Record Keeping

 

What to Shred, and What to Keep?

 

Keep till warranty expires or can no longer return or exchange:

  • Sales Receipts (Unless needed for tax purposes and then keep for 3 years)
     

What to keep for 1 month:

  • ATM Printouts (When you balance your checkbook each month shred the ATM receipts)
     

What to keep for 1 year:

  • Paycheck Stubs (You can get rid of once you have compared to your W2 & annual social security statement)
  • Utility Bills (You can throw out after one year, unless you're using these as a deduction like a home office --then you need to keep them for 3 years after you've filed that tax return)
  • Cancelled Checks (Unless needed for tax purposes and then you need to keep for 3 years)
  • Credit Card Receipts (Unless needed for tax purposes and then you need to keep for 3 years)
  • Bank Statements (Unless needed for tax purposes and then you need to keep for 3 years)
  • Quarterly Investment Statements (Hold on to until you get your annual statement)
     

What to keep for 3 years:

  • Income Tax Returns (Please keep in mind that you can be audited by the IRS for no reason up to three years after you filed a tax return. If you omit 25% of your gross income that goes up to 6 years and if you don't file a tax return at all, there is no statute of limitations.)
  • Medical Bills and Cancelled Insurance Policies
  • Records of Selling a House (Documentation for Capital Gains Tax)
  • Records of Selling a Stock (Documentation for Capital Gains Tax)
  • Receipts, Cancelled Checks and other Documents that Support Income or a Deduction on your Tax Return (Keep 3 years from the date the return was filed or 2 years from the date the tax was paid -- whichever is later)
  • Annual Investment Statement (Hold onto 3 years after you sell your investment.)
     

What to keep for 7 years:

  • Records of Satisfied Loans
     

What to hold while active:

  • Contracts
  • Insurance Documents
  • Stock Certificates
  • Property Records
  • Stock Records
  • Records of Pensions and Retirement Plans
  • Property Tax Records Disputed Bills (Keep the bill until the dispute is resolved)
  • Home Improvement Records (Hold for at least 3 years after the due date for the tax return that includes the income or loss on the asset when it's sold)
     

Keep Forever:

  • Marriage Licenses
  • Birth Certificates
  • Wills
  • Adoption Papers
  • Death Certificates
  • Records of Paid Mortgages

* These documents should be kept in a very safe place, like a safety deposit box.