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Government borrowing hit a record monthly high of £55.2bn in May, as the coronavirus continued to press heavily on finances.
The Office for National Statisticshad said April's deficit was the highest since records began in 1993, but has now revised that from £62bn to £48.5bn.
April's figure was changed after the government received more from taxes and National Insurance.
It also spent less than thought on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
The ONS said that although the impact of the pandemic on the public finances was becoming clearer, its effects were not fully captured in the release, and that estimates were subject to greater than usual uncertainty.
May's borrowing was nine times higher than in the same month last year and, the ONS said, last month was the first time since 1963 that debt as a percentage of GDP had passed 100%.
Overall, the new figure puts the government on track for largest deficit this year since World War Two.