Taxpayers should still claim the TDS credit in their ITR even if it is missing from Form 26AS or AIS, say experts. The Income Tax Act protects deductees where tax has been deducted but not deposited by the deductor.

Filing income tax returns early increases processing likelihood but does not guarantee faster refunds. Successful e-verification and matching tax records are crucial for timely refund processing. Pre-validating bank accounts and avoiding complex disclosures expedite the refund process.