I have one of those collapsible file folders where I’ve stored bills (water/power/gas/phone/etc) since I’ve moved into my current apartment. It has been about four years now and the folder is getting a bit hefty.
Am I silly for saving these?
Probably, but I do the same. Once a year I scan and save them, and then throw those out.
I don’t think I’ve ever needed to look back at one.
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I usually save them for a year or so, though I’m not sure why. Utilities are so cheap here that it’s hard to imagine me ever needing to go back and prove that I paid 8 bucks for water or whatever.
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If there was any problem with a payment going through, you’d know within a couple months, so I wouldn’t save bills any longer than that. I sometimes keep them a little longer out of laziness though.
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I always keep Bank, credit card, health care and business stuff. Others, not.
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Keep any bank and credit card ones. They’re the ones that can fuck you over.
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Not silly at all.
Utilities: save 1 year back
Taxes: save forever
Insurance: save forever
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I pay the bills electronically, so no way I can save those. But there’s a record of it somewhere.
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My electric, gas, and water in Taipei are all paid through automatic bank withdrawal, then I get a statement in the mail from each one every month or two summarizing my usage and the amount that I already paid automatically. I assumed the OP was referring to something of this nature.
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I don’t save any of mine. Straight in the trash after I pay them. The only exception is if I’m planning to move out of my rental place I’ll keep them for a couple months to show the landlord when negotiating the return of the deposit.
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There will always be a receipt of payment. Digital ones are even easier to store and organise.
This might be a little different for Taiwan but I guess in princip, it’s the same.
After a certain periode of time, Germany two years, you cannot be billed anymore.
Therefor, to be 100% sure, you should keep them for 2 years as a private, and five years as a business.
I tend to keep them until leaving a country or apartment, then photograph and bin them. I haven’t organized them for a couple of years now though - usually they just go in a drawer in the living room where the messiness isn’t visible.
That’s for utility bills etc. I’d keep tax-related stuff for longer, just in case.
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There’s a line at the bottom of the Taiwan tax forms that says we need to keep it for X number of years - maybe seven? I still intend to keep them pretty much forever, mind you.
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I’m like you. Pay and then bin everything.
Well actually I shred everything for security. Never needed to look back for anything. Just keep the landlord receipts so I get a tax credit and that’s it
You people using “bin” as a verb: Is that a UK thing? Does that mean save them or throw them away?
throw them away.
I wouldnt throw anyhing away when the authorities tell you flat out they might F you based on said paperwork. Once a person gets audited, or worse, you wouldnt be throwing away anything.
I keep anything related to government and banks. At least 10 years. Might not be organized well, but its there just in case, cause if you dont provide proof and they muck up (more common than you think, go see what happens in clusterfuck countries like the USA and the IRS), you are out the money. And their guns are bigger than yours…
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I save nothing, not even taxes.
I only save deeds and declarations of trust.
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Tax documents are all stored at the government agencies anyway so worst case I can just go get a reprint.