How to resolve "not a legal pathname" or "invalid pathname" messages in Lacerte

You may see this message when opening the program, switching to a different directory, or changing tax types. This typically occurs when Lacerte is pointed to a data path or file path with a name the program can’t understand.

For example, in a UNC path:  

• \\Hostserver\Lacerte\20 Tax\Idata  
  • This will generate this error message because there is a space between 20 and Tax.
• \\Hostserver\Lacerte\20Tax\Idata 
  • This will not generate this error message because it conforms to the rules.

To solve for this, ensure that you are not using any of following common illegal characters/symbols:

• # pound
• % percent
• & ampersand
• * asterisk
• { left curly bracket
• } right curly bracket
• < left angle bracket
• > right angle bracket
• ? question mark
• $ dollar sign
• ! exclamation point
• : colon
• ' single quote
• " double quote
• ` backtick
• @ at sign
• + plus sign
• = equal sign
• / forward slash
• \ back slash*

*A double backslash can only be used at the beginning of the pathname if it is referencing a UNC path. Otherwise, a backslash should only be used to designate a subdirectory.

Other rules and best practices:

• Make sure there are no spaces in the pathname.
• Don’t start or end your filename with a space, period, hyphen, or underscore.
• Avoid using underscores; use a hyphen instead.
• Most operating systems are case sensitive; verify the path name you entered in Lacerte follows proper casing.
• Keep your filenames to a reasonable length and be sure they are under 31 characters.

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