does the "slash" in my combined tax name automatically become a special character when I create it, or is there a way to prevent this?

Hi there, 

Welcome to the Community. I'll be happy to guide you in the right direction so you can get back to doing what you enjoy.

When entering names in QuickBooks, it's important to adhere to the character requirements. To learn more about this, please check out the following article with more info on the: Acceptable characters in QuickBooks Online. 

Here's another helpful resource with more info on how to: Set up a custom sales tax code. 

You're welcome to ask other questions in the comments below. I'll be a message away.