Characters to Avoid in Account Names
Some special characters can cause errors in PlanGuru when they appear in Account names. Here’s which characters to avoid and what to use instead.
Why it matters
PlanGuru uses Account names behind the scenes when it calculates formulas, builds reports, and maps imported data. Certain characters have special meaning in those calculations. When they show up in an Account name, PlanGuru can misread them, which may lead to formula errors, missing values, or reports that don’t calculate correctly.
Characters to avoid
Don’t use any of the following characters in Account names:
| Character | Name |
|---|---|
, |
Comma |
. |
Period |
( ) |
Parentheses |
[ ] |
Square brackets |
{ } |
Curly braces |
< > |
Angle brackets |
* |
Asterisk |
+ |
Plus sign |
? |
Question mark |
^ |
Caret |
$ |
Dollar sign |
| |
Pipe |
\ |
Backslash |
' |
Single quote / apostrophe |
" |
Double quote |
What to use instead
You can keep your Account names clear and readable with simple swaps:
| Instead of… | Try… |
|---|---|
| Misc. Expense | Misc Expense |
| Payroll (Hourly) | Payroll - Hourly |
| Owner’s Draw | Owners Draw |
| Rent, Utilities | Rent and Utilities |
| Fees + Commissions | Fees and Commissions |
| Software $ | Software Costs |
| COGS [Retail] | COGS - Retail |
Characters that are safe to use: letters, numbers, spaces, hyphens (-), underscores (_), ampersands (&), and forward slashes (/).
Already have these characters in your Account names?
- Open your plan and go to the Account list.
- Look for any Account names that include the characters above.
- Rename each Account using one of the alternatives listed.
- Recalculate your plan and review your reports to confirm everything looks right.
Tip: If you import or sync your Chart of Accounts from QuickBooks, Xero, or Excel, account names from those sources may include these characters. It’s a good idea to scan your Account list after each import.