Quick Question

[mdl]

I am going through piles and piles of paperwork that I have stashed in an unused room.
Is there any need to keep all the credit card statements that I filed for in 13 almost 3 years ago?
And how long do I need to keep income tax stuff? I have stuff from 1999!!!!
I have a box with everything related to filing that it know to keep.
TIA!

[LadyInTheRed]

I'm keeping all of my paperwork until my case is closed. Then I plan to have a party and burn it all! I probably don't even need to keep it at this point. All of the important information I could possibly need in the future (because of creditors trying to collect discharged debts) is in my petition which I will keep in a PDF file forever even though I can always get a copy from the court if needed.

Here's what the IRS says about tax documents: http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-...I-keep-records

[jange]

I would not keep credit card statements. Ch13 papers yes. I shredded all of my old stuff 2 years ago when my local community had a shred event.

[andy158]

Tax related stuff - 3 years. The IRS can only go back 3 years on personal income taxes unless you have extenuating circumstances.

Credit card statements - 2 years. Haven't had any for nearly 5 years and it feels great!

Bk related stuff - until discharge.

[TheBajan]

I know this is over kill but I have kept all of my IRS documents from the time I began filing back in 1984. It's true that the IRS can only go back 3 years.... unless there is extenuating circumstances. The catch is that the IRS gets to define what is considered extenuating.

My father (a tax preparer), once had a client harassed by the state of Maryland for taxes they claim he owed back from 1982. The man never even lived or worked in Maryland. Maryland claimed he owed taxes because he lived on a boat that he used to travel along the eastern seaboard between Florida and New York. He would stop to visit friends in Maryland and park his boat while he stopped (for what was normally a few weeks). The states claim dates back to 1982 but they never approached my dad's client about it until the late 1990's.
Since then, my father has had to deal with the state of Maryland about this 3 different times. Even though the state continues to recognize that here is no legitimate taxes owed, it keeps coming back up.

THAT is the reason I keep my tax papers forever! Having said that, it is true that states tend to be far more aggressive in their tax collection tactics than the federal government. Still, with the IRS being the one to define whether or not they have probable cause, I'm more comfortable keeping my records intact.