Locked Out of the Income Tax Portal: Unlock, Vault and New Mobile

If the portal says your account is locked, you entered a wrong password five times. The lock lifts on its own after 30 minutes, or straight away through the portal's Unlock your account service. Waiting is the simplest fix, but only if you know the password. If you don't, a fresh attempt will lock you out again.

The harder cases come after that: the reset OTP goes to a mobile number you no longer have, your Aadhaar mobile has changed, or you once turned on e-Filing Vault and the only option it offers is one you can't use. This guide goes through each one using the portal's own help pages.

First, work out which problem you have

Unlocking a locked account

The portal's login FAQ says an account locks after 5 unsuccessful login attempts. You can then:

• wait 30 minutes, after which it unlocks automatically, or
• use the Unlock your account service on the portal.

Before trying again, check the basics. Individuals log in with their PAN as the user ID, or with Aadhaar if it's linked to the PAN. The portal also shows a secure access message at login so you can tell the real site from a phishing copy. If you don't recognise the message, stop and check the address is incometax.gov.in.

The five ways to reset the password

On the login page, enter your user ID, continue, and choose Forgot Password. The portal's reset guide lists these routes:

The portal's OTPs are valid for 15 minutes and you get 3 attempts. A successful reset gives you a transaction ID and a confirmation on your registered email and mobile.

With net banking, you don't reset the password on the reset screen. You log in through your bank's net banking, follow its e-Filing link into the portal, and then change the password under your profile's Change Password service.

Which routes you see depends on your e-Filing Vault settings. If you never chose a Vault option for password reset, the e-Filing Vault FAQ says the default is e-Filing OTP.

When your mobile number has changed

Two different mobile numbers matter here, and people often mix them up.

1. The mobile registered on the e-Filing portal receives the e-Filing OTP.
2. The mobile registered with Aadhaar receives the Aadhaar OTP. The tax portal can't change this number; only UIDAI can.

Your Aadhaar mobile changed, but the portal mobile works

Use e-Filing OTP. It goes to your portal-registered mobile and email, not to Aadhaar's.

The portal mobile is old, but Aadhaar has your current number

Use Aadhaar OTP. Once you're in, update the portal contact details:

1. Click your name at the top right and open My Profile.
2. Click Edit on the contact details.
3. Enter the new mobile number and choose whether it matches your Aadhaar, bank or PAN records, then click Proceed to E-Verify.
4. Enter the two OTPs the portal sends, one for the mobile numbers and one for the email IDs.
5. E-verify the change with Aadhaar OTP, EVC or DSC.

Neither number reaches you

Try a bank or demat EVC, which goes to the mobile your bank holds, or net banking if you've set it up. The EVC route needs an account that is already pre-validated; bank account pre-validation failed covers the errors that block it. If neither is available, update your Aadhaar mobile first.

UIDAI's Aadhaar app FAQ sets out the routes for that:

• If you can still receive OTPs on the old Aadhaar mobile, you can change the number in the Aadhaar app. You verify with OTPs and face authentication, and pay the prescribed charges.
• If you no longer have the old number, or never registered one, you have to visit an Aadhaar Seva Kendra or an authorised enrolment and update centre.
• The update can take up to 30 days.

After Aadhaar shows the new number, Aadhaar OTP reset will reach you.

When e-Filing Vault is in the way

e-Filing Vault (My Profile > e-Filing Vault Higher Security) adds a second check at login, at password reset, or both. You pick from net banking, DSC, Aadhaar OTP, bank account EVC and demat account EVC.

Once you've chosen options, the reset screen shows only those. The reset FAQ is clear on this: if the method you want isn't displayed, you can add it through the Vault service. The catch is that you have to be logged in to do so.

If you're locked out and the only Vault options are ones you've lost (an expired DSC, a closed bank account), try each listed option before giving up. If none works, the reset FAQ points you to the e-Filing helpdesk.

Before you turn Vault on, set it up with at least two options you're likely to keep, such as Aadhaar OTP plus a bank account EVC.

Calling the helpdesk

The portal lists the e-Filing and CPC helpdesk at 1800 103 0025 or 1800 419 0025, and +91-80-46122000 or +91-80-61464700, from 8 am to 8 pm on weekdays. Have your PAN ready, and tell them which reset routes you've tried and what each one showed.

Never share an OTP or EVC with anyone who calls you, even someone who says they are from the department or the helpdesk.

If a deadline is close

Being locked out doesn't extend any time limit. If you filed a return and can't log in to e-verify it, you can still verify it by sending the signed ITR-V to CPC by post within the time allowed. If the 30 days have already passed, see what to do after missing the 30-day e-verification window. For checking where a return stands without logging in, the portal's pre-login ITR Status service needs only the acknowledgement number and a mobile number for an OTP; we cover it in every ITR status and what happens next.

myutils.me is an independent app, not affiliated with the Income Tax Department. It signs in to the portal with the password you save for each PAN, so after a reset you update the password in the app too. Accounts with a second login factor from e-Filing Vault can't be synced; the sync stops with an error saying so.

FAQ

How long does the income tax portal stay locked?

30 minutes after the fifth wrong password, according to the portal's login FAQ. You can also unlock it sooner with the Unlock your account service.

Why isn't the e-Filing OTP option showing when I reset my password?

You've probably chosen reset options in e-Filing Vault. The reset screen then shows only those. e-Filing OTP is the default only when no Vault option is set.

My Aadhaar mobile changed. Can I update it on the tax portal?

No. The Aadhaar mobile is changed with UIDAI, in the Aadhaar app if you still have the old number, or at an Aadhaar Seva Kendra if you don't. The tax portal's own contact details are updated under My Profile.

Can I reset the password without any OTP?

Yes, with a DSC, or with net banking if you turned that option on in e-Filing Vault earlier.

Does being locked out extend my ITR or e-verification deadline?

No. If a deadline is near, use any reset route you can, or post the signed ITR-V to CPC for verification.

Sources

• Login FAQs, Income Tax e-Filing portal
• Reset Your Password user manual
• Reset Your Password FAQ
• e-Filing Vault Higher Security user manual
• e-Filing Vault Higher Security FAQ
• My Profile user manual (updating contact details)
• Aadhaar app FAQ, UIDAI