Financial Documents You Can Securely Discard When Cleaning Your Office Space

When you are thinking of cleaning out your office space, you come across so many different documents that you often get confused on what to throw out. Cleaning your office space by throwing out unnecessary documents is important. You want to make sure that you don’t shred or discard the wrong business documents. A cleaner office can help with productivity as well since it eliminates unnecessary distractions. Here are several documents you can discard safely without risk as you clean your office space.

Tax Returns

You can keep old, canceled, and supporting tax returns and checks until the statute of limitations has reached. In most cases, statute of limitations usually last for up to three years. You can go ahead and get rid of tax records three years after selling your assets.

Credit Reports

Credit reports can easily be used to trace your credit history if they are in the wrong hands. Generally, be sure to shred your credit reports and dispose of them. Your credit reports do not need to be hanging around your office if they are older than three years. Even if you still may need your credit reports later, place them out of visible sight where no one can see them.

Bank Statements

It is normal for people to discard their bank statements only after they have read and reviewed the statements carefully for any errors and mistakes. Bank statements can easily clutter up your office space because they arrive frequently. Once you have reviewed each of these documents and confirmed the information, you can go ahead and discard them.

Credit Cards and Investment Statements

The only important documents you need are the ones that provide purchase verification and income tax returns. Other documents associated with your credit card can be discarded. In addition, you are welcome to discard the monthly and quarterly investment statements once you receive a yearly statement of your investment account.

Cancelled Checks

It is safe to discard canceled checks unless you need them for tax purposes. Since cancelled checks may contain information about your accounts and spending, it is also important to shred these. Outside of tax purposes, there are few other reasons to hold on to cancelled checks, so make sure they are not taking up office space.

Insurance Documents

You can dispose of expired insurance policies for health, lift, apartment, and vehicle coverage. Most insurance policies can be reviewed online and it is rare for institutions to request you to provide them with physical insurance documents. Most financial institutions are asking businesses to reduce paperwork and go digital. Going online not only protects your privacy, but it allows you to upload relevant documents and get notified about activities instantly.

When it comes to maintaining a clean office space, eliminating office clutter goes hand-in-hand with creating a more productive work environment. Clutter comes from many sources, but outdated documents, financial statements, and records are the most common ones littering your office. You can review the aforementioned practices and steps to ensure you safely discard the most common financial documents and statements from cluttering your office.