How long to keep papers after death

Sheepverger

Hi my brother passed away 2 yrs ago and probate done this year, so I have lots of paperwork going back years, including from his business that was sold years before he died. I know you have to keep papers for 12 yrs but how far back do the papers need to be to be kept? ( if papers older than 12yrs for example) thanks 

Keep_pedalling

Not sure where you get the 12 year number from. I would keep all the probate paperwork indefinitely but anything over 6 years old I would dispose of. Creditors crawling out of the woodwork after that period are out of luck.

tacpot12

Generally anything over six years old can be disposed of, but for safety, I would say 7 years is better HMRC can investigate the current tax year plus the previous six. 

I would keep all DWP letters indefinitely. There is no limitations on how far back the DWP can go if there has been an overpayment of benefits, so if your brother claimed benefits of any sort and at any time, keep everything from the DWP.

You can seal the papers you need to keep up in plastic, and store them pretty much anywhere. If the plastic is relatively airtight, they will even survive in a damp cellar. I would write on the outside the date when the contents can be disposed of.

mybestattempt

It depends if IHT was payable:

https://www.gov.uk/valuing-estate-of-someone-who-died/records