Resolving error 12031 when e-filing a tax return in Lacerte

When trying to e-file a tax return in Lacerte, you may get an Internet Error 12031.
 
This error message may occur if the tax return has PDF attachments that exceed the file size limitations.

Understanding Error 12031

The attachment size per PDF is limited to 1.5 MB, for a total limitation of 32 MB.

This means you can have as many 1.5 MB attachments as needed, but the combined size of the attachments can't exceed 32 MB. 

While 32 MB is the largest combined size, you could experience issues e-filing a return at around 20 MB. If you're having difficulty e-filing a return with attachments that are around 20 MB in combined size, we recommend reducing the size of the PDF attachment(s).

If you have PDFs created from scanned documents, you can reduce their file size by:

• Scanning in black and white/grayscale or monochrome.
• Reducing the dots per inch (DPI) when scanning.

How to resolve Internet Error 12031 in Lacerte:

1. Remove attached PDFs from the return.
2. Reduce the size of the PDFs by re-scanning them in black and white at 150-300 DPI.
3. Attach the new PDFs and e-file the return.

Related topics:

• How to resolve internet or connectivity errors in Lacerte