An income-tax refund stuck for more than 60 days from ITR processing carries a statutory right to interest at 6 percent per annum under §244A of the Income Tax Act, 1961. The RTI route forces the Centralised Processing Centre (CPC) Bangalore and the jurisdictional Assessing Officer (AO) to disclose the delay reason, the interest calculation, and the dealing officer. CPC and every AO office are public authorities under the RTI Act, 2005. The RTI fee is Rs. 10. The PIO has 30 days to reply under §7(1). This article is a focused follow-up to our broader RTI for income tax refund delay guide, aimed at the 60-day-plus scenario where §244A interest kicks in.
📥 Use these before filing
A refund stuck beyond 60 days from ITR processing is the trigger for §244A interest. The CPC must compute and pay the interest along with the refund.
§244A of the Income Tax Act, 1961 gives the taxpayer a statutory right to interest on a delayed refund:
In practice, CPC often omits or under-pays the interest. The RTI route forces the calculation to be disclosed line by line.
The broader refund-delay RTI (see linked article) asks about status and reasons. The 60-day-plus RTI adds three specific questions:
To,
The Public Information Officer,
[Centralised Processing Centre, Bangalore /
Office of the Assessing Officer, [Range and Ward]]
[Full address]
Subject: Request for information under §6(1) of the Right to
Information Act, 2005, regarding ITR refund stuck more than 60 days
for PAN [XXXXX1234X], Assessment Year 2025-26, Acknowledgement
Number [XXXXXXXXXXXXXX].
Sir / Madam,
I, [Your full name], a citizen of India, residing at [Your address],
PAN [XXXXX1234X], request the following information under §6(1) of
the RTI Act, 2005:
Assessment Year: 2025-26
Acknowledgement Number: [XXXXXXXXXXXXXX]
ITR filed on: [DD-MM-YYYY]
ITR processed on: [DD-MM-YYYY] (under §143(1) intimation)
Refund amount as per §143(1): Rs. [XX,XXX]
Days since processing: [Number] days
1. Current status of the refund as on the date of this application.
2. Reasons for the delay beyond the 60-day window after ITR
processing, with specific reference to the stage in CPC or AO
office.
3. Interest computation under §244A of the Income Tax Act, 1961:
a. The start date of interest counting.
b. The end date as of the current status.
c. The number of full months counted.
d. The principal on which interest is calculated.
e. The total interest amount accrued to date.
4. Whether any portion of the interest is being suppressed under
§244A(2) on the ground of delay attributable to me. If yes,
the specific attributable-delay finding.
5. Whether any §245 adjustment is pending against an earlier-year
demand. If yes, a copy of the §245 order with the demand details.
6. Name and designation of the dealing officer or the system
module handling the refund.
7. Expected date of refund disbursement, including the §244A
interest.
8. Action taken on the e-Nivaran grievance filed by me on
[DD-MM-YYYY], if any.
I am enclosing Rs. 10 as the prescribed application fee by way of
Indian Postal Order No. [XXXXX] dated [DD-MM-YYYY].
Kindly supply the information within 30 days as required under §7(1)
of the Act.
Yours sincerely,
[Signature]
[Printed name]
[Phone] · [Email]
PAN: [XXXXX1234X]
Date: [DD-MM-YYYY]
Place: [City]
If the refund is Rs. 50,000, ITR filed on 31 July 2025, and refund credited on 15 February 2026:
If the CPC pays only the principal, the missing interest is itself a ground for a separate RTI and a First Appeal.
90 days, no movement? CIC route with §20 prayer.
When CPC and the AO PIO both ignore, the Second Appeal to the Central Information Commission is the route. Include a §20(1) prayer for Rs. 25,000 penalty on the PIO. The §244A interest entitlement strengthens the §20 case because the delay is causing concrete monetary harm. Read the §20 guide.
Templates: RTI Application Format · First Appeal Format · Second Appeal Format
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Automatic, in principle. The CPC system computes §244A interest and adds it to the refund. In practice, suppression and under-payment are common. Claim it explicitly in the RTI to force the calculation.
0.5 percent per month (or part of a month) on the refund principal. From the start date defined in §244A(1) to the credit date. Full months only; partial months count as full.
Only under §244A(2), and only where the CPC has a specific attributable-delay finding against you. Common reasons: late response to §139(9) defective return notice, late §142(1) reply. The PIO must show the finding.
Partly. §244A interest applies only to the net refund (after §245 adjustment). If the §245 adjustment is itself disputed, the interest revives on the disputed portion if you win.
The broader article covers all refund delays (status, reasons, bank issues). This article focuses on the 60-day-plus scenario where §244A interest kicks in. Use both: the broader one for general status, this one for the interest claim.
No. §244A interest is calculated only on the refund principal, not on accrued interest. The interest is a one-time addition to the disbursement.
Yes, but the parallel grievance route is recommended. The e-Nivaran serves as evidence of pre-RTI exhaustion of remedies, useful in the Second Appeal.
Last reviewed: 28 May 2026, RTI Wiki editorial team.