HMRC Online Service Issues? Here’s What to Do

It’s the worst nightmare of anyone who needs to complete their own tax return: you have all of the necessary information to hand, you’ve set aside a few hours to submit everything to HMRC, and – all of a sudden – you find you can’t access self assessment online services.

It isn’t your fault if the site is having technical issues, but a late submission will still mean you’re liable for a hefty fine. So what can you do?

1. Did You Register for HMRC?

It may be that do not yet have an account. If this is the case, you need to make one as soon as possible. If you know you are registered, you may be using the wrong login information. You can take steps to recover the correct details here.

2. Check Out Their Service Availability and Issues Page

It may be useful to check whether your current problems with self assessment online are actually part of a widespread issue or just localised to your own system or server. HMRC has a handy page here to help you find out. If any current issues are shown, you can make a record of this and use it to contest any penalty, especially around deadlines.

3. Contact HMRC

You can also use the HMRC online chat option to message an advisor directly and see if there is anything you could do to rectify your issue. You can access this service here.

Also try contacting HMRC’s self assessment helpline on 0300 200 3310 to explain any problems. They may also give you options for how to report the issue you are experiencing.

4. Pay by Post or at Your Bank

If you have left yourself more than three working days to complete your self assessment, you can complete a paying in slip, then send the correct amount to HMRC using the address HMRC, Direct, BX5 5BD. The cheque should not be folded or stapled and should be made payable to “HM Revenue and Customs only” followed by your Unique Taxpayer Reference number.

Otherwise, if you still get paper statements and have a paying in slip that was sent to you by HMRC, you can pay by cash or cheque at your bank. The cheque should be made out as above, but with the letter “K” added to the end of your UTR number.

5. Use GoSimpleTax

Using GoSimpleTax software either through the app or online allows you to automatically calculate income, expenditure and tax owed and to upload receipts in real time. This means you can quickly complete your tax return and submit it directly to HMRC within plenty of time, without worrying that you can’t log in to self-assessment.

Want to speed up your Self Assessment tax return and get it filed as soon as possible? Explore GoSimpleTax today with a FREE trial, and then sign up to send your Self Assessment tax return through to HMRC securely. Have any questions? Take a look at our FAQ’s about Self Assessment. Please don’t hesitate to contact us. Get in touch with the team today.

Blog content is for information purposes and over time may become outdated, although we do strive to keep it current. It's written to help you understand your Tax's and is not to be relied upon as professional accounting, tax and legal advice due to differences in everyone's circumstances. For additional help please contact our support team or HMRC.