HMRC undergoing maintenance as deadline looms

The taxman has chosen one of its busiest weekends of the year to perform maintenance.

Tax advisers will lose half a day's telephone support this weekend - during the online self assessment deadline.

HM Revenue & Customs Online Services Helpdesk will only be able to assist tax advisers filing on behalf of their clients between 8am to 4.30pm on Saturday.

It will be open between 8am to 8pm on Saturday and Sunday for individuals' queries.

The weekend is often one of the busiest for HMRC as they receive last-minute self assessment firms before the Sunday midnight deadline.

HMRC is expecting two million returns to be filed this week.

In a message to advisers HMRC said: “There will be times when our self assessment processing system (CESA) will not be available to our staff …this will limit the support they will be able to provide to customers, including agents [tax advisers], at those times.”

Further reading: HMRC online helpdesk – limited service this weekend