How LONG do ya have to keep official documents?

[ODDJOB UNO]

ya know tax crap/state/fed/receipts/dee-vorce papers, all the crap over the ions living in the same dump that gets STACKED to the FREEKING RAFTERS?



HAVE SHREDDER(mean freeking shredder with TEETH!) and (4) cups of java in me!



gotta get rid of this crap. overwhelmed doesnt BEGIN to splain my situation.

[Daytona]

Forever and juan day.

Cheers

[cstreit]

7 years is typical these days.


Really important stuff should be kept as long as you can... (tax, death, etc..)

[Rot 911]

Tax documents keep for 10 years. Divorce documents keep forever as you never know when you might need them to show a date of divorce (ex. for social security or medicare).

[ODDJOB UNO]

hey thank you. (juan) -1 GIANT HEFTY BAG FILLED.....................estimated time of shredding completion................next blue moon!


my life is in SHREDS! boxes and boxes and BOXES of this crap.



this is what the hell happens when ya decide to get married again after 11 GLORIUS years of being a bachelor after being married for 21 years previously!

[Gogar]

FWIW My tax preparer has told me to keep EVERYTHING (receipts, etc.) for 3 years, and keep my tax returns for 7 years, but I'll always keep the returns, it's not much paper.

[ODDJOB UNO]

crap i got boxes going back to the DARK AGES. im on numba (2) hefty trash bag. my day is as follows:

1) SHRED and i dont mean thru dry colorado snow.
2)unbind shredder due to staples
3)walk down 14 steps from upstairs
4) go out door
5) walk to dumpster
6) dump bag
7) REVERSE STEPS
8) REPEAT!

had to do this on a NO BURN DAY here so i am ENVIRO-MENTALLY CORRECT and POLITICALLY CORRECT!

ser-i-ass-ly thinking of holding off for A BURN DAY and letting my life on paper GO UP IN SMOKE while drinking coldjuans.


have firepit and its STARING AT ME! now watch i light that baby up with all of this(BOXES) of paper and "clown attorney" will turn me in to AZ dept of environmental quality,fire dept. etc.

[legion]

7 years for tax-related stuff.

1 year for bills.

As long as necessary for other documents. (Like I don't toss car titles or documents for the house I live in.)

[peppy]

Originally Posted by Gogar

FWIW My tax preparer has told me to keep EVERYTHING (receipts, etc.) for 3 years, and keep my tax returns for 7 years, but I'll always keep the returns, it's not much paper.

+1

I get the same advice from my CPA.

Payroll record I keep for 10 years.

[Hugh R]

If you have a copier that scans and has a document feeder, then scan and shred. Just make sure you have a good backup file, like a disk going into the safety deposit box.

[GH85Carrera]

Yea but that disc will not be readable in 10 years.

[masraum]

until you don't have room to keep more, then rotate through the oldest stuff. 7-10 years is good.

I have my tax returns from when I was 16 (39 now).

[pwd72s]

Deed to the house, property line survey info...lots of stuff you want to keep forever. But Kurt nailed it on the tax thing...10 years.