IRS and Tax Filing Issues

wanderingseal14 said:Hi there!
I could really use some help here.
I just decided to switch over to digital tax filing this week.
I got my USB drive and encrypted PIN from FINRA, but I’m hitting a massive wall trying to get everything installed.

I downloaded the tax software directly from the FINRA site. But once I open it, the program won't recognize my certificate—it doesn't even show up as an option when I try to load it.
On top of that, when I attempt to decrypt the PIN, I keep getting an error saying "cryptographic device support is not installed."
I've been wrestling with this for two days now and I'm honestly at my wits' end.
The instructions mention that if the certificate isn't recognized, I should run an app called "ActivCard Gold Utilities." Does anyone know where I can actually download that?

Help, please.

Honestly, the easiest way to deal with this headache is just calling the free FINRA support line at 1-800-008-0800. They'll walk you through it step-by-step—you'll probably have everything running in about 15 minutes.
🙂

Sarah Perez68, thanks! That’s exactly what I had in mind!

Sarah Perez68 said:Honestly, the easiest way to deal with this headache is just calling the free FINRA support line at 1-800-008-0800. They'll walk you through it step-by-step—you'll probably have everything running in about 15 minutes.
🙂

😂Why on earth didn't I think of that? I spent way too much energy struggling through this when the solution was right there. 🙂

I gave them a call, but all they really told me was that they could send a technician out to fix it for a fee $67 🙂 I'm still stuck at square one, though. I've gone through the whole installation process, but whenever I open the activation client, it just won't recognize my card 🙂

hey... so, can someone please walk me through how to actually file my annual tax forms electronically? I'm running a small business here, and the IRS folks told me everything has to be digital now. I swung by a local Chase branch to get some help, and they just pointed me back to the website like "it's all right there on the homepage..." honestly, I'm staring at the screen and I have zero clue what I'm looking at. They mentioned it’s not about fiscalization or whatever, but something else... I didn't really catch the specifics. From what I gather, I need to hunt down some paperwork, scan stuff, submit a formal request, and probably pay a fee for some kind of digital certificate or security token... if there are any other small business owners out there, could you just lay out the steps for me? Like, how do I actually get this done so I can send my filing to the IRS without losing my mind? thanks.

Mark Bennett said:I gave them a call, but all they really told me was that they could send a technician out to fix it for a fee $67 🙂 I'm still stuck at square one, though. I've gone through the whole installation process, but whenever I open the activation client, it just won't recognize my card 🙂

To start things off, which version of Windows are you running?
For instance, if you're on Windows 7 x64, you usually have to go digging through the system PATH variables to get things moving properly.
(It is an absolute disaster on their part... it's like buying a brand-new Ford and being told you have to take the engine apart and tune the valves yourself just to get it out of the driveway).

By "card," are you referring to a USB security key?

vividmason46 said:hey... so, can someone please walk me through how to actually file my annual tax forms electronically? I'm running a small business here, and the IRS folks told me everything has to be digital now. I swung by a local Chase branch to get some help, and they just pointed me back to the website like "it's all right there on the homepage..." honestly, I'm staring at the screen and I have zero clue what I'm looking at. They mentioned it’s not about fiscalization or whatever, but something else... I didn't really catch the specifics. From what I gather, I need to hunt down some paperwork, scan stuff, submit a formal request, and probably pay a fee for some kind of digital certificate or security token... if there are any other small business owners out there, could you just lay out the steps for me? Like, how do I actually get this done so I can send my filing to the IRS without losing my mind? thanks.

You’re going to need a USB token containing a digital certificate to access the IRS electronic portal and submit your forms.

To start, you have to apply for that certificate through Goldman Sachs, and for that, you will need:
- An application form ()
- Two copies of the agreement ()
- Your business registration papers—you can just use a printout from the Secretary of State business search

- A copy of your ID, where you should write down your SSN and Tax ID
- A copy of your signature card—get this from the bank where your business account is held

In a few days, you'll receive an email notification letting you know the USB stick is ready for pickup, and then you're good to go... though as you can see, the whole setup process is quite a chore and anything but straightforward.

By the way, a quick question for everyone else... when does the invoice actually arrive?
I picked up my stick today, gave the lady behind the counter a big smile, and bolted without even asking when or how I’m supposed to pay for it. 🙂

I'm still on Windows XP, but I’ll be getting my 8.1 update this Thursday. Honestly, I'm pretty nervous about installing it since I haven't even been able to get things working on my current setup—especially trying to get this Omnikey USB reader with the smart card inside to behave. It's kind of scary how much they've overcomplicated everything; I really thought it would just be a simple plug-and-play situation and be done with it, but I've been struggling with this for four days now and nothing is working. 😢

Regarding the account, I'll just have it sent to the office address. I'm not really sure what the turnaround time is—we ordered it about a week and a half ago and it hasn't shown up yet 😉 I guess once it gets here, it gets here, haha

Mark Bennett said:I'm still on Windows XP, but I’ll be getting my 8.1 update this Thursday. Honestly, I'm pretty nervous about installing it since I haven't even been able to get things working on my current setup—especially trying to get this Omnikey USB reader with the smart card inside to behave. It's kind of scary how much they've overcomplicated everything; I really thought it would just be a simple plug-and-play situation and be done with it, but I've been struggling with this for four days now and nothing is working. 😢

I'm running Windows 7 x64, so I can't speak for XP with any certainty... could one of these issues be the culprit? ( http://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/instructions ). In your previous message, you mentioned the device isn't being recognized... have you verified that the drivers are actually installed? You brought up the OmniKey and the card inside the reader, which leaves me a bit confused. Looking at their official support pages right now, it seems they only offer drivers for the USB sticks themselves (like the OmniKey or ActivKey models).

As for Windows 8, you might want to check ahead of time to see how compatible it is... and if you end up with the x64 (64-bit) version, you will likely run into that issue with the PATH variable that I touched upon earlier.

I don't think any of the issues mentioned in that link apply to me. I've already installed the certificates, Omnikey, GemPC for the card reader, and the ActivClient—everything was done exactly according to the manual. I even tried restarting with the USB plugged in and everything. But whenever I open ActivClient, I get
.
I suspect there might be an issue with the GemPC card reader software itself, because for a while now, every time I restart my laptop, I get this error: ,
.
And when I try to check the status using GemStart, it shows me this...
.
I'm actually looking at buying a new laptop because this one is on its last legs and is incredibly slow, which makes installing everything even harder. It’s running Windows 8... though honestly, I feel like I might need to hire a pro to do this for me via TeamViewer or something similar. My nerves are just totally shot from trying so hard 🤣
.
Not to mention how incompetent their customer service is... it's honestly terrible. First, I couldn't find the number for the IRS, so I called them directly. A guy picks up and basically snaps, "Oh, so you finally decided to call?" Then I'm stuck trying to explain how urgent this is because of my filing deadlines, and he's just asking if I'm trying to send something via fax? 😕 hehehhe, what a joke
.
So I call the IRS help line again to explain the problem, and they tell me, "No, you have to write an email detailing the exact issue." Fine, I write the email, and the response is to uninstall ActivClient and download some version from a Bank of America link they sent me. I do all that, and it still doesn't work. Then they tell me, "You'll have to contact the IRS; it's not our problem..."
.
Then I call the IRS and wait half an hour for someone to pick up, only to be told, "We don't know about that. If you want, we can send you a field agent," which is just $67..
.
The bottom line is 🙂🙂🙂

I really need some help here. I’ve got this USB security token from my bank for online banking, and apparently, I'm supposed to be able to use it to file forms through the IRS portal. But there's a catch: every time I install the software, plug in the stick, and try to submit my electronic filing request to the IRS, it hits me with an error: "Keyset does not exist!" I called the bank, and they’re insisting everything is fine because the digital certificate is clearly installed on the drive. Then I called the IRS, and they just told me to call my bank and fix it on their end. It’s a total loop. Is anyone else using a bank-issued security token for tax filings? If you've dealt with this mess, how did you actually get it working? Thanks for any advice.

Mark Bennett said:I don't think any of the issues mentioned in that link apply to me. I've already installed the certificates, Omnikey, GemPC for the card reader, and the ActivClient—everything was done exactly according to the manual. I even tried restarting with the USB plugged in and everything. But whenever I open ActivClient, I get
.
I suspect there might be an issue with the GemPC card reader software itself, because for a while now, every time I restart my laptop, I get this error: ,
.
And when I try to check the status using GemStart, it shows me this...
.
I'm actually looking at buying a new laptop because this one is on its last legs and is incredibly slow, which makes installing everything even harder. It’s running Windows 8... though honestly, I feel like I might need to hire a pro to do this for me via TeamViewer or something similar. My nerves are just totally shot from trying so hard 🤣
.
Not to mention how incompetent their customer service is... it's honestly terrible. First, I couldn't find the number for the IRS, so I called them directly. A guy picks up and basically snaps, "Oh, so you finally decided to call?" Then I'm stuck trying to explain how urgent this is because of my filing deadlines, and he's just asking if I'm trying to send something via fax? 😕 hehehhe, what a joke
.
So I call the IRS help line again to explain the problem, and they tell me, "No, you have to write an email detailing the exact issue." Fine, I write the email, and the response is to uninstall ActivClient and download some version from a Bank of America link they sent me. I do all that, and it still doesn't work. Then they tell me, "You'll have to contact the IRS; it's not our problem..."
.
Then I call the IRS and wait half an hour for someone to pick up, only to be told, "We don't know about that. If you want, we can send you a field agent," which is just $67..
.
The bottom line is 🙂🙂🙂

That's a hell of a lot of contradictions. You don't have an issue with the IRS portal itself; you have a certificate problem. The IRS isn't going to fix your digital certificates. That’s a job for FIN (or if you got the certificate through your bank, then you deal with the bank's customer service).
First, you say you contacted the IRS(?!!!), and then you say a guy told you that you need to contact the tax authorities???!!! And on top of that, an agent from the tax office said they'd send an auditor out for $67??????!!! The IRS doesn't send people out to your house for technical glitches. Who on earth did you call??? Also, do you actually have a problem with the IRS application (which I can't tell from what you wrote), or is it the certificates? You need to pick a side...

Maria Kern2 said:I really need some help here. I’ve got this USB security token from my bank for online banking, and apparently, I'm supposed to be able to use it to file forms through the IRS portal. But there's a catch: every time I install the software, plug in the stick, and try to submit my electronic filing request to the IRS, it hits me with an error: "Keyset does not exist!" I called the bank, and they’re insisting everything is fine because the digital certificate is clearly installed on the drive. Then I called the IRS, and they just told me to call my bank and fix it on their end. It’s a total loop. Is anyone else using a bank-issued security token for tax filings? If you've dealt with this mess, how did you actually get it working? Thanks for any advice.

Before you attempt to submit that Electronic Filing Request, take a look at your settings within the IRS application. Under the Digital Certificates tab, configure your certificates (click the "Select Certificate/Installed Certificate" icon; your specific certificate should show up there). If it doesn't appear, go to the official certification authority's website at and install the Verification Root (self-signed)—just follow their instructions.
After that, head to your computer's Start menu, go to All Programs, find ActivIdentity, then ActivClient, and open the User Console (it will likely ask for your PIN). Select "My Certificates," where you'll see a pair of certificates. Right-click them and select "Make Available," then hit OK.
Once you've done that, restart the IRS application, go back to Settings/Digital Certificates, and click "Select Certificate/Installed Certificate" again. Your certificates should finally be visible.
Also, double-check that the USB (or smart card) is properly seated in your computer (or card reader) when you're trying to sign the request. You'll know it's seated correctly if the light stays solid without blinking.

Henry Chavez5 said:Before you attempt to submit that Electronic Filing Request, take a look at your settings within the IRS application. Under the Digital Certificates tab, configure your certificates (click the "Select Certificate/Installed Certificate" icon; your specific certificate should show up there). If it doesn't appear, go to the official certification authority's website at and install the Verification Root (self-signed)—just follow their instructions.
After that, head to your computer's Start menu, go to All Programs, find ActivIdentity, then ActivClient, and open the User Console (it will likely ask for your PIN). Select "My Certificates," where you'll see a pair of certificates. Right-click them and select "Make Available," then hit OK.
Once you've done that, restart the IRS application, go back to Settings/Digital Certificates, and click "Select Certificate/Installed Certificate" again. Your certificates should finally be visible.
Also, double-check that the USB (or smart card) is properly seated in your computer (or card reader) when you're trying to sign the request. You'll know it's seated correctly if the light stays solid without blinking.

Just wanted to confirm that you helped me out and everything is working now. The issue was definitely that part about installing the verification root. I missed that step. If anyone else runs into this, just follow these steps. One quick heads-up: inside Microsoft Active Directory > All Programs > Microsoft Active Directory > Client > User Console, you'll see two folders ("My Certificates" and "CA Certificates"). You need to open both folders and right-click all three certificates to select "Make available." Thanks to captiva for taking the time to walk me through everything.

Oh man, sorry, I just realized what I wrote. Between trying to move so fast and struggling with this for four days straight, I’m totally wiped. Especially after dealing with that field agent, and $67 I actually called Goldman Sachs instead of the IRS :/ my bad. The point is, neither of them were any help, regardless of where the issue actually lies.

Henry Chavez5 said:That's a hell of a lot of contradictions. You don't have an issue with the IRS portal itself; you have a certificate problem. The IRS isn't going to fix your digital certificates. That’s a job for FIN (or if you got the certificate through your bank, then you deal with the bank's customer service).
First, you say you contacted the IRS(?!!!), and then you say a guy told you that you need to contact the tax authorities???!!! And on top of that, an agent from the tax office said they'd send an auditor out for $67??????!!! The IRS doesn't send people out to your house for technical glitches. Who on earth did you call??? Also, do you actually have a problem with the IRS application (which I can't tell from what you wrote), or is it the certificates? You need to pick a side...

And honestly, I don't know why everyone is being so aggressive, maybe just take it easy... Besides, if you had read my other posts on this thread, you would've realized my comment about the field visit was about Goldman Sachs and that I just got mixed up... you also would've seen that I never said the app itself was the problem, since I can't even get to the IRS site because it won't read my card. I wouldn't have known it was a Goldman Sachs issue until they pointed me in that direction. Since it's an IRS matter, I figured they should be familiar with the whole process instead of just passing the buck to Goldman Sachs while collecting a paycheck... and I guess I don't see where all those contradictions are, except for the part about the IRS in the last paragraph...

Mark Bennett said:And honestly, I don't know why everyone is being so aggressive, maybe just take it easy... Besides, if you had read my other posts on this thread, you would've realized my comment about the field visit was about Goldman Sachs and that I just got mixed up... you also would've seen that I never said the app itself was the problem, since I can't even get to the IRS site because it won't read my card. I wouldn't have known it was a Goldman Sachs issue until they pointed me in that direction. Since it's an IRS matter, I figured they should be familiar with the whole process instead of just passing the buck to Goldman Sachs while collecting a paycheck... and I guess I don't see where all those contradictions are, except for the part about the IRS in the last paragraph...

My sincerest apologies. After hitting send, I realized my tone was completely off, but duty called and I didn't have a second to go back and fix it. While I was reading the responses, I actually found myself wondering: would an IRS agent, who is supposedly there to serve the public, really have the audacity to charge an installation fee? Anyway, my temper got the better of me and you innocent bystanders caught the brunt of it. My apologies, truly.
Instead of FINRA, I ended up aiming all that misplaced heat at the IRS, even though they aren't even at fault here.

I know I’m probably being a total bore here, but filing my sales tax paperwork by hand was actually the easy part. Now I’m stuck in this weird limbo where either the clerk doesn't understand a word I'm saying, or I've just completely lost my mind.

So, basically, looking at the annual totals for sales tax, let's say $967 is what I should be getting back as a refund. But whenever I actually owed money, instead of giving me a refund, the clerk would just unilaterally move those credits to other accounts where there was a balance due. To deal with this mess, I started trying to file with zeros in columns V and VI.

Well, the IRS flagged me for a logic error.

Now I'm stuck. This is how I was thinking of laying it out to make it look right, if this makes sense:

IV. -2900.00 (after subtracting the IRS amount from what I owe)

V. 3000.00

VI. (TOTAL DIFFERENCE) 0.00—and that zero is only there because I technically "received" my refund through the clerk's manual transfers. Honestly, I feel terrible even talking to the tax office about this, but I really need someone to set me straight. Please help.

Just enter the exact armor status into the form, regardless of what your sales tax balance looks like at the IRS.
You can always deal with the re-postings later by talking to an agent at the tax office.
You’ll just print out the tax cards yourself and staple the re-postings right to them.