IRS and Tax Filing Issues

Jose Patel6 said:Hey there.

I can definitely relate. From last Friday until yesterday, I was pulling my hair out trying to sign some BlackRock docs and a few PDF attachments. I was running Java 8.73 on IE 11 with Windows 7. The system tests passed perfectly, but the actual digital signature would never go through. Everything worked fine a month ago, and I haven't changed a single setting on my computer since. I went down the rabbit hole of reading manuals, tweaking settings, and searching forums to fix it myself. The test would pass, but the actual submission would just hang on that loading icon for hours. Finally, I tried installing a newer version of Java, but then even the test wouldn't pass. I read online that the new version wasn't compatible, so I uninstalled it, went back to the old one, and basically gave up on fixing it myself. On Tuesday, I reached out to Bloomberg, and a lovely lady walked me through every possible technical fix you can imagine, but nothing worked. In the end, after all that headache, she emailed me a local signing module to install and a new link, and only then did the form finally go through.

So... yeah.

Now, the "RUN" option pops up and everything just freezes completely... it's enough to drive anyone a little crazy.

I followed every single instruction to the letter, tweaking the Excel and Java files within the control panel exactly as I was told.
Now, even the test signature is acting up and won't validate.

If all else fails—if I can't get this sorted by tomorrow—I can still just hand everything in to the finance department along with the payment, right?$77 Is that how this works?

So, which version of Java am I actually supposed to be using here?

I get to that little Java pop-up window where the 'RUN' option appears, and then everything just completely freezes up on me; I can't move or do anything else at all. I try calling tech support, but it seems like every single agent is busy. I'm running into this exact same issue when I try to test my digital signature too.😢

Michael Williams12 said:Can anyone out there give me a heads-up on what I'm looking at in terms of cost for a mid-level personal digital certificate?

Back during my first year, I paid the IRS $83 including tax, and then there's the annual fee for renewing the certificate every single year $75.

Does anyone happen to have a link to the old Java documentation somewhere?

I've been wondering, which version of Java am I actually supposed to be using here... does anyone know? Should I stick with the older one or go for the latest release? I tried following the prompt to install the newest version, but now everything seems to be acting up and nothing is working quite right. It feels like we’re all just being forced to pay for these updates eventually, which I suppose is exactly what they want us to do 🙄

Christian Hall6 said:Does anyone happen to have a link to the old Java documentation somewhere?

It might be worth trying a clean slate. You could uninstall what you currently have and then run a fresh installation using this link: http://javadl.oracle.com/webapps/dow...undleId=116028 Just download it to your computer and follow the prompts to install.

Looks like we’re all hitting the same wall here... I'm trying to run this test and it's demanding a newer version of Java, but every single time I download it and try to hit run, my whole system just freezes up on me. Is there any way to get around this using Chrome, or am I totally stuck just using IntelliJ?

I’ve been lurking here for a bit and honestly, half of what you guys are saying sounds totally bizarre to me.
I keep my Java updated whenever the prompt pops up, and everything works just fine on my end. 🤔 (Windows 7)
To be fair, I only use Internet Explorer for all those government portals and banking sites—you know, the official stuff.
For basically everything else, I just stick to Mozilla, but those specific high-security sites? They strictly require IE for me.

Look, I’m no tech wizard 😁, but it feels like Chrome and Java have started having some kind of massive falling out lately. It seems like Chrome just refuses to support certain things now, though I can't quite put my finger on why. 😁 Maybe give it a shot using a different browser instead.

So, after hitting a complete dead end with Explorer,
I tried following the manual to the letter and installed Opera. I went through every single setting adjustment exactly as instructed, step by step, but once again... nothing.
I select the certificate, enter the PIN, successfully log in, submit the GFI report along with the supporting documents, handle the signature and processing, hit continue, then run...
And that’s where it stalls. It just spins indefinitely in a loop, and I’m right back where I started. Nothing works.

jadenomad24 said:So, after hitting a complete dead end with Explorer,
I tried following the manual to the letter and installed Opera. I went through every single setting adjustment exactly as instructed, step by step, but once again... nothing.
I select the certificate, enter the PIN, successfully log in, submit the GFI report along with the supporting documents, handle the signature and processing, hit continue, then run...
And that’s where it stalls. It just spins indefinitely in a loop, and I’m right back where I started. Nothing works.

Why don't you just email their support desk directly? They'll get back to you. Just leave your phone number too.

You probably need an older version of Java; I was running 8.73. Unfortunately, the link I have requires authorization, so I can't share it with you.

Roger Stewart2 said:Looks like we’re all hitting the same wall here... I'm trying to run this test and it's demanding a newer version of Java, but every single time I download it and try to hit run, my whole system just freezes up on me. Is there any way to get around this using Chrome, or am I totally stuck just using IntelliJ?

It doesn't really matter which browser you use as long as it works, but yeah, something is definitely off somewhere.😢(
)

Larry Edwards3 said:I've been wondering, which version of Java am I actually supposed to be using here... does anyone know? Should I stick with the older one or go for the latest release? I tried following the prompt to install the newest version, but now everything seems to be acting up and nothing is working quite right. It feels like we’re all just being forced to pay for these updates eventually, which I suppose is exactly what they want us to do 🙄

Just reach out and ask which version actually works. The last thing I heard was that 8.77 is causing issues and isn't reliable.

As a developer myself, it's wild how much everything hinges on specific Java versions...

So, I’m running Python 2.7—update 66—and I actually just managed to get this sent through using Internet Explorer.

Robin Kern76 said:So, I’m running Python 2.7—update 66—and I actually just managed to get this sent through using Internet Explorer.

Nice work! You can skip the Powerball for the next few months, though—you definitely used up all your luck at once.🙂)))

I finally got it working after installing Java 73.

This is an absolute joke. It actually makes my skin crawl to think I have to use a work USB drive—the one containing sensitive financial data—for a service that forces me to install an outdated version of Java and then spits out those "this website cannot be trusted, certificate error" warnings. Are these people even sane?

It’s honestly like walking into a Chase Bank branch and being handed this kind of vault to use:



And don't even get me started on the sheer amount of wasted time here—time that could have been spent on a thousand other productive things.

Finally managed to get my submission through! My headache was basically this:
I’m running 64-bit Windows 10, but I realized my Windows Explorer was actually the 32-bit version—you can double-check that by hitting the help tab and clicking "about." When I first tried installing Java, the installer saw my 64-bit OS and kept trying to force the 64-bit version of Java on me. Since my browser was 32-bit, nothing was talking to each other. So, I went over to Oracle, grabbed the 32-bit version of Java 8 update 73, and installed that instead. Boom—after that, both the test run and the actual GFI upload worked perfectly. Good luck, everyone!!!

How long is it hanging on that loading screen for you guys?
I'm trying to push these credentials through...
The signature test cleared, but it's just sitting there spinning indefinitely.

Word on the street is the deadline is getting pushed back to Saturday...🙂

jadenomad24 said:How long is it hanging on that loading screen for you guys?
I'm trying to push these credentials through...
The signature test cleared, but it's just sitting there spinning indefinitely.

An absolute eternity. 😁
I killed the process (Windows Explorer) after waiting 15 minutes twice.
Then the second time I checked the requests and saw it actually went through, even though it was still spinning on "Sending data" without any confirmation notice.
After spending three days dedicated to the IRS system—making sure I didn't mess up the certificate during signing—and testing it with seven or eight different calls and four active clients across three separate computers, it finally cleared.
Praise the Lord, it worked. 🙏
By the way, the IRS RGFI isn't working right now; looks like their servers are running hot.