The CRCS Sahara refund portal was restored on 8 September 2026, and government has so far refunded Rs 9,267 crore to 41.56 lakh depositors through their Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts. About 20 lakh applications were still pending when the portal came back online.
The portal had been launched on 18 July 2023, so that depositors could file refund applications online without physical paperwork. It went offline after the premises of the Sahara cooperatives were sealed in November 2025, over matters unrelated to the dues of depositors.
The Statesman reported that by February 2026, Rs 8,783.55 crore had reached around 40.33 lakh investors, while the applications received were 1.45 crore in number.
Which depositors qualify
The refund scheme is open only to the depositors of four cooperative societies. These are Sahara Credit Cooperative Society (Lucknow), Saharayan Universal Multipurpose Society (Bhopal), Humara India Credit Cooperative Society (Kolkata) and Stars Multipurpose Cooperative Society (Hyderabad), as per the Press Information Bureau.
Many families who invested in other Sahara entities may be expecting a payment from same portal. As reported, such investors are outside the scheme, and the portal does not cover their deposits.
For the eligible depositors, the amount is paid only into a bank account that is seeded with Aadhaar. A claim may be verified but the money will reach the depositor only through such an account.
Claims, resubmissions and the payout ceiling
Fresh claims are filed on mocrefund.crcs.gov.in, while corrections to a claim that has been flagged for a deficiency, such as wrong details or unclear documents, go through a separate portal at mocresubmit.crcs.gov.in, as per the ministry's advisory.
The first refunds were capped at Rs 10,000 per depositor, and the cap has been raised since then. The Statesman says Home Minister Amit Shah told the Lok Sabha that up to Rs 50,000 is now paid against verified claims.
The Supreme Court has extended the refund deadline to 31 December 2026 and approved another Rs 5,000 crore for disbursement.
