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Fix Login Errors by Enabling Third-Party Cookies

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Cookies are basically tiny files that websites send to your device. Cookies can be quite useful for various aspects of the eFile & Serve website, like saving your email and login information, saving your payment account, displaying your filing history and what's in your drafts, and other important functions.

When you agree to accept cookies, you're allowing the website to use these files. If you reject these cookie files, some functions (like being able to login to the website) may not function as intended or you may not be allowed to log into the website at all.

 

To prevent this error from occurring or for more information, please click one of the options below.

PLEASE NOTE: Users must refresh the page after changing their browser settings for their new settings to take effect!

PLEASE NOTE: If your browser is not listed below, please refer to your browser’s help pages.

 

 

More Information About Third-Party Cookies

Third-party cookies play a significant role in your online interactions, particularly when you are adding a payment method on a website. These cookies originate from external services (not the website you are visiting) and can greatly enhance your browsing experience in several ways:

  • Security and Fraud Prevention: When you enter your payment details, third-party cookies can assist in confirming your identity and mitigating fraud. They monitor your activity to ensure that your transaction is secure, providing you with additional peace of mind.
     
  • Remembering Your Preferences: If you have previously added a payment method, third-party cookies can aid the website in recalling your preferences, such as payment options or billing addresses, thereby making your subsequent checkout experience more efficient and convenient.
     
  • Personalized Experience: With the assistance of third-party cookies, websites can offer you payment options that are pertinent to your past transactions or preferences. This element of personalization enhances the checkout process, making it smoother and more enjoyable.

However, it is advisable to remain cautious regarding third-party cookies due to privacy considerations. Please review the website's privacy policy to understand how your data is utilized. If you are comfortable with it, enabling third-party cookies can significantly improve your overall online experience, particularly when making purchases.

 

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Apple Safari and Google Chrome will indicate third-party cookies being blocked with an "eye" icon at the right end of the address bar with a line through it. If you see that, click it, select the "Site not working?" link, then click the "Allow Cookies" option that shows up. That will enable or third-party cookies for this site only and resolve the issue.
 
 
Firefox and Edge don't appear to block third-party cookies by default (yet) but if you have this feature enabled, you may need to turn it off to resolve this error.
 
 
 

Troubleshooting: Apple Safari (Apple iPhone / iPad / iOS)

  • Open the Settings app in your iOS device.

  • Scroll down to the bottom and select the Apps section.

  • All of the Apps are now organized by the first letter of the application's name. Scroll down to the "S" section and tap "Safari." (You can also tap the "S" on the alphabet along the right side of the screen.)

  • Navigate to the Privacy & Security section. Turn OFF Prevent Cross-Site Tracking.
  • Scroll down and tap Advanced.

  • Under Privacy in the Advanced menu, ensure that Block All Cookies is turned OFF.

For more information, click here to view Apple's support page for Safari.

 

 

Troubleshooting: Apple Safari (Apple desktops and laptops)

  • Click on the word "Safari" in the top left corner of the screen.
  • Click the word "Settings" from the drop down menu.
    (This could also be listed as Preferences instead of Settings on some older Apple computers.)
  • Click on the "Privacy" tab.
  • Uncheck "Prevent cross-site tracking" and "Block all cookies".
    • In the Safari settings for some MacBooks, the only option may be to set Cookies to "Always Allow."
    • In the Safari settings for some Mac OS operating systems, the "Block all cookies" option may be located in the Advanced tab.

For more information, click here to view Apple's support page for Safari.

 

 

Troubleshooting: Google Chrome (Apple iPhone / iPad / iOS)

  • Go to the Settings app in your iOS device.
  • Scroll down and select "Chrome."
  • Enable "Cross-Website Tracking".
    • NOTE: A recent update for Chrome iOS prevents allowing Cross-Site Tracking from fully resolving the error. If the errors still persist, we recommended you use Apple Safari or Mozilla Firefox instead, after adjusting the settings for whichever browser you choose.

 

 

Troubleshooting: Google Chrome (Apple desktops and laptops)

  • Open Chrome preferences click on Settings.
  • Select Privacy & Security.
  • Choose Third-party cookies.
  • Check the radio button next to ‘Allow third-party cookies.’

 

 

Troubleshooting: Google Chrome (Microsoft Windows and Chromebooks)

  • Visit the Settings page in Google Chrome via the three-button menu at the upper right of the Address Bar.
  • Head to Privacy & Security settings, then to Third-Party Cookies.
  • Click "Allow third-party cookies" and ensure "Send a 'Do Not Track' request" is deactivated.

    • If you are part of the Tracking Protection group, visit the Tracking Protection section in the Privacy & Security settings instead. Once there, turn the "Block all third-party cookies" option off.

 

 

Troubleshooting: Google Chrome (Android devices)

  • Go to the Settings menu in the Chrome application (three vertical dots).
  • Go to Privacy & Security.
  • Go to Safe Browsing and select 'No Protection' (It is recommended to turn this back on after adding the payment account).
  • Return to Privacy & Security.
  • Go to Third Party Cookies and Allow Third Party Cookies.
  • Go to Do Not Track, and turn off.

 

 

Troubleshooting: Microsoft Edge (Apple desktops and laptops)

  • Launch Microsoft Edge.
  • Click Microsoft Edge in the menu bar and choose Settings.
  • Go to Cookies and Site Permissions in the side menu.
  • Select Manage and delete cookies and site data on the right.
  • Toggle on Allow sites to save and read cookie data (recommended).

Microsoft Edge cookies settings on macOS

 

 

Troubleshooting: Microsoft Edge (Microsoft Windows)

  • Users will be alerted to the problem by a cookie symbol in the browser's Address Bar with a red circle containing an X. Hovering the mouse over this symbol will show a tooltip that reads "Third-party cookie blocking".
  • Click the button with three horizontal buttons at the far right of the Address Bar, then select "Settings".
  • Click on "Cookies and site permissions" in the left panel.
  • Click on "Cookies and site data" under Cookies in the right panel.
  • Deselect "Block third-party cookies".

 

 

Troubleshooting: Internet Explorer (Microsoft Windows)

  • In Internet Explorer, in the menu bar, select the Tools button (the gear button) in Internet Explorer, upper right corner > Internet options > Privacy > Advanced.
  • Select Accept or Prompt under First-Party Cookies, and Accept or Prompt under Third-Party Cookies.
  • Select OK.

 

 

Troubleshooting: Mozilla Firefox

  • Filers will need to go to their Browser settings (three horizontal lines -> Settings). Click on the Privacy & Security option in the left hand side bar menu.
  • For Enhanced Tracking Protection, set it to Custom. Uncheck the box next to Cookies, and ensure that the Tracking Content drop down is either unchecked or set to Only in Private Windows.
  • Below this, ensure the Do Not Track signal is set to "Only When Firefox is set to block known trackers".
    • Additional Tip: Clear cookies and cache from the Clear Data options below.
  • NOTE: You cannot change the settings in Mozilla Firefox for Apple iOS devices (iPhones and iPads) to make the browser accept third-party cookies or to enable cross-site tracking. If you are using an Apple iOS device, use Apple Safari to access our website instead.

 

 

Troubleshooting: Brave Browser

  • Visit the Settings page in the Brave Browser via the three-line menu at the upper right of the Address Bar.
  • Click on the word "Shields" in the left-hand panel of the Settings screen.
  • Set the "Trackers & Ads Blocking" setting to "Disabled" in the dropdown menu.
    (You can set this back to "Standard" after adding your Payment Account.)
  • Set the "Block Cookies" setting to "Allow All Cookies" in the dropdown menu.
    (You can set this back to whatever setting you had it on after adding your Payment Account.)
  • Close the Settings page.
  • Refresh the e-File & Serve system page and try adding your Payment Account again.

 

 

Troubleshooting: Samsung Mobile Browser

  • Open the Samsung browser.
  • Tap the three horizontal lines menu icon in the bottom right corner, then select Settings.
  • Scroll down and tap on the Privacy Dashboard option.
  • Tap on Smart Anti-tracking.
  • To always unblock cross-site tracking, select Always.

 

A Note About DuckDuckGo

Duck Duck Go does not allow cross-site tracking or third-party cookies due to its privacy protection settings. We recommend using a different browser to access the e-File system instead, like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, or Apple Safari.

 

 

A Note About Apple Safari on Microsoft Windows

Unfortunately, Apple no longer supports running Apple Safari on Microsoft Windows computers. The last version of Safari to run on Windows, Safari 5.1.7 released in 2010, is too outdated to support and was discontinued. Ergo, we do not offer support for Apple Safari on Microsoft Windows devices.

For more information, please refer to this article: "Update To the Latest Version of Safari"

 

 

Other Potential Trouble Causes

If you are using one of the suggested browsers above, try clearing out your browser cookies and caches.

If you are using one of the recommended browsers above and are still having difficulties after clearing cookies/cache, the problem may be caused by security-related browser extensions (like McAfee, Norton, or DuckDuckG0) or a VPN. Try disabling these extensions and/or disconnecting from your VPN.