It is crucial to pre-validate your bank account number on the income tax e-filing portal as the I-T Department since March 2019 issues only e-refunds and physical dispatch of refund cheques has been discontinued. After processing income tax returns filed by assessees if any refund is due, a refund order is issued for direct credit to the taxpayer’s bank account. So your bank account details need to be correct to ensure a smooth refund process. Also, if your bank account number is pre-validated then your ITR can be e-verified. It may be noted that only one account can be registered at a time for e-verification of returns.

Here is how to pre-validate your bank account number on e-filing portal

1) To register your bank account, login to the e-filing portal at https://www. incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in/home. Enter your login ID, password and a captcha that appears on the screen, to login.

2) After logging in, go to ‘Profile settings’ and click on ‘Pre-validate your bank account’ option. A list of bank accounts that have been registered on the e-filing portal will be displayed along with status of registration.

3) If no accounts are displayed or you wish to add another bank account for processing of e-refunds, you need to click on ‘Add’ and enter bank account details and contact details. PAN should have been seeded with the bank account to be added and the name on the PAN card should match the name on the bank account, in such a case the account will be pre-validated. 

4) After entering the details, the taxpayer can click on the ‘Pre-validate’ button to validate the account. A transaction acknowledgment number will be displayed on the screen.

If the email id and mobile number registered with the bank account matches with the details on the portal, such account can be used for electronic verification to verify returns filed by taxpayers.