How Many Years Of Tax Returns Should I Keep

How Long Should Businesses Keep Tax Returns And Other Business Tax Records

Fortunately, the IRS cannot assess additional tax once a certain periodcalled the statute of limitationshas passed. The federal income tax statute of limitations equals:

• three years from the filing dateor the due date, if laterfor most tax returns
• four years after the tax becomes dueor gets paid, if laterfor employment tax returns
• six years from the filing dateor the due date, if laterfor tax returns that underreport gross income by more than 25%
• seven years from the filing dateor the due date, if laterof the related tax returns for losses from worthless securities or bad debt
• Forever for unfiled or fraudulent tax returns

Some state taxing authorities follow IRS rules, while others use different periods. Creditors and investors may have their own requirements.

Creating different retention policies for each possible scenario may prove impractical. Retaining tax returns and other records for seven yearsstarting from the later of the filing date and due date of the related tax returnoffers a convenient rule of thumb. This covers almost all documents for businesses that file all required tax returns without fraud.

The Pros And Cons Of Storing Your Tax Records Digitally

Keeping tax records used to be more of a headache than it can be today, says Valrie Chambers, CPA and an associate professor of taxation and accounting at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida. This is in part because many people now have decluttered their offices and store their documents digitally. Many institutions also now issue digital copies of your tax forms, further reducing your tax paper trail.

In addition to reducing paper, storing your tax records and receipts online or in the cloud can be convenientbut make sure your online storage provider encrypts your data so that a cybercriminal cant easily steal your Social Security number or other data that can easily identify you. You can also protect your files and folders by adding a password.

When it is feasible, scan documents, store and back them up, Chambers says. Dispose of the paper copy at will, as long as its not an original deed, title, valuation or original investment paperwork. Keep those documents secure.

The IRS also keeps a record of your tax returns from previous years. You can request a transcript online, by phone or by mail .

If you use a CPA, dont rely on your accountant to keep records for you. Taxpayers should also maintain copies of tax returns and related documents themselves, Curtis says.

Keeping your own records prevents any potential problems if your CPA sells their business, retires, loses their records in a fire or flood, or dies.

The Cra’s Audit Powers

While the CRA has expansive auditing power, there are some limitations.

• The CRA must conduct the audit within the standard assessment period of three years for income tax returns and four years for GST/HST returns
• You will not have to provide any documentation subject to legal privileges, such as communication with a lawyer
• You should request a written account of who is being audited, and the years included in the audit should be requested from CRA to ensure the audit terms are clear to all parties involved
• A record of all communication with the auditor, the documentation provided to the auditor, and the time you provided the documentation should be kept in case there is ever an allegation that documentation was not provided or has gone missing

During the audit process, be sure to inform the CRA representative if you need more time to provide the requested documentation and the reason you cannot meet the original agreed-upon deadline.

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What Records Need To Be Kept For 7 Years

Keep records for 7 years if you file a claim for a loss from worthless securities or bad debt deduction. Keep records for 6 years if you do not report income that you should report, and it is more than 25% of the gross income shown on your return. Keep records indefinitely if you do not file a return.

How Long Should I Keep My Federal Tax Returns

We are often asked, How long should I keep copies of my federal Form 1040 tax return?

Well, it depends.

In our opinion, you should keep records of your tax returns indefinitely. But, the IRS does provide some guidance on the time frame to keep the returns.

Statute of Limitations for Audits

As a general rule, the IRS can audit your tax returns going back three years, so you should keep tax returns and other records for at least three years from the date the returns were filed.

However, you should keep the returns longer if one of the following applies:

The third point is the important one to highlight. If the IRS considers a return to be fraudulent, the statute of limitations never expires for the IRS to audit your tax return.

The fraudulent tag is a high burden for the IRS to meet, but it is still on the table. For these reasons, we recommend keeping the tax returns forever because you dont want the IRS to audit a year that you thought was closed, have the IRS allege fraud, and then not have the supporting documents defend yourself.

In the digital age, it is much easier to keep copies of tax returns. Just scan the old returns into a PDF format and save them on a thumb drive.

The Takeaway

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How To Organize Your Tax Records

As youre working on your taxes, its crucial to remember that you may need to access them again in the event of an audit by the IRS. With that in mind, a shoebox with loads of papers or files scattered throughout your hard drive is not a good move.

Instead, start a filing system that organizes all your records by year and by category, such as bank statements, income forms and receipts. Throughout the year, make sure youre maintaining that system so that everything makes sense when you file and if the IRS requests something from the past, youll be able to track it down quickly.

If youre still dealing with a heavy amount of paper, there are plenty of apps to digitize and simplify your life, such as Expensify or CamScanner.

How Long Do I Need To Keep Old Tax Returns

Drowning in paperwork? How long must you keep old tax records?

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After being stuck at home for months, thanks to the Coronavirus, you might be wondering what to do with those stacks of old tax returns and other tax records. Can you just throw them away? Do you need to keep the hard copies? How can you get them out of sight and out of the way?

Few people know how long they must keep various tax records, receipts, and full tax returns. Another question is how to safely store these documents without feeling like you are living like a hoarder. Over the years, Ive met quite a few people who had stacks and stacks of boxes full of receipts, documents, old tax returns, even countless papers. While some of those documents were important and needed to be kept, most should have been shredded and thrown away long ago.

According to the Internal Revenue Service , the length of time you should keep your tax documents will depend on the type of file you are talking about and what kind of transaction to which it relates. You will want to keep any tax records to support your income, various tax deductions, tax credit, and exemptions until at least the period of limitations for each tax return ends. If you arent a certified public accountant or a financial planner, you are likely wondering, what the heck does that mean for me? Keep reading, and we will explain.

As you file your 2019 taxes, you may wonder if you need to keep your old tax returns.

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Also Check: How Long Can You Wait To File Taxes

How Long Should You Keep Business Tax Records

Keep business income tax returns and supporting documents for at least seven years from the tax year of the return. The IRS can audit your return and you can amend your return to claim additional credits for a period that varies from three to seven years from the date you first filed. But it’s a good idea to use seven years as your guide for keeping these documents.

If you don’t file a return at all, the IRS can come after your business at any time.

Examples of supporting documents include:

• profit and loss statements
• financial statements
• invoices.

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Exceptions To The Rules For Record Retention

The CRA may request that you keep your records for longer than six years and notify you of this in-person or by registered mail. However, there are some situations where you may need to keep your records for a different period of time, with or without the request of the CRA.

These are some examples of such situations:

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How Long Do I Have To Keep My Tax Records For

HomeNewsHow long do I have to keep my tax records for?

Tax Record Keeping! What do I have to keep and what can I shred?

You may have recently finalised your tax return for another financial year and are wondering how long you should keep your tax records for before they can be shredded. This is a common and important question we are often asked by our clients. Another question we often hear is whether such records need to be originals or if a digital or photocopy would suffice.

Usually individual taxpayers should keep records for five years from the date of lodging their tax return, however there are circumstances which call for records to be kept for longer, examples of these include:

Often individual taxpayers will purchase assets for use in their employment and want to claim a tax deduction for these items. Such assets may include office equipment, furniture or a motor vehicle if they are required to travel for work. These items are generally not fully tax deductible in the year they are purchased, instead requiring the taxpayer to depreciate them over several years. For record-keeping purposes, details about the purchase of these assets must be kept for five years from the date of making the final claim for decline in value.

Capital gains tax assets

Ways to keep records

Organizing Preserving And Tossing Records

Keep your records organizedI recommend arranging them by yearand store them in a safe place. If the IRS comes calling, you must be able to promptly produce legible records.

Consider scanning your records and storing them electronically. The IRS has accepted scanned receipts since 1997, a policy that was memorialized by Rev. Proc. 9722. You have to be sure that your scanned or electronic receipts are as accurate as your paper records, and you must be able to index, store, preserve, retrieve, and reproduce the records. As with paper records, you need to be able to timely produce them in a hard copy form if needed.

Finally, when it comes time to get rid of those old papers, dont simply throw old tax returns and banking information in the trash. Its best to shred records with sensitive data. If you dont have a shredder at home, try a shredding service, usually available at shipping or office supply stores for a nominal fee. And that goes for more than just paperyou can generally shred or destroy plastics and electronic media, like DVDs and hard drives, safely, too.

**This is the third column in a series on taxpayers and tax professionals. You can find the rest of the series here:

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The Eight Small Business Record Keeping Rules

How Many Years Can You File Back Taxes The Period Of Limitations According To Irs

According to the IRS, the period during which you can revise your tax return and apply for a tax credit or refund is called the statute of limitations. During this time, the IRS may impose additional tax obligations. Unless otherwise stated, the statute of limitations applies several years after the tax is filed.

• Early tax returns are usually considered to have been filed by the tax deadline around April 15. For 2020, this is July 15th
• The statute of limitations for tax returns submitted at the time of renewal is several years from the actual tax filing date
• You must maintain a copy of your tax return indefinitely
• Having access to a copy of your previous tax return will help you prepare future tax returns and make calculations when you need to submit a modified tax return. There is not much reason to delete old tax returns with the help of scanning and cloud storage on your computers

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Always Verify The Accuracy Of Your Earnings Record First

The Social Security Administration keeps track of your income in your Earnings Record, which you can access by creating a my Social Security account. This is the income that’s ultimately used to calculate your Social Security benefit when you’re ready to claim, so it’s important to make sure it’s correct. It usually is, but little things such as accidentally transposing digits in your Social Security Number when filling out paperwork with a new employer or forgetting to notify your company about a name change can result in income that’s reported incorrectly or not reported at all.

If there are errors in your Social Security Earnings Record, you’ll need your old tax returns to prove your real earnings to the Social Security Administration. You must submit a copy of your old tax return for that year or any other paperwork you have with a Request for Correction of Earnings Record form. If you don’t have any documents to prove your claim is legitimate, the Social Security Administration may not do anything about it, and then you could lose tens of thousands of dollars or more in Social Security benefits over your lifetime.

Why Should You Keep Some Tax Records Longer Than Seven Years

As a money nerd, I am planning to keep my older tax records indefinitely. Partially, because I think it is a good idea to have them. Also, because Ive managed to make all the files digital, and once they are scanned and saved, I have more important things to do with my time rather than delete old files on my computer. Also, as a business owner, I have found it interesting to revisit my income and even business expenses throughout my career as a financial planner.

Do You Have Tax Records Connected to Property?

When you own property , you should keep all tax records for at least three years after selling that property and filing the corresponding tax returns. That may include records for depreciation, amortization, or depletion deduction, all of which will figure into whether you are going to realize a gain or loss when you sell the property. Your taxable gain when selling a home, or disposing of property, is not necessarily the same as the difference between the purchase and sale prices.

Depending on where you live, you may need to keep state tax records longer than the IRS requires for … federal tax returns.

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State Tax Record Retention Requirements

What Should I Do with My Old Tax Returns?

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