How to deal with the causes of delay in refunds taxpayer and what to do

As far as the Refunds issues are concerned, the process has been reasonably streamlined & made simpler by the Income Tax Department. However, there are instances wherein getting the refunds become cumbersome & annoying. In most of the cases, refunds are not issued for the following reasons:

• Incorrect entry of PAN number
• Change of address without proper intimation to the tax department
• Wrong bank account provided in the tax return
• Inconsistency in TDS credit with reference to 26AS (Tax Credit Status)
• Delayed in tax return filing or non-filing by the Tax Deductor.

The best approach in case the refund is delayed beyond a years time or so is to visit the income tax office for the follow up of the refund or send a grievance letter addressed to the concerned Income Tax Assessing Officer, with the copy of the tax return acknowledgement. If there is a severe delay, a letter could be addressed to the Jurisdictional Chief Commissioner of the Income Tax, with a copy to the Grievance Cell and the concerned Income Tax Officer wherein one can attach copies of previous letters which may have been written to the Income Tax Assessing Officer, along with a copy of the tax return filed.