Your Money, India's Vault: How to Get Your TDS Refund

Path 1. Current year: File your ITR with DTAA rates. Attach TRC and Form 10F. The difference between TDS deducted at 30% and what the treaty says comes back as a refund. Timeline: 3-6 months after filing.

Path 2. Past years: File a condonation application under Section 119(2)(b). You can go back up to 5 Assessment Years (CBDT Circular 11/2024). India will process the revised assessment and refund the excess. Timeline: 6-12 months. Plus, they owe you 6% annual interest on delayed refunds under Section 244A.

Most NRIs don't know Path 2 exists. If you've been an NRI for 5+ years and never claimed DTAA, the past-year recovery is usually bigger than the current year savings.

1. Get your TRC from your country's tax authority

2. File Form 10F on incometax.gov.in

3. Download your Form 26AS

4. File ITR-2 (the form for NRIs with investment income)

5. In the income schedule, enter your income amounts

6. In the tax computation, claim the DTAA rate instead of the default rate

7. Attach your TRC and Form 10F number

8. e-Verify using Aadhaar OTP

The ITR will automatically calculate that TDS deducted > tax owed, and flag the difference as a refund. The Income Tax Department processes this and credits the refund to your PAN-linked bank account.

Sounds straightforward? It is, if you know which rates to claim and which treaty articles apply. That's where most NRIs get lost, and where we help.

Week 1-2: ITR acknowledged and processed

Month 1-2: Intimation under Section 143(1), shows the computed refund

Month 3-6: Refund credited to your bank account

You'll get SMS and email notifications at each stage. You can also track status on incometax.gov.in under “View Refund/Demand Status.”

If there's a mismatch between your claimed income and 26AS data, you might get a notice. Don't panic, respond with your TRC and Form 10F documentation. This usually resolves it.

For past-year condonation claims, the timeline is longer (6-12 months) but the amounts are bigger because you're recovering multiple years at once, plus interest.