Universal Credit Website Crashes Leaving Hundreds Locked Out of Accounts

• Universal Credit and other government websites crash, locking out over 100 users.
• Affects access to important benefits and tax information for many across the UK.
• The issue began before 6am, with reports of widespread login problems.
• HMRC users also facing issues with Self-Assessment and tax accounts.

A technical glitch has left hundreds of users unable to access vital government services, including Universal Credit, as multiple government websites suffered outages this morning. The issues, which began before 6am today, have locked over 100 users out of their Universal Credit accounts, leaving them unable to check their benefits or tax information.

The disruption, which was first noticed by internet outage tracker Downdetector, has also affected HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) websites. Over 150 users reported problems logging into HMRC portals, preventing access to tax accounts and Self-Assessment registrations. The issues are being felt across major UK cities, including London, Birmingham, Manchester, and Nottingham.

The government had previously shared a post on social media encouraging people to renew their passports, but the timing could not have been worse, with many users taking to social media to express their frustration. One user commented, "It seems that so many people needed to renew their passports this morning that it crashed the site."

The outage highlights ongoing frustrations with government websites, with many relying on these services for essential access to benefits, tax information, and other critical services.

Tom Church, Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, the discount code platform said, "It’s frustrating to see essential services like Universal Credit go down at such a critical time. Hopefully, the government will work quickly to resolve this and ensure that people aren’t left stranded without access to the support they need.