Trash That Paper

Which documents to toss, and which to keep.

Now that you've filed your tax return, naturally you should keep a copy for your records. But it's okay to chuck much of the other paperwork you've been accumulating over the past year, or longer.

Start by dumping all of your supporting documents for your 2002 tax return and earlier. The rule is to keep your paperwork for three years, and six years if you own a business. You generally can't be audited after that.

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