IRS and Tax Filing Issues

A lot of us rushed into installing Windows 10 today because we didn't get enough warning.
Now I can't even access the IRS website, and frankly, I don't even want to look at 🙂
to see what else might be broken.
Did anyone else here run into this mess today?

Fortunately, I manage both my personal and business accounts. On the personal side, I was running version 7, but someone apparently clicked something this morning and bumped me up to 10. Now I can't access the IRS portal with my digital ID. On the business machine, I have version 8; they sent a notice about an update on May 23rd, but they pushed it back two months, so I could still use my certificate. All it takes is one careless click.
I have the certificate installed on my personal laptop too. It shouldn't be an issue. 🙂

Yeah, an update started rolling out to basically everyone at the firm, but we caught it just in time. Shut everything down and killed the connection before it could mess us up later on...

What kind of update are we even talking about? My hard drive literally fried, and I lost my old setup running Windows XP—bless its soul, honestly, it was the absolute best, and this past week has been a total disaster. Now I’m sitting here with zero clue how to get those certificates installed all over again. :-D

So, they forced a Windows 10 update on my machine this morning... 😠

And now? Total chaos. I can't even get into the IRS website. I sent an inquiry over to support, so now I’m just sitting here waiting.

Thank God I managed to file my sales tax forms before the update hit. My quarterly filings are still pending, even though I really need to get those out today. 🤦

Update: I tried logging in through Chrome, and—get this—everything works perfectly. I installed some specific Chrome extensions for the IRS site and sent the form right off! I didn't even realize you could actually submit forms via Chrome. 🙂

One more thing—another little update for everyone: that "E" icon on the taskbar isn't Internet Explorer. I totally assumed it was, and when I tried to log into the IRS, it wouldn't recognize any of my digital certificates. Turns out that "E" icon is actually Microsoft Edge—some newer browser, at least it's new to me.
Just track down Internet Explorer in the new Windows settings and the IRS site should work fine for you.

It really would be such a dream if the IRS, Regos, the big banks, and everyone else involved just sat down and agreed on a single set of technical specs for accessing online services. It would make life so much easier for everyone. Instead, we’re stuck in this ridiculous situation where one platform insists you need Java 8 and Windows 7, another demands some impossible combination of Java 90 and Windows 90, and then there's a third group that basically tells you to just print everything out and bring it to them on paper.

Thank God Chrome saved the day.
I tried to get Explorer working too, but I can't even make a shortcut from the IRS site without it immediately jumping straight to Microsoft Edge.
I’m no expert, and honestly, it’s Friday! 😁
Hang in there! 🙂

Richard Howard55 said:Thank God Chrome saved the day.
I tried to get Explorer working too, but I can't even make a shortcut from the IRS site without it immediately jumping straight to Microsoft Edge.
I’m no expert, and honestly, it’s Friday! 😁
Hang in there! 🙂

Go into your Internet options
Then hit Programs
Under Internet programs, click "Set programs..." and you should see Internet Explorer listed there.
When you go to choose defaults for these programs, make sure you check all the boxes.
Once that's done... select "Set this program as default."
👍

I seriously cannot find the drivers for my smart card. Like, the reader itself seems fine, but it just won't detect the actual card. Does anyone have the patience to explain this to me? I'm running Windows 7, and I've been using the IRS e-filing system for a while now—but on a different OS. I basically had to force my way from Windows XP over to 7. Oh, and yeah, I downloaded that "final install" from the official site, but I'm still stuck at a dead end.

thanks.

wiredmarlin41 said:Go into your Internet options
Then hit Programs
Under Internet programs, click "Set programs..." and you should see Internet Explorer listed there.
When you go to choose defaults for these programs, make sure you check all the boxes.
Once that's done... select "Set this program as default."
👍

@Richard Howard55 🙂

Thanks! 👍

Is there still an issue with public publishing on the fine pages?
It was similar to when it was just statistical. I recall there being some kind of glitch where the latest version of Fine didn't support Windows XP... or something along those lines?

OF COURSE I have absolutely no clue what I’m supposed to do with these new security certificates!😢 I spent the entire day convinced my internet was acting up, but nope... turns out it wasn't the connection at all. 😉) Can someone please just explain the process? Like, step-by-step. I tried reading through the instructions myself, but I am just so exhausted... and honestly, nothing is making sense. haha... even if I weren't totally wiped out, I still wouldn't get it. 😉)

graniterider10 said:OF COURSE I have absolutely no clue what I’m supposed to do with these new security certificates!😢 I spent the entire day convinced my internet was acting up, but nope... turns out it wasn't the connection at all. 😉) Can someone please just explain the process? Like, step-by-step. I tried reading through the instructions myself, but I am just so exhausted... and honestly, nothing is making sense. haha... even if I weren't totally wiped out, I still wouldn't get it. 😉)

Bumping this!

Can anyone help a person out? 🤷

Alright, listen up—you gotta grab these new certificates for your PC. Just do this exact same thing for both links above:

First, download those files from the links. Then, right-click on the DigiCert Root CA (or the other one, whatever), and hit "Install Certificate."

Pick "Local Machine" when it asks.

Then, go ahead and select "Place all certificates in the following store"—you'll need to
view 5-selected Trusted Root Certification
here.

That’s the spot you want.

Now you should see
6-Certificate Store Selected
.

If everything went right, Windows should pop up a message saying "The import was successful."
Once that's done, just fire up the software and it should actually work for once!
Just a heads up—you have to do this whole headache on every single computer used for tax reporting.

NOW, FOR THE BIG MESS WITH OLD COMPUTERS RUNNING THE Windows XP operating system:
- If you're still stuck on a Windows XP operating system with Service Pack 2—forget it, it's NOT GOING TO WORK with the new certificate!!
- If you've got Windows XP with Service Pack 3—it works, BUT MAN, IT IS SLOW AS HECK!
I honestly have no clue if the IRS is even going to fix this mess, so seriously, I'm telling you: get off those ancient machines ASAP and upgrade to something modern like Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 10.

You can check out all the latest updates and instructions over at:

I’ve gone through all the steps and followed the process to a T, but for some reason, I can get certain invoices to clear through the system while others just hit a wall. I'm starting to wonder if this is an issue on the IRS side of things or if I've missed something somewhere...

Rachel Morris42 said:I’ve gone through all the steps and followed the process to a T, but for some reason, I can get certain invoices to clear through the system while others just hit a wall. I'm starting to wonder if this is an issue on the IRS side of things or if I've missed something somewhere...

Look, I don't have a crystal ball.
I mean, I actually *do* own one, but let me tell you—it’s definitely not magic. 😁

Thanks. The tax reporting system is working fine.

So Microsoft forced a Windows 10 update on me the other day, and now my IRS site just won't work.
Great. Just great. I’m sitting here wondering how I’m supposed to file any forms when the agents at the IRS insist everything has to go through their online portal...
I found Internet Explorer in Windows 10 and tried accessing the IRS site, but every time I type in my password, I get some error saying the page can't be found or it's been moved. I'm stuck. When I emailed the IRS asking how to use the site on Windows 10, they just told me that the portal doesn't support Edge—that I have to use Internet Explorer or Google Chrome, and then apparently install some plugin for Chrome just to sign the forms. But even that isn't working because I can't even get past the login screen; it acts like my password is wrong and just kicks me out. Honestly, this forced Windows 10 rollout from Microsoft feels less like an update and more like a mugging or some hacker attack. I guess every small business owner needs to hire a full-time IT specialist or a systems engineer now? What about the little guys who can't afford that kind of help?

I ran into the exact same headache when I was setting up Windows 10. Honestly, your best bet is just to call that free support number from Microsoft. They'll walk you through the fix. Basically, it looks like your certificates got wiped out during the process, so you have to reinstall them. I can't quite remember the specific steps myself—my memory is a bit fuzzy on the technical details—but if you give them a ring, they’ll guide you through it step by step. Once I got mine sorted out that way, everything started working perfectly on Windows 10.

Raymond Garcia8 said:So Microsoft forced a Windows 10 update on me the other day, and now my IRS site just won't work.
Great. Just great. I’m sitting here wondering how I’m supposed to file any forms when the agents at the IRS insist everything has to go through their online portal...
I found Internet Explorer in Windows 10 and tried accessing the IRS site, but every time I type in my password, I get some error saying the page can't be found or it's been moved. I'm stuck. When I emailed the IRS asking how to use the site on Windows 10, they just told me that the portal doesn't support Edge—that I have to use Internet Explorer or Google Chrome, and then apparently install some plugin for Chrome just to sign the forms. But even that isn't working because I can't even get past the login screen; it acts like my password is wrong and just kicks me out. Honestly, this forced Windows 10 rollout from Microsoft feels less like an update and more like a mugging or some hacker attack. I guess every small business owner needs to hire a full-time IT specialist or a systems engineer now? What about the little guys who can't afford that kind of help?

It's the exact same logic as people saying they can't afford an accountant. 🤷

Look, there are free customer service lines out there—totally free—and then you've got a million different forums where you can get step-by-step help, provided you actually have the patience to follow the damn instructions.

And honestly, if you still can't figure it out, the fix for whatever mess you're in usually costs about as much as a decent lunch in any US city.
I totally get why you're pissed off—it’s a massive headache, you didn't ask for this mess, and you definitely didn't cause it, so yeah, let it out.