How Long Should You Keep Household Documents? A UK Guide

By Flupy Team 30 Oct 2026 6 min read Home admin

Illustration of a family sorting paperwork into labelled boxes and a laptop at a kitchen table

Most of us have a drawer, a box or a carrier bag of paperwork that nobody wants to look at. Every so often someone asks the question: how long to keep documents before they can safely be thrown away?

The honest answer is that a few types of paperwork have an official keeping period, and most don't. This guide covers the periods that gov.uk sets out for tax records, then gives sensible, practical habits for everything else, along with how to store and clear out your papers.

This article gives general information only. It isn't financial, legal or safety advice, and your own circumstances will differ.

The short answer

If you send HMRC a tax return, there are official minimum periods for keeping the records behind it. For other household paperwork such as bills, warranties and insurance, there isn't one rule that fits everything. A good test is to ask: could I need this to prove something, claim something or sort something out in future?

If the answer is no, it can probably go. If the answer is yes, or you're unsure, keep it until you've checked with the organisation that sent it.

Tax records: the part with official time limits

HMRC may check your records to make sure you're paying the right amount of tax. How long you keep them depends on how you file.

If you send a Self Assessment tax return

For a return sent on or before the deadline, gov.uk says you should keep your records for at least 22 months after the end of the tax year the return is for. Its example: if you send your 2024 to 2025 tax return online by 31 January 2026, keep your records until at least the end of January 2027.

If you send the return after the deadline, gov.uk says to keep your records for at least 15 months after you sent it.

If you are self-employed

The period is longer. You must keep your records for at least 5 years after the 31 January submission deadline of the relevant tax year. In gov.uk's example, if you sent your 2022 to 2023 return online by 31 January 2024, you must keep your records until at least the end of January 2029.

If you send a return more than 4 years after the deadline, gov.uk says you need to keep your records for 15 months after you send it.

If records are lost or destroyed

Don't panic. gov.uk says that if you cannot replace your records, you must do your best to provide figures. You need to tell HMRC when you file if you are using estimated figures, provisional figures or your best guess.

If you rent out a property

Landlords in England have one more official period. When you check a tenant's right to rent, gov.uk says to keep copies of the tenant's documents for the time they're your tenants and for one year after. It also says to make a copy that cannot be changed, such as a photocopy or a good quality photograph, and to record the date you made the copy. Make sure you follow data protection law.

Everything else: sensible habits, not official rules

For the rest of your paperwork, none of the sources I've used set a single period. So treat what follows as practical suggestions, and check with the organisation involved if a document matters.

Payslips and pay records: if you file a tax return, keep them at least as long as the tax record periods above. If you don't, many people keep them until they've checked the year's figures.
Household bills: keep recent ones as proof of payment or address. Older ones can usually go once you've checked nothing is in dispute. If you'd like help keeping on top of what's due, our post on a household budget and bills tracker may help.
Insurance: keep the current policy documents for as long as the policy runs. If you've had a claim, keep the paperwork until it is fully settled.
Warranties and receipts: keep the receipt and warranty together until the warranty ends. Your warranty paperwork or the retailer will tell you how long it lasts.
Medical: your GP and hospital hold the official records, so your copies are for convenience. Keep letters about ongoing conditions, vaccination details and anything you may need to show someone.
Home and big purchases: keep documents about the property, major repairs and improvements for as long as you own it. They can be useful when you sell.
Passports, birth and marriage certificates, wills and deeds: keep these for as long as they are valid or relevant. If you're unsure, keep them.

Storing paperwork safely

Whatever you keep, a little structure makes it far easier to find later.

Sort by type, not by date. Folders for tax, insurance, home, vehicles, medical and warranties are easier to search than one big pile.
Keep the important originals together. Passports, deeds and policies belong in one place everyone responsible knows about.
Make a digital copy of key papers. A good photo or scan means you still have the information if the original is lost.
Tell a trusted adult where things are. If you were ill or away, someone else should be able to find what's needed.
Protect digital copies. Use a service that stores them securely rather than leaving them loose on a phone.

Clearing out and getting rid of paperwork

Once something has passed its keeping period and you can't think of a reason to hold onto it, dispose of it carefully. Pay particular attention to anything showing your name, address, account numbers or other personal details. Don't toss those into the recycling whole.

If you keep copies of other people's documents, such as a tenant's, follow data protection law and the gov.uk guidance above.

A simple yearly tidy

Once a year is plenty. Pick a quiet evening and work through it together.

Gather the loose papers into one place.
Sort them into keep, check and clear.
For anything in the "check" pile, look at the paperwork or contact the organisation.
Note the tax-record dates that apply to you, so you know when those papers can go.
File what you're keeping and clear out the rest.

How Flupy can help

Flupy's Document Vault is a place to store passports, policies, deeds and other documents securely (they're encrypted), so the whole household isn't hunting through drawers. The Warranty and Receipt Tracker keeps receipts and warranty dates together. Both are included in every subscription.