Can't pay, won't pay: Thousands left frustrated as HMRC website crashes ahead of tax deadline

The advert advises people to fill out their tax returns online
HMRC
Alexandra Richards5 January 2018

It's a task that millions put off until they can't avoid it any longer.

But those who were trying to bite the bullet and get their tax returns done this week were left frustrated.

After logging in to fill in the forms ahead of the deadline at the end of January, thousands found the HMRC website wasn't working..

The self-assessment part of the site experienced problems on Thursday evening and Friday morning - prompting frustrated users to take to Twitter.

One user wrote: “So is anyone else having problems submitting there self assessment there’s ages yet until deadline day yet still the system can’t cope.”

Another person wrote: “Is the HMRC self assessment online submission not working for anyone else atm? Filled in my self assessment but can't seem to send the b***** thing in!”

HMRC informed a worried customer that they were unsure when the problem would be fixed.

“We are still fixing the online issues. There is no timescale at the moment but it will be done as soon as possible. Sorry for the inconvenience," they wrote.

However, HMRC has since informed the Standard that the site is now up and running.

A spokesman said: "There was a temporary issue with one part of the Self Assessment service yesterday. We took action to fix it immediately and it is working normally. Anyone submitting their return today will not be affected.”

The company released an advert earlier this month encouraging people to submit their taxes before the upcoming deadline at the end of January.

The deadline for for filling out taxes is 31 January 2017
HMRC

Featuring real birds, the advert depicts a man being nagged by a duck shouting “Tax,Tax!” instead of “quack, quack”.

The advert reads: “Don’t let your tax return peck away at you.”

The official deadline for tax returns is January 31 2018.

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