Drowning in paperwork

Pink.

Hi Archer,

As your thread has dropped down the Old Style board I've added it to our existing one on 'drowning in paperwork' where hopefully you'll pick up some more tips.

Pink

lobbyludd

P60s etc I'll keep for 6 years, but I'm trying to declutter the (10 years plus) of every other bill/statement/policy etc. I had been keeping all these records for my divorce (looked like I was going to have to prove every last penny that I'd spent on "us" during our marriage), which dragged on, but was finalised just over a year ago. I bank and manage gas and electricity online. If needed I could do a subject access request for anything I needed to look at.

Is there any benefit to keeping anything more than the last year's worth of any utilities/insurance/credit card statements/pension statements.

or should I just keep the most current one? other than my divorce I've never had any call to look through these, ever.

what do you do?

Tiglath

I keep all my pension statements and P60s. Utilities/card bills etc stay for as long as they're online; I don't keep paper copies. Insurance I keep for 2 years - just an arbitrary length of time. I'm exploring scanning everything in and keeping it on the computer instead of paper file.

Goldiegirl

I'm always decluttering, and only keep bank statements and credit card statement for a year, and as yet have had no reason to go back to the statements, so I could probably keep even less.

Things like pensions, I keep a couple of years worth, mainly so I can compare the projected maturity values ( always depressing!).

P60's I have about 3 or 4 years - again I never have had to refer to them

Vibrant

I always keep P60's and pension paperwork.
About 20 years ago, at 30 years old, I had a query from the wages dept and was told I needed to contact the local tax office. They had lost all references to me and put me on emergency tax.
I had to fill out numerous forms and go for a meeting at the tax office, to prove that I had been working for years, the P60's were my only proof!!
They eventually found my details after six months, or so and after filling in twenty, or so copies of the same form.

lobbyludd

thanks everyone - I can put most of it to shredding then much easier to just declutter whole wodges of the paperwork rather than sift through it! I've got more than 10 years worth of P60s AND payslips.
the utility bills and bank statements are all going

System

I dont have bank statements. My bank account is paperless.

Household utilities, most of them are are paperless too. All sent to me in email form. All paid by Direct Debit.

Council tax, water rates and TV license. The statement of increase is sent to me once a year and i keep them for 12 months.

Hubby is self employed. He keeps his accounts for 10 years.

Divorce papers, ive only just shredded mine. Ive been married to my present husband almost 28 years and i figured that if i got in trouble for not divorcing my ex properly before marrying again, my ex would be in three times as much trouble. He is on his third wife!