how many years do you have to keep tax returns?
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You must keep your records for at least 5 years after the 31 January submission deadline of the relevant tax year. HM Revenue and Customs ( HMRC ) may check your records to make sure you're paying the right amount of tax.
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For most individuals, corporations, partnerships and trusts, the Income Tax Act (ITA) states that records (including cheques, vouchers, receipts, accounting records, etc.) must be retained for six years from the end of the last taxation year to which the records and books of account relate.
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You are required by law to keep records of all employees Tax and National Insurance contributions. You must keep them for three years from the end of the tax year they relate to.
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Most lawyers, accountants and bookkeeping services recommend keeping original documents for at least seven years. As a rule of thumb, seven years is sufficient time for defending tax audits, lawsuits and potential claims.
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Always keep receipts, bank statements, invoices, payroll records, and any other documentary evidence that supports an item of income, deduction, or credit shown on your tax return. Most supporting documents need to be kept for at least three years.
1815
Keep records for 3 years from the date you filed your original return or 2 years from the date you paid the tax, whichever is later, if you file a claim for credit or refund after you file your return. Keep records for 7 years if you file a claim for a loss from worthless securities or bad debt deduction.
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For tax purposes, you need to keep your business income tax returns and other business records. If you are filing Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) taxes you need to retain records for six years.
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The IRS says you need to keep your records “as long as needed to prove the income or deductions on a tax return.” In general, this means you need to keep your tax records for three years from the date the return was filed, or from the due date of the tax return (whichever is later).
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When it comes to tax-related paperwork like payslips, P45s and so on, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) suggests keeping them for at least 22 months from the end of the tax year they relate to. ... HMRC may check your records to make sure you're paying the right amount of tax.
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Whether you're a small business, contractor or self-employed, you need to hold on to tax records — for at least seven years — so you can pass them to Inland Revenue if you're audited.
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The Internal Revenue Service has established some basic record-keeping rules for tax documents. Outside the tax arena, there's remarkably little guidance about how long you should keep business paperwork. Most lawyers, accountants and bookkeeping services recommend keeping original documents for at least seven years.
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Keep your year-end stock and mutual fund account statements in your tax files for three years. If you are self-employed, you need to keep the annual statements for six years.
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The records of the information you use to complete your tax return need to be kept for five years, starting from when you prepared or obtained the records, or completed the transactions or acts those records relate to, whichever is later.
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You must keep VAT records for at least 6 years (or 10 years if you use the VAT MOSS service). You can keep VAT records on paper, electronically or as part of a software program (such as book-keeping software). Records must be accurate, complete and readable.
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Generally speaking, hang onto bills and bank statements for at least two years, and insurance documents as long as they are valid. When it comes to tax-related paperwork like pay slips, P45s and so on, HMRC suggests keeping them for at least 22 months from the end of the tax year they relate to.
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According to the IRS, when it comes to U.S. small business tax returns, Keep records for three years from the date you filed your original return or two years from the date you paid the tax—whichever is later—if you file a claim for credit or refund after you file your return.
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Most documents are kept 7 years mostly because IRS audits can go back a maximum of 7 years. There is no accepted standard for record-keeping, it's totally up to the organization.