Finance Tools
Income Tax Refund Estimator
Find out if you'll get a tax refund or owe more tax for FY 2025-26 — enter your income, TDS and deductions
Check your Form 26AS on incometax.gov.in for exact TDS amount
File your ITR online — free up to ₹50 lakh income
File ITR Free on ClearTax →Affiliate link — we earn a commission at no cost to you
Key dates for FY 2025-26 tax filing
First advance tax instalment
If your total tax liability exceeds ₹10,000, you must pay 15% of the estimated annual tax by this date. Missing it attracts 1% per month interest under Section 234C.
ITR filing deadline
Last date for salaried individuals to file their return. Filing after this date incurs a late fee of ₹5,000 (₹1,000 if income is below ₹5 lakh) and you lose the option to choose between old and new regime.
Belated return deadline
You can still file a late return until this date, but with penalty. You also cannot carry forward losses (except house property loss) if you file after July 31. Refund claims are still processed but take longer.
Refund processing
After e-verification, refunds are typically processed within 30-45 days. The refund is credited directly to the bank account linked to your PAN. You'll receive an SMS and email from the IT department confirming the amount.
Why you might get a refund (or owe more)
Your employer deducted TDS based on old regime but you switched to new regime (or vice versa) while filing
You forgot to declare deductions (80C, 80D, HRA) to your employer — they over-deducted TDS
You have TDS on FD interest but your total income falls below the taxable threshold
You changed jobs mid-year and both employers assumed full basic exemption
You have income from multiple sources (freelancing, rent, capital gains) that wasn't covered by TDS
You sold property or stocks and owe capital gains tax that TDS didn't cover
You declared deductions to your employer but didn't actually invest (fake 80C declarations)
Your FD interest, freelance income, or rental income pushes you into a higher tax bracket
Always verify Form 26AS before filing
Form 26AS is your tax credit statement — it shows every rupee of TDS deducted against your PAN from all sources (salary, bank interest, rent, freelance payments). Log in to incometax.gov.in → My Account → View Form 26AS. Match the total TDS shown here against what you enter in your ITR. Mismatches are the #1 reason refunds get stuck in processing — if your return claims ₹80,000 TDS but 26AS shows ₹72,000, the IT department will only refund based on the lower figure.
Key Terms
TDS
Tax Deducted at Source — tax your employer deducts monthly from salary and pays to government.
Form 26AS
Your annual tax credit statement showing all TDS deducted and advance tax paid on your behalf.
Advance Tax
Tax paid in advance (before March 31) when TDS alone is insufficient. Required if liability > ₹10,000.
ITR
Income Tax Return — annual declaration filed on incometax.gov.in, due July 31 each year.