If you’re like most, getting your taxes means paper. Lots of it. And if you’re already working at home some or all of the time, chances are you’ve already got your share of paper. That’s why I recommend a purge BEFORE you start your taxes this year.

One of the reasons your home office attracts clutter is we simply don’t throw things away. We cling to the belief we will need that particular document someday. Let’s be honest. How often does some day actually come? What day of the week? Is it like a Leap Year.

We all know the answer to that.

It doesn’t.

So, before you begin taxes, try to purge your office of the papers and items you don’t need, like:

• Pens that no longer work.
• Paper clips that are bent out of shape.
• Old magazines and newspapers.
• Unused or broken office equipment, including old phones, computers, and printers/scanners (you can recycle many of these products)

Then let’s hit the real culprit: Outdated documents. But to know what you can throw away, you really have to know what you have to keep. Here’s a rundown of the documents you will need and for how long:

• Tax returns and supporting documents (canceled checks and receipts) – General rule of thumb is keep the last seven years of your taxes. If you want to keep those eight years and older, scan them and save them in the cloud.
• Pay stubs – For tax purposes, keep one year’s worth of stubs until you get your W-2.
• Investment statements – One year, until your year-end statements arrive. You can always scan these items and print out as needed.
• Bank statements – Similarly, keep one year of statements; download to the cloud to save space.
• Medical bills – Again, one year is the magic timetable.
• Credit card statements – One month, after you’ve checked them for accuracy. These will also be available online should you need to access them.
• Newspapers, magazines, Internet print-outs – Read and recycle. If you feel like there’s something you might need down the road, put in a folder and file it.

Once you have removed your office of the unnecessary and made room for what you need, you can take on your taxes without extraneous piles of paper and items getting in the way.

If you need some assistance getting your home office in order for taxes or just a good pre-Spring cleaning, call 508-246-6120 or drop a line.