While you may have filed your income tax return (ITR) and verified it also, it may not be sufficient to ensure that you get your tax refund on time as it may depend on many other factors.

Before the tax department issues a refund, certain checks and balances must be met. One such measure is the 'Risk Management System (RMS),' which the tax department employs to identify ITRs that may warrant further scrutiny. If your ITR has been identified by the tax department's RMS, then an intimation will be sent to your email address. You can also view this intimation on the e-filing portal (steps to view are given below).

Once the tax department's RMS has identified your submitted and verified ITR, it will not be processed until you fix the issue. In the worst-case scenario, if you decide not to take any action, then the tax department can issue you an income tax notice.

When can the tax department's 'risk management' system pause your tax refund process?
S Ramakrishnan, former Chief Commissioner of the Income Tax Department says that over the years, the tax department has identified bogus claims in tax returns and with a view to arrest such claims the "Risk Management System has been put in place consequent to which such emails are issued to taxpayers to confirm their claims before issue of refunds."