ITR Filing AY2025-26: In how many days will the tax refund come if you file return in April?

The new financial year has started and now taxpayers want to know when they can file their Income Tax Return (ITR) for the assessment year 2025-26. However, for this, first the Income Tax Department will have to notify the ITR forms for the current assessment year.

Seven different ITR forms were notified in April last year, so it is expected that the tax department will soon make available the required forms to ensure that the income tax return filing starts this month.

CA (Dr.) Suresh Surana says that typically, these utilities are released in a phased manner starting from April, but actual filing, especially for forms like ITR-1 and ITR-2, begins only once the respective utilities are operational on the income tax portal.

Most salaried employees wait for their employers to issue Form 16 to file their annual tax return, though this document is not mandatory for ITR filing. Assessees can use various other key documents available to them to determine their taxable income and exact tax liability.

According to Surana, Form 16 is an important document issued by an employer that outlines the salary paid and the tax deducted at source (TDS) during the financial year. It helps salaried taxpayers prepare and verify their Income Tax Return (ITR) accurately by consolidating income and deduction details in one place, he noted.

Which documents should be used in place of Form 16 for ITR filing?

While Form 16 greatly simplifies the return filing process, it is not mandatory for filing the ITR, says Surana. Salaried individuals can still file their returns even without it, provided they have appropriate documentation such as monthly salary slips, Form 26AS, Annual Information Statement (AIS), and Taxpayer Information Summary (TIS), he added. “It is essential, however, that taxpayers maintain proper records of their income, deductions claimed under Chapter VI-A, and any tax payments made, to ensure that the return is filed correctly and is in line with the department’s records.”

When will the income tax return filing start?

As discussed at the beginning, although the preparation of return forms is going on, you will be able to file ITR only after the online utilities of forms like ITR-1 and ITR-2 are activated on the tax portal. These utilities are often released in the first or second week of April. Till then taxpayers will have to wait a bit.

Refund in 7 days? Yes, but with some conditions

Now the question is that if someone files ITR in April itself, will he get the refund within 7 days as being claimed by the income tax department and the finance ministry?

As regards refunds, the Income Tax Department generally expresses its intent to process refunds at a much faster pace, says Surana.

“However, the actual issuance of refunds depends on several factors. These include the accuracy of the return filed, whether the TDS and income details match those in Form 26AS and AIS, the promptness of e-verification by the taxpayer, and whether the return is selected for any further verification or processing,” he added.

Additionally, the taxpayer’s bank account must be pre-validated and linked with the PAN, he suggested, adding that while many salaried taxpayers may indeed receive refunds within a week, the processing time can vary, and the timelines remain open-ended depending on the case-specific circumstances.

Source: FINANCIAL EXPRESS