How Long to Keep Invoices and Receipts (US, UK, EU, Australia)

Tax authorities can ask to see the records behind your returns for years after you file them. The invoices you send and the receipts and bills you receive are the core of those records. Here's how long to keep them in the main English-speaking markets, plus a simple way to store them.

This is general guidance. Rules change, and there are exceptions; check your tax authority's current guidance.

Quick reference

Country	General minimum	Notes
United States	3 years from filing	6 years if income was underreported by 25%+; 7 years for bad debt or worthless securities claims; indefinitely if no return was filed or for fraud
United Kingdom: companies	6 years from the end of the financial year	Longer in some cases
United Kingdom: sole traders	5 years after the 31 January submission deadline for the tax year
United Kingdom: VAT	6 years
Australia	5 years	From when the record was prepared or the transaction completed, whichever is later
Canada	6 years	From the end of the tax year the records relate to
EU countries	Typically 5–10 years	Varies by country; Germany generally 8 years for invoices, France 10 for accounting records

United States

The IRS says to keep records as long as they may be needed to support items on your return, which usually means three years from the date you filed (or the due date, if later). It's longer in some situations:

• 6 years if you underreported income by more than 25%
• 7 years if you claim a loss from worthless securities or a bad debt deduction
• 4 years for employment tax records
• Indefinitely if you didn't file a return or filed a fraudulent one

Many accountants recommend seven years for business records as a simple, safe rule.

United Kingdom

• Limited companies: at least six years from the end of the last company financial year they relate to.
• Sole traders and partnerships: at least five years after the 31 January online filing deadline for the tax year.
• VAT-registered businesses: VAT records for six years.

Australia

The ATO generally requires records to be kept for five years from when they were prepared or obtained, or from when the transaction was completed, whichever is later.

What to keep

• Every invoice you issue (sales invoices, credit notes)
• Every bill and receipt you receive for business expenses
• Bank and card statements
• Contracts, quotes and purchase orders for significant work
• Payroll records, if you have employees
• Tax filings and supporting workpapers
• For VAT/GST: tax invoices received, and records of any adjustments

Paper or digital?

Digital copies are accepted in the US, UK, Australia and most other countries, as long as they're complete, legible and retrievable. Scanned receipts are generally fine. Some countries have extra rules about how electronic records are stored, and e-invoices in mandate countries have their own archiving requirements.

A simple system

1. One folder per year, with subfolders: Sales, Expenses, Bank, Tax.
2. Consistent filenames: 2026-09-11_INV-0148_Harbor-Pine.pdf
3. Save the PDF the moment you send or receive it. Don't rely on your email.
4. Back up to a second location (cloud storage plus an external drive, for example).
5. Once a year, after filing, check what's past the retention period and delete or shred securely.

Before you shred

• Keep records for assets you still own (equipment, property) until the retention period has passed after you dispose of them, since you'll need them to work out gains or depreciation.
• Keep anything related to an open dispute, audit or legal claim.
• Keep contracts for their full life plus the relevant limitation period.

And note that invoices saved only in this site's generator live in your browser storage, which can be cleared. Always download and file the PDF; use "Save a copy" if you want to be able to edit it again later.