Tax Planning How Long Do I Need to Keep My Tax Records? Read the Article Open Share Drawer Share this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window) Written by Elle Martinez Published Oct 22, 2012 - [Updated Sep 7, 2017] 3 min read One thing that annoys me about our home office is the sheer amount of paperwork we have filed (and semi-filed, you know the whole stuff it in the cabinet system, right?) and stored. One of our goals before the year is over is to FINALLY get the home office organized and that means getting our filing system in order. Before we throw out old documents and clean out the room, we need to know what to keep (and for how long) and what we can shred, especially when it comes to our tax records. Tax Records How Long Should We Keep Tax Records? I decided to check the IRS guidelines first. The gist of their guidelines is that you only need to store records for as long as the period of limitations applies. For example, that means that if there is still time for you to amend one of your tax filings, you should keep the records for that tax year. The period of limitations is the period of time in which you can amend your tax return to claim a tax credit or tax refund or that the IRS can assess additional tax. The IRS also has different timetables, depending on your circumstances as follows: Period of Limitations IF you… THEN the period is… 1 Owe additional tax and (2), (3), and (4) do not apply to you 3 years 2 Do not report income that you should and it is more than 25% of the gross income shown on your return 6 years 3 File a fraudulent return No limit 4 Do not file a return No limit 5 File a claim for credit or refund after you filed your return The later of 3 years or 2 years after tax was paid. 6 File a claim for a loss from worthless securities 7 years I should also note that even though you may not need to keep these records for tax purposes, please check to see if you need them for some other financial or legal reason. How to Store Tax Records As I reviewed the IRS guidelines, I noticed that they did not specify a particular method on how to store your records. That means that if you prefer, you can keep an electronic back up of your tax records. You can also keep them in the traditional paper form as well, it’s up to you. If you’re trying to explore some options for digital storage here are a few you may want to check out: Scan/Save: The easiest way to save and store that data is to go ahead scan and save the copies. You can put it on an external hard drive where you can store in a secure place. DropBox: They specialize with digital storage and have several plans available including free, professional, and team accounts. Amazon CloudDrive: Amazon also has a digital storage service that is free for the first 5 GBs. Of course, you have to weigh which options would be best for you and your organizational needs. Since much of these records have sensitive financial information, please make sure whatever you choose is secure. Thoughts on Storing Tax Records For us that means we’ll be spending a weekend getting our financial records stored in a secure spot while shredding all of our old stuff from college. Hopefully it’ll only be a weekend project and we’ll have more space available to rearrange everything in our office next month. I’d love to hear from you about how your filing system is done at home? How long do you keep your records (tax related and not)? Do you have electronic filing as a part pf your system? Why or why not? Previous Post Owe Money? Get a Fresh Start with the IRS Fresh… Next Post Can I Claim a Casualty Loss for a Natural Disaster? Written by Elle Martinez Elle helps families at Couple Money achieve financial freedom by sharing tips for reducing debt, increase income, and building net worth. Learn how to live on one income and have fun with the second. More from Elle Martinez Visit the website of Elle Martinez. Follow Elle Martinez on Facebook. Follow Elle Martinez on Twitter. 3 responses to “How Long Do I Need to Keep My Tax Records?” Dear Ms. Elle, Your advice to electronically store tax records on an external drive is spot on. If the tax records are stored on the hard drive of a computer, anyone with spyware can download those records from your computer and have complete access to your social security number, name, address, etc. Good job! Reply At the start of the new year, this is a great article to review. Elle did a great job outlining the basics. If you have concerns about your record keeping requirements, you can also visit http://www.irs.gov or speak to your tax professional. Reply Thanks, A very useful information. Reply Leave a ReplyCancel reply Browse Related Articles Self-Employed Business Tax Checklist: What You’ll Need When Filing Tax Planning What You’ll Need to File Your Business Taxes Tax Planning Now That I’ve Filed, What Should I Do With my Rec… Tax Planning Tax Tips for Bloggers Tax Tips Avoid the Post Office Lines This Year: e-File! Small Business How to File Small Business Taxes Self-Employed Freelancer Taxes: Tax Tips for Freelancers Filing for t… Tax News Extension Filers: The Tax Deadline is Today Tax Planning Taxes Done? Find Out Which Tax Records You Should Keep Tax Planning 8 Tax Tips for the Military
Dear Ms. Elle, Your advice to electronically store tax records on an external drive is spot on. If the tax records are stored on the hard drive of a computer, anyone with spyware can download those records from your computer and have complete access to your social security number, name, address, etc. Good job! Reply
At the start of the new year, this is a great article to review. Elle did a great job outlining the basics. If you have concerns about your record keeping requirements, you can also visit http://www.irs.gov or speak to your tax professional. Reply