Understanding Income Tax Refunds: What You Need to Know

Pranay Bafna
Dec 23, 2025
2 min read

Updated: 4 days ago

Many taxpayers have received messages from the Income Tax Department regarding refund claims being kept on hold under the Risk Management Process.

Important Information to Note

This message is being received by a large number of taxpayers.
It is system-generated.
It does NOT mean a notice or penalty.

Common Reasons for the Message

The message can be triggered for several reasons. Here are some of the most common:

Very common reason: Opting for the New Tax Regime but filing the return under the Old Tax Regime (or vice versa).
Minor mismatch between ITR and AIS/TIS.
TDS/TCS credit mismatch.

What You Should Do Now

If you receive this message, here’s what you should do:

Check the email received from the Income Tax Department.
Verify your return details.

To be on the safer side, taxpayers are advised to file a Revised Return before 31st December 2025, irrespective of whether any discrepancy is noticed.

Benefits of Filing a Revised Return

Filing a revised return on time ensures:

Smooth processing of refund.
No additional tax or penalty.
Peace of mind.

⚠️ Filing an updated return after 01-01-2026 will attract additional tax liability.

Key Takeaway

Do not panic. Review, verify, and revise if required.

Understanding the Risk Management Process

The Risk Management Process is designed to ensure that the Income Tax Department can effectively manage and mitigate risks associated with tax filings. This process helps in identifying discrepancies and potential issues that may arise during the tax return assessment.

Why is the Risk Management Process Important?

The Risk Management Process is crucial for maintaining the integrity of the tax system. It helps in:

Identifying fraudulent claims.
Ensuring compliance with tax laws.
Protecting the interests of honest taxpayers.

What Happens Next?

If your claim is under review, you might receive further communication from the Income Tax Department. It's essential to stay updated and respond promptly to any requests for information.

How to Prepare for Future Tax Filings

To avoid issues in the future, consider the following tips:

Keep all financial documents organized.
Understand the differences between the Old and New Tax Regimes.
Regularly review your tax filings for accuracy.

Conclusion

Navigating the complexities of income tax can be challenging. However, understanding the processes and being proactive can help you avoid unnecessary stress.

For more information, connect with CA Pranay Bafna at +91 8888458882.

Message read as:

𝘈𝘛𝘛𝘌𝘕𝘛𝘐𝘖𝘕 𝘡𝘡𝘡𝘡𝘡𝘡𝘡𝘡𝘡𝘡

𝘗𝘈𝘕 𝘡𝘡𝘡𝘡𝘡𝘡𝘡𝘡

𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦-𝘛𝘢𝘹 𝘙𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘗𝘈𝘕: 𝘡𝘡𝘡𝘡𝘡𝘡𝘡𝘡𝘡, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘈𝘠: 2025-26 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶.

𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮 𝘰𝘦𝘧 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥. 𝘈𝘯 𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴.

𝘈𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦-𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘈.𝘠. 2025-26 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯 31/12/2025, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘶𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦. 𝘈𝘯 𝘶𝘱𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 01.01.2026, 𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘢𝘹 𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴.

𝘐𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘦, 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦.

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