A new message from the Income Tax Department has triggered confusion and concern among taxpayers this week. Many people have reported receiving an SMS saying their ITR refund claim has been “identified under risk management process” and that processing has been kept on hold due to “certain discrepancies.”
have flagged the same experience, calling the communication unclear and anxiety-inducing.
The alert mentions that the return has been flagged for review and advises taxpayers to file a revised return before December 31. It also claims that an email with details has already been sent, although many recipients say no such email has arrived.
Chartered Accountant Parag Jain, , said many compliant taxpayers are receiving these warning-style messages even when their claims are genuine.
According to him, people who have claimed donations, declared foreign assets, shown demat holdings, or reported high refunds appear to be getting flagged.
He said the tone of the alert has created confusion because it arrives late at night and often refers to emails that were never delivered. Jain argues that most taxpayers follow the rules and only need clarity, not fear.
“Paying taxes and filing on time should not feel like a crime,” he wrote, urging the department to communicate in a clearer and more empathetic manner.
Chartered Accountant Mayank Gosar, CEO of Softcon Capital, says the message is essentially a prompt and not a formal notice. According to him, the department has kept certain returns on hold internally because they want to run additional checks on specific claims.
These are usually triggered by mismatches in high-value transactions, donation claims, foreign asset declarations, or refund amounts that appear larger than usual.
Gosar shared an example where a taxpayer who had made a political donation received a risk management alert. In such cases, the return is flagged until the system receives either clarification from the taxpayer or a revised return.
He says the department will soon send detailed emails listing the exact transaction or claim that needs verification, but many people have not received those emails yet.
Gosar says the first step is simple. Review your ITR and ensure every claim is supported by documents. If anything was declared incorrectly, file a revised return before December 31. If everything is correct and supported, there is no need to panic.
He also advises checking AIS and Form 26AS for any mismatch and giving proper AIS feedback, especially for high value transactions. “In many cases, the emails with details have not gone out yet. The department has flagged the returns internally and will send specifics soon,” he said.
If no mismatch exists, taxpayers can wait for the official email. If the return is accurate and backed by proof, processing will resume once the checks are completed.
Experts say the alert is not a scrutiny notice. It is a risk filter that asks taxpayers to review their filings before the window for revisions closes.
If the taxpayer ignores it and discrepancies remain, the . But genuine taxpayers with correct claims and proper documentation have nothing to fear.