Customers affected by the Barclays Bank outage, which began on Friday, have been assured by HMRC that they will not be fined if the glitch prevented them from paying their tax bill before the midnight deadline.  

January 31 marked the first payday for many since Christmas and was also the deadline for submitting self-assessment tax returns. However, the IT issue continued into Saturday, leaving many unable to access funds or process payments.  

HMRC confirmed that those impacted by the outage will not face fines for missing the deadline, stating they are working closely with Barclays to minimize disruptions. An HMRC spokesperson reassured customers that late payment penalties do not apply until March 1.  

Since Friday, over 1,600 outage reports have been logged for Barclays banking services. A Barclays spokesperson apologized for the issue, advising customers not to attempt duplicate payments and ensuring that no affected customer will be left out of pocket.  

Some individuals reached out to HMRC on social media for clarification, with HMRC reiterating that penalties will not apply due to the Barclays disruption.  

According to HMRC guidelines, a £100 late filing penalty applies if a tax return is submitted more than three months late, but customers with a valid excuse may avoid fines.