HMRC Website: users complain of Universal Credit website not functioning ahead of Christmas bonus payment schedule

Users of the HMRC’s Universal Credit portal found themselves having difficulty navigating the website on Tuesday evening. Downdetector, which reports if websites or mobile operators have technical problems, has reported a spike in issues around the HMRC website over the past 24 hours.

Reports suggest that the issue with the Universal Credit website stems from users unable to log in awaiting a passcode to be sent to their mobile phone, while others who have logged on have said that they received a service unavailable message this morning. Access to the Universal Credit system requires two-factor authentication with a text message passcode submitted to the recipient.