How long do you all save credit card statements?

[Barbara Moulton]

Once you have confirmed that the charges are all "legit" and that all your payments have been credited, how long afterwards do you keep your credit card statements?

I have a file folder going back several years but I have lately realized that I NEVER refer back to them. I have never pulled one for any reason whatsoever.

So I am beginning to wonder why I bother saving them. Is there some occasion that might arise that would necessitate me knowing what I put on my Visa in January 2003?

[Hans Deventer]

Oh dear. My oldest statement dates back to 1990........

No use at all. The Dutch IRS might check records as far back as 5 years ago, never any longer. But there is nothing on my credit card that would be of any interest to them. Gifts etc are on my bank account.

[Barb Bouldrey]

I throw them away right after verifying everything on them.

Just like I delete all email once I read them.

I do not save anything except bank statements and then only for 7 years. I heard once that the IRS does not audit any farther back than that, so I pitch anything older than 7 years.

I do not even keep birthday and Christmas cards! I am a chronic "pitcher."

Barb

[Cecil Wallace]

.... how long afterwards do you keep your credit card statements? Well, mine go back to 1999.
You are correct about not needing them after a while, but I seem to keep them "just in case."

:basic01

[Diane Likens]

Once you have confirmed that the charges are all "legit" and that all your payments have been credited, how long afterwards do you keep your credit card statements?

I have a file folder going back several years but I have lately realized that I NEVER refer back to them. I have never pulled one for any reason whatsoever.

So I am beginning to wonder why I bother saving them. Is there some occasion that might arise that would necessitate me knowing what I put on my Visa in January 2003?

I keep 3 months' worth. That's it. I do the 3 months basically because most of my major purchases have a 90-day warranty -- having the credit card statement has helped more than once with proving a purchase date.

[Michael B. Ross]

I used to keep all those statement thingys. Now, I just throw them away. They are available online any time I need one.

Once you have confirmed that the charges are all "legit" and that all your payments have been credited, how long afterwards do you keep your credit card statements?

I have a file folder going back several years but I have lately realized that I NEVER refer back to them. I have never pulled one for any reason whatsoever.

So I am beginning to wonder why I bother saving them. Is there some occasion that might arise that would necessitate me knowing what I put on my Visa in January 2003?

[John Kennedy]

I throw them away right after verifying everything on them.

Just like I delete all email once I read them.

I do not save anything except bank statements and then only for 7 years. I heard once that the IRS does not audit any farther back than that, so I pitch anything older than 7 years.

I do not even keep birthday and Christmas cards! I am a chronic "pitcher."

Barb


The IRS doesn't audit any further back than 3 years unless there is presumption of fraud

[Judy Hamilton]

SAVE THEM????????????????

I canot even find them!!!

and i do want to save he ones I just might take back for a refund to Walmart for example

Where oh where IS the credit card reciept eating monster in my house anyway????

Judy

[Stan Hall]

Not too long ago, we were going through some boxes of papers and found we had complete income tax records going back to 1973. We pitched most of them.

[Dave McClung]

Once you have confirmed that the charges are all "legit" and that all your payments have been credited, how long afterwards do you keep your credit card statements?

I have a file folder going back several years but I have lately realized that I NEVER refer back to them. I have never pulled one for any reason whatsoever.

So I am beginning to wonder why I bother saving them. Is there some occasion that might arise that would necessitate me knowing what I put on my Visa in January 2003?

Forever -- in digital form. I scan them into Paperport. After a year or do, I move them to archives. I make a CD copy of archives and never get rid of them.

In paper, I shred them as soon as they have been scanned.

Dave

[Hans Deventer]

SAVE THEM????????????????

I canot even find them!!!

Judy, when our office dumped an archive system, I was allowed to take a few home. They used it for archiving invoices. Very handy system, I really like it. I'm sure a system like that can be bought in the US without costing you an arm and a leg. In private, you don't need all that many anyway, at the office, they had a wall of those boxes.

[Barbara Moulton]

Forever -- in digital form. I scan them into Paperport. After a year or do, I move them to archives. I make a CD copy of archives and never get rid of them.



Just out of curiosity...why? :-) That was one of the reasons I asked the question. I wonder if I am missing something.

[Dana Grant]

SAVE THEM????????????????

I canot even find them!!!

and i do want to save he ones I just might take back for a refund to Walmart for example

Where oh where IS the credit card reciept eating monster in my house anyway????

Judy

I don't know, but his brother lives at my house!!

LOL

[Dana Grant]

Just out of curiosity...why? :-) That was one of the reasons I asked the question. I wonder if I am missing something.

I only keep the ones that have major purchases on them, refrigerator, washer/dryer, etc. And I think that is actually for my own purpose rather than something official.

If it is a normal statement, with just regular purchases that I pay off every month, then I don't keep the statement more than 2 or 3 months. I keep it long enough to verify that it has been paid, then it's through the shredder.


Dana

[Mark Doble]

I only keep them as long as the warrenty is good on the product.

Then, into the stove!

[Gerald Spear]

A good system that I have used for ages is an 18 month clean out system.

Each month destroy the oldest receipts, this gives plenty of time for problems to be corrected.

In my business I kept all receipts, transactions, tax, IRS, for 7 years.
each year I would destroy the oldest years papers.

Stock certs, bonds, IRAS, CDS I never destroy, just make a note on them the final transaction date and sign my signature.

I have needed to go back and pull records for accounts closed for many years
such as figuring depreciation and capital gains on buildings and equipment.

Better safe than sorry, I like a paper trail.

[Doris Grant]

As soon as I verify the statement is correct and the check is in the mail -- the statement goes in the trash. It might not be the best system but that's what I do.

Doris

[Doris Grant]

Judy, when our office dumped an archive system, I was allowed to take a few home. They used it for archiving invoices. Very handy system, I really like it. I'm sure a system like that can be bought in the US without costing you an arm and a leg. In private, you don't need all that many anyway, at the office, they had a wall of those boxes.


Hans that is a pretty cool system. I sure could use that for my scrapbooking stuff.


Doris

[Hans Deventer]

Hans that is a pretty cool system. I sure could use that for my scrapbooking stuff.
Doris

There are also boxes without the rings to hold the letters and statements etc. So indeed it can be used for many different purposes.