When Will You Get Your ITR Refund? What Data Tells Us

If you've filed your Income Tax Return and are waiting for your refund, you're probably wondering: how long will it take? Here's where ITR processing stands as of late May 2026 — what the official portal data shows, what it doesn't show right now, and what to do if your refund is still pending.

Where ITR Processing Stands Right Now

The financial calendar has turned. FY 2025-26 ended on 31 March 2026, and the filing season for AY 2026-27 (returns for FY 2025-26 income) opened on 1 April 2026. AY 2025-26 — last season's returns, filed during summer 2025 for FY 2024-25 income — is the AY most "where's my refund" readers are asking about. It is now in late-processing / backlog-clearance phase: timely returns have largely been processed, and what remains is flagged-for-review, refund-on-hold, or late-filed.

Derivation: at end of March 2026 the portal showed 8.74 crore e-verified against 8.59 crore processed, leaving roughly 15 lakh pending. CPC's monthly publication then reported approximately 1.5 lakh additional returns cleared in April 2026, leaving roughly 13.5 lakh implied still pending at end of April.

Important caveat: this is an upper bound on queue delay. Some portion of the 13.5 lakh is held for scrutiny, refund verification, or pending additional information from the filer — not pure queue position. And because the portal has not published updated AY 2025-26 figures since 1 April 2026, this figure is an inference from the last published numbers, not a fresh daily reading.

The FY-End Push and April Clearance

Two clearance events define the recent picture for AY 2025-26:

For context on what CPC can do when it pushes hard: the all-time one-day record remains 6.97 lakh returns on 14 February 2026. The Mar 31 push wasn't a record day, but it was an unusually large clean-out for an end-of-FY date.

What We Don't Yet Know

Earlier versions of this article projected a clearance window from daily processing trends. That approach no longer works for AY 2025-26, and we'd rather say so than dress up a guess.

Two things are missing right now:

• No daily AY 2025-26 figures. The portal stopped publishing the AY 2025-26 success-enablers series on 1 April 2026 when reporting transitioned to AY 2026-27. There is no daily processed-vs-pending number to extrapolate from.
• No breakdown of what's stuck and why. Of the ~13.5 lakh implied still pending, some portion is genuinely in the processing queue, but some is held for scrutiny, refund verification, or awaiting filer action. The portal doesn't publish that split publicly.

The next concrete signal will be CPC's next monthly publication, which usually reports cumulative processing for the prior month. Until then, projecting a clearance date from public data isn't honest.

The practical takeaway for an individual filer is in the next section — your timeline now depends less on aggregate backlog math and more on whether your return has a flag or notice attached to it.

What Affects Your Refund Timeline?

Several factors determine how quickly you'll receive your refund:

1. E-Verification Status

Your return must be e-verified before processing begins. If you haven't e-verified yet, your refund is essentially on hold. E-verify immediately using:

• Aadhaar OTP (fastest method)
• Net banking
• Bank account validation
• Demat account validation

2. Type of Return

Simple returns (ITR-1 with just salary income) typically get processed faster than complex returns (ITR-2, ITR-3 with capital gains, business income, etc.).

3. Processing Queue

Returns are generally processed in the order they were filed and verified. Filing early in the season usually means faster processing.

4. Discrepancies

If there's a mismatch between your filed return and Form 26AS/AIS data, processing may be delayed for verification.

Your Personal Timeline Expectations

Where you sit in late May 2026 depends on which filing season your return belongs to:

• AY 2025-26 return (FY 2024-25 income), e-verified on or before 31 March 2026: The bulk of timely returns from this season were cleared in the FY 2025-26 close-out — the ~2.95 lakh push on 31 March plus the ~1.5 lakh in April. If yours is still pending, the next step is to log into the e-Filing portal and check "View Filed Returns" for any notices under Section 143(1), 143(2), or 139(9). A pending notice blocks further processing. Also confirm your bank account is pre-validated for refund credit and that PAN-Aadhaar linkage is current.
• AY 2025-26 return, e-verified in April-May 2026 (late filers): You're in the residual AY 2025-26 backlog. Daily processing data isn't being published right now, so we can't give a precise timeline from public data. The same checklist applies — look for any pending notices and confirm bank pre-validation.
• AY 2026-27 return (FY 2025-26 income, the current filing season): Filing for AY 2026-27 opened 1 April 2026 and the portal began publishing AY 2026-27 numbers on 25 May 2026. Volumes are still very small (~4.1 lakh e-verified) and most filers wait until June-July ahead of the 31 July due date. Processing speed for this season can't yet be characterised from public data.
• Not yet e-verified: E-verify immediately. Your timeline only starts after verification.

If your AY 2025-26 return has been showing "Under Processing" for more than nine months since verification and there's no pending notice, raise a grievance through the e-Nivaran tab on the e-Filing portal.

How to Check Your Refund Status

You can track your refund status through multiple channels:

1. e-Filing Portal: Login to incometax.gov.in → View Filed Returns → Check Status
2. NSDL Website: Visit tin.tin.nsdl.com and enter your PAN and assessment year
3. SMS: Your registered mobile number will receive an SMS when the refund is processed

What If Your Refund Is Delayed?

If it's been more than 60 days since e-verification and you haven't received your refund:

1. Check for notices: Login to the e-Filing portal and check if there are any outstanding notices or requests for information
2. Verify bank details: Ensure your bank account is pre-validated and linked to your PAN
3. Raise a grievance: Use the e-Nivaran portal on the IT website to raise a complaint
4. Contact CPC: Call the CPC helpline at 1800-103-0025 (toll-free)

Key Takeaways

• Implied AY 2025-26 pending backlog: ~13.5 lakh returns at end of April 2026 (derived from last published portal figures + CPC monthly publication; upper bound, not a fresh daily reading)
• Recent clearance: ~2.95 lakh refunds in the 31 March 2026 FY-end push (about 10× normal daily rate) plus ~1.5 lakh additional returns cleared in April 2026
• Daily AY 2025-26 processing data is not published after 1 April 2026; the portal has transitioned to AY 2026-27 reporting
• If your AY 2025-26 return is still pending: check the e-Filing portal for any 143(1), 143(2), or 139(9) notices — a pending notice blocks further processing
• E-verify immediately if you haven't already — your timeline only starts after verification
• Keep your bank account pre-validated and PAN-Aadhaar linkage current to avoid post-processing refund credit delays