How long do you keep you Utility Bills/Statements, Credit Card Bills & Bank Statements for ?

Paul W. H

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How long do you keep you Utility Bills/Statements, Credit Card Bills & Bank Statements for ?

I am a bit of a hoarder to the point where it is getting "Silly"

I have spoken to Friends and Family and the concensus seems to be between Don't & Forever.



What do you Ladies & Gentlemen do ?
 
For the Stupar household all bills and statements are received online which makes life a godsend. The only thing we still get in paper form is council tax and TV license.
 
We haven't chucked any in the last eleven years, which is proving fortunate at the moment as we need originals* as proof of residence for the last six years.

For tax reasons you should keep the last seven years, plus a margin of error.


* printed from the web copies not accepted, reprints of bank statements only accepted if stamped by the bank.
 
Generally 7 years for tax etc, ( utility bills are now online )
 
I have my Dad's accounts for his last 7 years in boxes, now I can throw them out, I don't like going through them, bit sad really.
 
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I get none of those through the post so I guess I don't keep any,

Everything is going paperless.

If I wanted a paper version I would contact one of the companies.

I see the benefit of keeping bank statements at a push but I really couldn't care how much I paid EDF for my gas in September 2010.

I guess were all different, I don't want paper cluttering up my house.

Having been 'grown up' as it were, i.e. paying bills etc for 12 years....I have never really needed anything paper related other than bank statements for the mortgage and the bank sent me them on request.
 
I kept my payslips/P60s ever since I've started working. Have had bank statements since I was a child - I only recently threw them out because for the last eight years, I've done it all online - credit card and bank card statements.
 
All online now, I don't keep a thing.
 
I only keep a year's worth of bills, plus at least one for each prior address (I need to prove prior addresses as I work in financial sector).
Tax, payroll etc - keep for at least 6 years (in practise I've still kept everything except payslips - which are summarised in P60s anyway).
 
I've got everything since I became 17. Don't keep anything in paper form; I scan and shred on a weekly basis.
 
Many thanks for your replies and my conclusion is:


Utility Bills, No need to keep. Financial Statements keep seven years.

Miscellaneous Stuff, use discression.
 
Many thanks for your replies and my conclusion is:


Utility Bills, No need to keep. Financial Statements keep seven years.

Miscellaneous Stuff, use discression.
I'd say also keep at least one bill for each address you live at. If you ever need to prove you've lived somewhere it's a right pain if you've binned everything.
 
I'd say also keep at least one bill for each address you live at. If you ever need to prove you've lived somewhere it's a right pain if you've binned everything.

I have never been asked for proof of anything beyond 3 years.

I work in finance also and had to have a full background check done, they verified my addresses using my credit file etc.
Never had to show them anything other than proof of my current address which I used my driving licence for.
 
I have never been asked for proof of anything beyond 3 years.

I work in finance also and had to have a full background check done, they verified my addresses using my credit file etc.
Never had to show them anything other than proof of my current address which I used my driving licence for.

Lucky you. I've twice had to prove every address of the prior six years and the first time it was right faff. Some companies are worse than others and this one is legendary in the business for their 'deep-dive' background checks.
 
I tend to keep everything neatly filed away. The last ten years are in actual files, and before that, taken out of the files with a long shoelace through the holes, tied off and then boxed. I suppose it is because I have always worked in places where everything has to be filed away (even in the digital age, they still want a paper audit trail). I still have payslips and tax information going back to 1975.


I am not a hoarder - honest;)
 
Lucky you. I've twice had to prove every address of the prior six years and the first time it was right faff. Some companies are worse than others and this one is legendary in the business for their 'deep-dive' background checks.

The background check I went through was a right faff as well, they wanted my school certificates from 10+ years ago.

I refused and said if the job depended on this then I wasn't interested. They soon backed down, the company they used for the checks were d-bags.

My credit report showed all my addresses for over 10 years so didn't need any paper version other than current address as I have only lived their a year.

I have literally no paperwork past a year and I try my best to avoid anything really, the bank insist on sending me stuff but it goes in the shredder. If I want bank statements, I pay them a fiver and they will send me as many as I want in paper format.

Even my energy is now online only, my statements are there in PDF on the website but I don't save them locally as I couldn't care less what I paid 6 months ago, any proof that someone demanded for address etc I would only need the latest one.
 
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