Online submissions of Australian federal income tax returns were due today. (Normally they are due 31st October, but given it was a Sunday, they made it Monday 1st November).
I completed my return last night and went to lodge it and it came back with an Error 1200 and told me to call the e-Tax technical hotline. By this stage it was about 2am so I decided to wait until it was working hours on the east coast (give them a chance to come in to work and see that something was broken).
So early this morning, I tried lodging again. Error 1200. So I called the hotline number. Engaged. Lodge again. Error 1200. Hotline still giving busy signal.
After a few hours, I stopped getting a busy signal and got put on hold (listening to piano works on what sounds like a radio slightly tuned off the station). While on hold, I tried lodging a few more times. Still getting an Error 1200.
Finally got through to someone. I decided I wouldn't be mad at the guy—he's probably received hundreds of "Error 1200" calls already today. I didn't even need to tell him the issue - he just asked right away if I was getting an Error 1200.
Turned out some servers had been down since 5pm Sunday. He told me they should be back up by this evening but that the Australian Tax Office had extended lodgement until Wednesday for e-Tax filers.
So I just tried lodging my tax at 11.55pm this evening. No Error 1200. But it told me I'd already lodged!