To get a tax refund in India, you must file your Income Tax Return (ITR) online at the Income Tax Department's website before the due date, ensuring all deductions and TDS are correctly claimed. Once filed, you must e-verify the return. If the tax paid exceeds your final liability, the excess amount is refunded directly to your pre-validated bank account.
Income Tax Department
Many are wondering if the Income Tax Department delays processing refunds if the refund amount is large, such as over Rs 50,000. According to income tax rules, there is no upper limit on refunds. Whether your refund is Rs 10,000 or Rs 1 lakh or even greater, it will be credited the same way.
As per section 237, if any person satisfies the Assessing Officer that the amount of tax paid by him or on his behalf or treated as paid by him or on his behalf for any year exceeds the amount of tax payable by him, he shall be entitled to a refund of the excess tax paid by him.
Yes, NRIs can claim refunds for TDS deducted on fixed deposits if the total tax liability is lower than the TDS deducted. The refund can be claimed by filing an ITR and ensuring that all TDS entries from banks are correctly reflected.
Maximum marginal rate is the highest rate of tax at any income level. This means for those with incomes between Rs 2 crore and Rs 5 crore, 39% will be the highest applicable tax rate, and for those with incomes above Rs 5 crore, it will be 42.74% — the highest tax rate since 1992.
Usually, it takes 4-5 weeks for the refund to be credited to the account of the taxpayer. However, if refund is not received during this duration, the taxpayer must check for intimation regarding discrepancies in ITR; check email for any notification from the IT department regarding the refund.
Understanding TDS Refund on Salary
A TDS refund is applicable when the tax deducted at source (TDS) by your employer exceeds your actual tax liability for the financial year. For example, if your total tax payable is ₹20,000 but your employer deducts ₹25,000, you are eligible for a TDS refund of ₹5,000.
If you make ₹ 720,000 a year living in India, you will be taxed ₹ 145,160. That means that your net pay will be ₹ 574,840 per year, or ₹ 47,903 per month.
In India, the 30% income tax rate generally applies to individuals earning above ₹24 Lakhs (under the old regime/default for some) or ₹15 Lakhs (under the new optional regime for FY 2025-26) and to firms (as a flat rate), while certain income types like lottery winnings, online gaming, and virtual digital assets (like crypto) are taxed at a flat 30% for everyone, regardless of total income.
What are the eligibility criteria to file ITR? As per the Income Tax Act of 1961, any individual under 60 years of age and earns a total income of Rs. 2.5 lakh or more in a financial year must file ITR.
You can get your refund by:
According to government reports, while over 7 crore people file tax returns, only a fraction of them actually pay taxes because many fall below the taxable income threshold or use deductions to reduce liability.
“At a salary of one crore, the average tax rate is 29.26% in the New Regime, compared to 32% in the Old Regime. As the salary increases, the average tax rate in both regimes also increases, reaching 38.42% in the New Regime and 42.46% in the Old Regime for ₹10 crore income,” the CEO of Tax2win added.
Tax regulations in India can be intricate, making it easier for some to exploit loopholes for personal gain.
Visit the official e-filing website and select the ITR status button. Provide the PAN card and acknowledgement number. Visit the NSDL website, navigate the refund status login page and provide the PAN card and assessment year details.
There are many reasons why the IRS may be holding your refund. You have unfiled or missing tax returns for prior tax years. The check was held or returned due to a problem with the name or address. You elected to apply the refund toward your estimated tax liability for next year.
With the recent changes in the Indian Income Tax Act, it's now possible to pay zero tax on a salary of up to Rs. 7 lakhs. To pay zero tax on a 7 lakh salary using the old tax regime, maximize deductions: Claim Tax Rebate under Section 87A.