Credit Card Statements: Keep them for 60 days unless they include tax-related expenses. In these cases, keep them for at least three years. Pay Stubs: Match them to your W-2 once a year and then shred them. Utility Bills: Hold on to them for a maximum of one year.
Tax-related expenses are a very important reason to keep credit card statements for longer than 60 days. This might be especially helpful for those using business credit cards. The IRS retains the right to audit anyone's financial history for up to six years.
Because of the risk of fraud, you should be careful about how you throw away credit card statements you no longer need. Simply tossing them in the trash is unsafe because it leaves too much of your personal information exposed; they need to be completely destroyed.
KEEP 3 TO 7 YEARS
Knowing that, a good rule of thumb is to save any document that verifies information on your tax return—including Forms W-2 and 1099, bank and brokerage statements, tuition payments and charitable donation receipts—for three to seven years.
Monthly Credit Card Statements: Keep these for 1 year, unless you have your own business and have purchased items with your credit card, then you would keep the statement for 6 years. Monthly Mortgage Statements: Reconcile with your annual statement and then shred. Pay Stubs: Reconcile with your T4 and then shred.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, you should shred documents containing sensitive information, including bank statements, to protect yourself from identity theft.
Although five years is more than a sufficient amount of time for viewing old statements, sometimes that's not enough. With that said, it's not impossible to request older banking statements. If older statements are needed, you have the option of going to your bank in person and requesting access.
Home, auto and umbrella policies - Keep until you get your new policy. For auto insurance, most states accept electronic versions of your insurance card, but it may also be smart to keep a printed version in your glove compartment.
To be on the safe side, McBride says to keep all tax records for at least seven years. Keep forever. Records such as birth and death certificates, marriage licenses, divorce decrees, Social Security cards, and military discharge papers should be kept indefinitely.
Most bank statements should be kept accessible in hard copy or electronic form for one year, after which they can be shredded. Anything tax-related such as proof of charitable donations should be kept for at least three years.
Don't just toss the junk mail in the trash bin; shred it. Given merely your name, address and a credit offer, someone malicious could take out a line of credit in your name and spend money, leaving you on the hook.
Credit card and bank statements
John Ulzheimer, president of consumer education for CreditSesame.com, recommends saving all bank statements and credit card statements for at least one year. ... "You can most likely get the statement from your bank or credit card after that, if you need it," Ulzheimer says.
While household bills and bank statements should be kept for at least two years, and insurance documents as long as they are valid.
In general, 401k plan records must be kept for a period of not less than six years after the filing date of the IRS Form 5500 created from those records.
Keep canceled checks for one year unless you need them for tax purposes. Refer to them when you reconcile your accounts each month so you know what has cleared. If your bank does not return your canceled checks, you can request a copy for up to five years.
With the exception of birth certificates, death certificates, marriage certificates and divorce decrees, which you should keep indefinitely, you should keep the other documents for at least three years after a person's death or three years after the filing of any estate tax return, whichever is later.
As for insurance, keep your paperwork for as long as you have the policy and keep documentation for any unresolved claims of coverage. For health insurance, keep any records (explanation-of-benefit forms, receipts and invoices) covering treatments that are in progress or that are not completely paid for or resolved.
Bank statements
These can be discarded after one year and shredding means your banking and personal details won't be on show to be copied. Better still, opt for paperless statements. That way you can check them via online banking anytime (and print them out only if you need to).
The period requiring record documentation could go back many years, and banks typically only retain records for seven years (as little as two years for certain items). Any fiduciary matter, i.e., situations in which someone was entrusted with the custody and care of funds for someone else.
Identification Regulation
These programs mandate that banks obtain and retain checking and savings account customer data, including contact, identification and tax information. FDIC regulations stipulate that banks must keep this information for five years after the account is closed.
A default will stay on your credit file for six years from the date of default, regardless of whether you pay off the debt. But the good news is that once your default is removed, the lender won't be able to re-register it, even if you still owe them money.
Paper shredders increase security risks. You shred your documents to prevent identity theft and maintain the confidentiality of your information. But your paper shredding machine doesn't offer the most secure method for completely destroying confidential information. ... Document destruction equipment and facilities.