diff --git a/plugins/module_utils/acme/_compatibility.py b/plugins/module_utils/acme/_compatibility.py
index b1018338..aab5e4af 100644
--- a/plugins/module_utils/acme/_compatibility.py
+++ b/plugins/module_utils/acme/_compatibility.py
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ class ACMELegacyAccount(object):
         try:
             return None, self.client.parse_key(key_file=key_file, key_content=key_content)
         except KeyParsingError as e:
-            return e.msg, None
+            return e.msg, {}
 
     def sign_request(self, protected, payload, key_data, encode_payload=True):
         return self.client.sign_request(protected, payload, key_data, encode_payload=encode_payload)
diff --git a/plugins/module_utils/acme/acme.py b/plugins/module_utils/acme/acme.py
index 11704209..1924de23 100644
--- a/plugins/module_utils/acme/acme.py
+++ b/plugins/module_utils/acme/acme.py
@@ -157,10 +157,7 @@ class ACMEClient(object):
         '''
         if key_file is None and key_content is None:
             raise AssertionError('One of key_file and key_content must be specified!')
-        error, key_data = self.backend.parse_key(key_file, key_content, passphrase=passphrase)
-        if error:
-            raise KeyParsingError(error)
-        return key_data
+        return self.backend.parse_key(key_file, key_content, passphrase=passphrase)
 
     def sign_request(self, protected, payload, key_data, encode_payload=True):
         '''
diff --git a/plugins/module_utils/acme/backend_cryptography.py b/plugins/module_utils/acme/backend_cryptography.py
index 66d5918f..76d78d84 100644
--- a/plugins/module_utils/acme/backend_cryptography.py
+++ b/plugins/module_utils/acme/backend_cryptography.py
@@ -24,7 +24,10 @@ from ansible_collections.community.crypto.plugins.module_utils.acme.certificates
     ChainMatcher,
 )
 
-from ansible_collections.community.crypto.plugins.module_utils.acme.errors import BackendException
+from ansible_collections.community.crypto.plugins.module_utils.acme.errors import (
+    BackendException,
+    KeyParsingError,
+)
 
 from ansible_collections.community.crypto.plugins.module_utils.acme.io import read_file
 
@@ -181,8 +184,8 @@ class CryptographyBackend(CryptoBackend):
 
     def parse_key(self, key_file=None, key_content=None, passphrase=None):
         '''
-        Parses an RSA or Elliptic Curve key file in PEM format and returns a pair
-        (error, key_data).
+        Parses an RSA or Elliptic Curve key file in PEM format and returns key_data.
+        Raises KeyParsingError in case of errors.
         '''
         # If key_content isn't given, read key_file
         if key_content is None:
@@ -196,10 +199,10 @@ class CryptographyBackend(CryptoBackend):
                 password=to_bytes(passphrase) if passphrase is not None else None,
                 backend=_cryptography_backend)
         except Exception as e:
-            return 'error while loading key: {0}'.format(e), None
+            raise KeyParsingError('error while loading key: {0}'.format(e))
         if isinstance(key, cryptography.hazmat.primitives.asymmetric.rsa.RSAPrivateKey):
             pk = key.public_key().public_numbers()
-            return None, {
+            return {
                 'key_obj': key,
                 'type': 'rsa',
                 'alg': 'RS256',
@@ -233,9 +236,9 @@ class CryptographyBackend(CryptoBackend):
                 point_size = 66
                 curve = 'P-521'
             else:
-                return 'unknown elliptic curve: {0}'.format(pk.curve.name), {}
+                raise KeyParsingError('unknown elliptic curve: {0}'.format(pk.curve.name))
             num_bytes = (bits + 7) // 8
-            return None, {
+            return {
                 'key_obj': key,
                 'type': 'ec',
                 'alg': alg,
@@ -249,7 +252,7 @@ class CryptographyBackend(CryptoBackend):
                 'point_size': point_size,
             }
         else:
-            return 'unknown key type "{0}"'.format(type(key)), {}
+            raise KeyParsingError('unknown key type "{0}"'.format(type(key)))
 
     def sign(self, payload64, protected64, key_data):
         sign_payload = "{0}.{1}".format(protected64, payload64).encode('utf8')
diff --git a/plugins/module_utils/acme/backend_openssl_cli.py b/plugins/module_utils/acme/backend_openssl_cli.py
index 47d8cfbd..9f834624 100644
--- a/plugins/module_utils/acme/backend_openssl_cli.py
+++ b/plugins/module_utils/acme/backend_openssl_cli.py
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ from ansible_collections.community.crypto.plugins.module_utils.acme.backends imp
 
 from ansible_collections.community.crypto.plugins.module_utils.acme.errors import (
     BackendException,
+    KeyParsingError,
 )
 
 from ansible_collections.community.crypto.plugins.module_utils.acme.utils import nopad_b64
@@ -43,11 +44,11 @@ class OpenSSLCLIBackend(CryptoBackend):
 
     def parse_key(self, key_file=None, key_content=None, passphrase=None):
         '''
-        Parses an RSA or Elliptic Curve key file in PEM format and returns a pair
-        (error, key_data).
+        Parses an RSA or Elliptic Curve key file in PEM format and returns key_data.
+        Raises KeyParsingError in case of errors.
         '''
         if passphrase is not None:
-            return 'openssl backend does not support key passphrases', {}
+            raise KeyParsingError('openssl backend does not support key passphrases')
         # If key_file isn't given, but key_content, write that to a temporary file
         if key_file is None:
             fd, tmpsrc = tempfile.mkstemp()
@@ -61,7 +62,7 @@ class OpenSSLCLIBackend(CryptoBackend):
                     f.close()
                 except Exception as dummy:
                     pass
-                raise BackendException("failed to create temporary content file: %s" % to_native(err), exception=traceback.format_exc())
+                raise KeyParsingError("failed to create temporary content file: %s" % to_native(err), exception=traceback.format_exc())
             f.close()
         # Parse key
         account_key_type = None
@@ -78,7 +79,7 @@ class OpenSSLCLIBackend(CryptoBackend):
             # FIXME: add some kind of auto-detection
             account_key_type = "rsa"
         if account_key_type not in ("rsa", "ec"):
-            return 'unknown key type "%s"' % account_key_type, {}
+            raise KeyParsingError('unknown key type "%s"' % account_key_type)
 
         openssl_keydump_cmd = [self.openssl_binary, account_key_type, "-in", key_file, "-noout", "-text"]
         dummy, out, dummy = self.module.run_command(
@@ -92,7 +93,7 @@ class OpenSSLCLIBackend(CryptoBackend):
             if len(pub_exp) % 2:
                 pub_exp = "0{0}".format(pub_exp)
 
-            return None, {
+            return {
                 'key_file': key_file,
                 'type': 'rsa',
                 'alg': 'RS256',
@@ -108,7 +109,7 @@ class OpenSSLCLIBackend(CryptoBackend):
                 r"pub:\s*\n\s+04:([a-f0-9\:\s]+?)\nASN1 OID: (\S+)(?:\nNIST CURVE: (\S+))?",
                 to_text(out, errors='surrogate_or_strict'), re.MULTILINE | re.DOTALL)
             if pub_data is None:
-                return 'cannot parse elliptic curve key', {}
+                raise KeyParsingError('cannot parse elliptic curve key')
             pub_hex = binascii.unhexlify(re.sub(r"(\s|:)", "", pub_data.group(1)).encode("utf-8"))
             asn1_oid_curve = pub_data.group(2).lower()
             nist_curve = pub_data.group(3).lower() if pub_data.group(3) else None
@@ -133,11 +134,11 @@ class OpenSSLCLIBackend(CryptoBackend):
                 point_size = 66
                 curve = 'P-521'
             else:
-                return 'unknown elliptic curve: %s / %s' % (asn1_oid_curve, nist_curve), {}
+                raise KeyParsingError('unknown elliptic curve: %s / %s' % (asn1_oid_curve, nist_curve))
             num_bytes = (bits + 7) // 8
             if len(pub_hex) != 2 * num_bytes:
-                return 'bad elliptic curve point (%s / %s)' % (asn1_oid_curve, nist_curve), {}
-            return None, {
+                raise KeyParsingError('bad elliptic curve point (%s / %s)' % (asn1_oid_curve, nist_curve))
+            return {
                 'key_file': key_file,
                 'type': 'ec',
                 'alg': alg,
diff --git a/plugins/module_utils/acme/backends.py b/plugins/module_utils/acme/backends.py
index a61ff53b..afc406c4 100644
--- a/plugins/module_utils/acme/backends.py
+++ b/plugins/module_utils/acme/backends.py
@@ -21,8 +21,8 @@ class CryptoBackend(object):
     @abc.abstractmethod
     def parse_key(self, key_file=None, key_content=None, passphrase=None):
         '''
-        Parses an RSA or Elliptic Curve key file in PEM format and returns a pair
-        (error, key_data).
+        Parses an RSA or Elliptic Curve key file in PEM format and returns key_data.
+        Raises KeyParsingError in case of errors.
         '''
 
     @abc.abstractmethod
diff --git a/tests/unit/plugins/module_utils/acme/test_backend_cryptography.py b/tests/unit/plugins/module_utils/acme/test_backend_cryptography.py
index 3061f7f4..38ef38b1 100644
--- a/tests/unit/plugins/module_utils/acme/test_backend_cryptography.py
+++ b/tests/unit/plugins/module_utils/acme/test_backend_cryptography.py
@@ -30,12 +30,10 @@ def test_eckeyparse_cryptography(pem, result, dummy, tmpdir):
     fn.write(pem)
     module = MagicMock()
     backend = CryptographyBackend(module)
-    error, key = backend.parse_key(key_file=str(fn))
-    assert error is None
+    key = backend.parse_key(key_file=str(fn))
     key.pop('key_obj')
     assert key == result
-    error, key = backend.parse_key(key_content=pem)
-    assert error is None
+    key = backend.parse_key(key_content=pem)
     key.pop('key_obj')
     assert key == result
 
diff --git a/tests/unit/plugins/module_utils/acme/test_backend_openssl_cli.py b/tests/unit/plugins/module_utils/acme/test_backend_openssl_cli.py
index 26c31f8c..5c25767c 100644
--- a/tests/unit/plugins/module_utils/acme/test_backend_openssl_cli.py
+++ b/tests/unit/plugins/module_utils/acme/test_backend_openssl_cli.py
@@ -37,8 +37,7 @@ def test_eckeyparse_openssl(pem, result, openssl_output, tmpdir):
     module = MagicMock()
     module.run_command = MagicMock(return_value=(0, openssl_output, 0))
     backend = OpenSSLCLIBackend(module, openssl_binary='openssl')
-    error, key = backend.parse_key(key_file=str(fn))
-    assert error is None
+    key = backend.parse_key(key_file=str(fn))
     key.pop('key_file')
     assert key == result