It’s tax season. That means confidential and sensitive documents are in overflow. Although some documents are more important than others, it’s important to remember identity theft is alive and well. Using a mobile shredding service may be the best thing, especially if your home or business is full of other people’s information. By shredding documents, you save space, time, and money with identity theft protection protocols in place. The best solution to consider is using a professional shredding service.
Shredding Tax Documents
One of the best moves you can make to protect your identity is by shredding tax documents. While it’s a common practice, most people who aren’t in the tax field don’t even know how long to keep tax records or how to dispose of old tax returns. Using a strip shredder has often resulted in personal information being compromised because the strips can be put back together. In order to successfully manage keeping your information private, these tips can help:
- Keep the documents as long as you need to then shred.
- Keep sensitive documents in a locked cabinet or safe.
- Use a NAID-certified document shredding expert.
- Always keep old documents safe and under lock and key
Mobile Shredding
Mobile shredding services are quick, convenient and can help increase productivity. When you don’t have to leave your home or facility, it makes things easier. Shredding taxes during this season should be a high priority to ensure nothing is compromised. You should also know how long should you keep your tax returns as a rule of thumb.
While there are some tax documents you have to keep on hand for a certain time, others are not as important and can be disposed of at once. Here’s what you need to know:
- Tax returns should be kept for three years.
- All supporting documents like W-2s, receipts, and other documents on tax deductions should be kept for three years.
- Additional proof of income not reported should be kept for six years.
- All property-related documentation that was claimed on taxes must be kept for seven years.
Most people tear these documents up or just remove the social security number and throw in the trash. This is not the right way to do things. Additionally, it’s also important to review any bank statements and things of that nature to ensure there have been no mistakes. When planning for major purchases, having bank statements for two years is a must.
Contact Royal Document Destruction
Knowing how and when to shred your documents is important, but having a team that understands the sensitivity surrounding identity theft and the need to have professionally shredded documents is key. Royal Document Destruction has been around for years, shredding documents for residential and commercial clients in Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio.
For a dependable and trusted partner in keeping your documents safe from prying eyes with a NAID-certified team of experts, contact the team at Royal Document Destruction to find out more about their mobile and other shredding services. Contact a team member today!
