dimekeepers

Household paperwork, in plain English

Keep what matters. Shred the rest. Find anything in a minute.

Plain-English guides to how long to keep tax records, statements and receipts, where to store the important ones, and how to make sure your family can find them in an emergency.

Keep or shred? Get organized

Today's paper pile, sorted

  • Birth certificateKeep forever
  • Last year's tax returnAt least 3 years
  • Home improvement receiptsWhile you own it
  • Bank statement1 year
  • Old pay stub, matched to W-2Shred

3 to file, 1 to scan, 1 to shred

Common guidelines. Some situations call for keeping records longer.

Start with one of these

ToolKeep or shred?How long to keep any household document. ChecklistPaperworkSixteen steps to organized, safe records. GuideWhat to shredAnd how to do it safely, often for free.

15 household records guides

What to keep

Store it safely

Stay organized

Ready for anything

Free download, no email needed

The Paperwork Starter Pack

List what you have and where it is, sort the pile with a keep-or-shred guide, record your accounts without numbers, and log what you've shredded.

Get the free PDFSee the Paperwork checklist

Coming soon

Everything your family needs, in one binder

Family Records Binder: a printable binder with tab pages for every kind of record, a document index spreadsheet and a letter-of-instruction template, so the people you trust can find what they need.

$12 once, for the whole household. 30-day refund.

See what's in the binder