Home Office Organization: What to Keep

Feel less stressed and more productive in a home office that’s less cluttered and more efficient. Get inspired with our best home office organization ideas for paperwork.

Home Office Organization can be a little daunting.

We often struggle with the amount of paper that accumulates in our house to be filed.  It seems like everyday the mail comes…there’s more! There are also the questions of what to keep and for what time period.

Below is a helpful chart of what paperwork to keep for your home office and for how long.

One of the best ways to minimize paperwork overall is to go paperless.  This option is available from banks and utilities to make sure you’re not accumulating paper on a monthly basis.

Keep for 1 Month:

• Sales receipts for your small purchases.
• Credit card receipts (after you’ve checked them against your statement)
• Phone and utility bills (if you don’t get them electronically)
• Withdrawal or deposit slips

Keep for 1 Year: 

• Monthly bank, credit card, brokerage, mutual fund, and retirement account statements
• Mortgage statements
• Pay stubs (toss after you reconcile with your W-2 or 1099)

Keep for 7 Years:

• Year end statements from credit card companies
• W-2 or 1099
• Phone and utility bill if you deduct any portion for business
• Cancelled checks and receipts or statements for annual mortgage interest and property taxes, deductible business expenses, child care bills, or any other tax deductible expense
• Tax returns

Keep Indefinitely:

• Will and trusts
• Real estate records
• Home improvement records
• Medical information
• Marriage license or divorce decree

BONUS Home Office Organization TIP

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Things to keep in Your Safe Deposit Box or Fireproof Safe:

• Birth and death certificates
• Marriage license
• Insurance policies
• Passport
• Social Security Card for children
• Vehicle registration
• Copy of important documents like Wills and Trusts

Also, don’t forget to keep an inventory of what’s in your safe deposit box and update it annually.

More Home Office Organization Tips

• Clever Solutions for Home Office Organization – Suburban Simplicity
• How to Organize Your Home in Two Minutes – Suburban Simplicity
• 5 Home Office Design Mistakes and How to Fix Them – Real Simple
• 10 Steps to a Cleaner Office – Oprah
• Here are some Home Office Organization ideas, containers and hacks to get your office in perfect working order!

Note:  This information is just a guideline.  Always check with your accountant to make sure they make sense for your family finances.

I assure you, taking the time to go through the paperwork in your home office, especially in small chunks like this, will make you feel VERY productive and VERY organized! Go for it!

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