19/11/2025
📢 Income Tax Refund Update: CBDT Tightens Scrutiny on High-Value Claims
The department has intensified checks after identifying wrongful deduction claims in several high-value and system-flagged filings. Because of this, a portion of refunds is being temporarily held for verification.
However, Agrawal clarified that legitimate refunds will be cleared by November end or December.
According to the latest official data (updated till November 10), the income-tax refund outgo has dropped by nearly 18% year-on-year, standing at ₹2.42 lakh crore.
CBDT Chairman Ravi Agrawal explained that this decline may be due to lower refund claims and rationalised TDS rates.
The CBDT is also focusing on reducing direct-tax litigation. Appellate authorities are working actively to clear pending appeals, with over 40% higher disposals compared to last year. The backlog that grew during Covid is now being rapidly reduced.
If your IT refund is delayed, it may be due to these enhanced verifications, especially in high-value or deduction-heavy filings.
Stay updated for more insights on tax refunds, scrutiny, TDS, and compliance.