, or needs correction. If you receive a rejected return or a return marked as defective, immediate steps must be taken to prevent potential legal or financial issues.
Who Should Check ITR Status?
Every taxpayer who has already filed their return online should check their ITR verification status and ITR processing status. Salaried professionals, Freelancers, businessmen, senior citizens, and even HUFs and companies. Tracking your income tax refund regularly is a way to keep yourself updated on the progress if you are supposed to receive a tax refund.
What do You Need Before Checking Your ITR Status?
To check ITR status online, you need to have your PAN (Permanent Account Number) or acknowledgement number, assessment year for which the return has been filed, in addition to access to a registered mobile number (or email for OTP based login if required). You must have already filed your return and hopefully verified it using the Aadhaar OTP facility or net banking or using an EVC (electronic verification code) or by sending the signed ITR-V by post to CPC Bengaluru.
Various Methods to Check ITR Status Online
Method 1: Check ITR Status on Income Tax e-Filing Portal (Login-Based)
- Visit the official website of the Income Tax Department of India e-Filing at www.incometax.gov.in.
- Go to the homepage, select the “Login” option, enter your PAN as user ID, password, and captcha.
- After logging in, go to the “e-File” menu and select the option “Income Tax Returns”, and click on “View filed returns”. You will view a list of all the returns you have filed.
- Please choose the corresponding assessment year to check the current ITR status. This section displays information such as the date the return was filed, date of verification (if applicable), processing stage, and refund stage (if applicable).
This approach is helpful if you want an overview of your ITR filing history that you can update as and when changes are made.
Method 2: ITR Status Check without Login (Using Acknowledgement Number)
If you don’t want to log in or forget your password, you can check your ITR status without logging in using your acknowledgement number.
- Visit the e-Filing portal and on the home page,
- Click on “ITR Status” under “Quick Links”. Fill in your PAN, acknowledgement number, and the security code shown on the screen.
- Once filed, the status of your return, whether it is filed, verified, processed, or requires any other action from your end, will be reflected in your portal.
This is especially useful for people who have just submitted their returns and need a quick and easy way to confirm submission and verification.
What Are the Various ITR Statuses Mean?
When you check your status, you might see different descriptions. “Return Submitted and Pending for Verification” means you’ve filed your return but it hasn’t been verified. “Successfully Verified” indicates you are verified and the return is now waiting to be processed. “Processed” means your return has been reviewed by the Income Tax Department, which has accepted it. This means that your Return is either defective or under processing.
If your status is “Refund Issued”, the department has credited the refund to your bank account or it will do so soon. You may also track your refund separately on the NSDL TIN website by entering your PAN and assessment year.
Frequent Causes for ITR Processing or Refund Delay
This time, taxpayers are worried about another big one, they are asking why my income tax return is taking to process? Reasons could be a mismatch in TDS details, non-verification of the return, wrong bank details, or return scrutiny, etc. In certain situations, a notice may be issued seeking more information by the Income Tax Department under Section 143(1). If you do not heed such a notice, your return may be rejected.
So, it is important to ensure that your return is verified well on time, information matches with Form 26AS and AIS (Annual Information Statement) and your bank account is pre-validated for credit of refund.
Reasons To Check ITR Status Online Periodically
Checking Your ITR Status Online Regularly: Checking your income tax return (ITR) status online helps you solve and respond to mismatches or notices in time. It ensures your return is not listed as “Invalid” because you failed to verify within the deadlines. For taxpayers who are due a refund, tracking the status of your refund helps ensure you get your refund without delay. Furthermore, regular checks ensure that you have clean tax records and that you do not run into any legal or compliance issues in the future.
Legal Provisions Governing Processing of ITRs
Processing of returns and refunds is governed by Section 143(1) of the Income Tax Act, 1961. If there is a mismatch of information or if a correction is required, generally, the department sends an intimation also under this section. The taxpayer has a short window to reply. That is why checking your income tax return processing status online helps you detect such notices earlier and act accordingly.
Second, as per Section 139(9), if the return is marked defective, we are supposed to rectify it within 15 days of receipt of notice. Failing to address these issues might result in your return being invalidated or you being charged penalties.
Conclusion
In this digital age, the Income Tax Department has conveniently allowed taxpayers to file, verify, and track their returns online. But it is the responsibility of the taxpayer to confirm the return not only has been filed but has in fact been successfully verified and processed. Understanding how to check ITR status online gives you the power to control your tax filing, track the refund, and rectify discrepancies on time.
You can easily check the status either using your login credentials combined with your password and captcha code or through your acknowledgement number, and it is essential to keep your filing process hassle-free. Once you file the return and verification is done, visit the income tax return status page every few weeks till you get the final processing confirmation or refund.
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