Tax Records in Texas: Storing Them and Getting Copies

How long to keep a particular record is set by IRS rules that depend on what the record supports, so this guide does not list periods. The IRS page that does, How long should I keep records?, is linked under Official sources below. What this guide covers is the part that sits in your own hands: organizing tax records, protecting them, disposing of them safely, and getting a copy back when one goes missing.

Moreno Financial Services prepares returns and keeps books for households and small businesses across Central Texas, from Kempner to Killeen and Temple. Our free tax checklist lists the documents a return usually needs; this guide is about keeping them safe once you have them.

Organize by year and by type

The IRS advice for business records is to keep them in an orderly fashion and in a safe place, organized by year and by type of income or expense. The same approach works for a household: one folder per tax year, holding the filed return and the documents behind it, with sections for income, expenses and anything else the return used.

Keep a copy of the filed return in each year's folder; the IRS notes that copies of filed returns help in preparing future returns. Keep your tax preparer's name and contact details in the same place, too.

Protect them from fire, water and loss

In a recent disaster-preparedness reminder, the IRS told taxpayers to keep tax returns, birth certificates, Social Security cards, insurance policies, property titles and other important records in waterproof and fireproof containers. It also suggested scanning paper records and saving electronic copies on a secure device or in the cloud, noted that many financial institutions already provide statements electronically, and said emergency plans should be reviewed and updated each year. The same reminder notes that photos or videos of homes, vehicles and other property can help support loss claims, including insurance claims, after a disaster.

The Taxpayer Advocate Service adds two habits: use paperless recordkeeping alongside paper records, and make sure all records are stored securely and backed up regularly. Ready.gov, the federal preparedness site, suggests a safety deposit box, an external drive or the cloud for important documents, and it links the Emergency Financial First Aid Kit from Operation HOPE and FEMA, a joint publication that can help you prepare financially.

A storage checklist

A setup that follows that advice looks like this:

• One folder per tax year, with the filed return and its supporting documents
• Originals of vital papers in a waterproof, fireproof container
• Photos or video of the home, vehicles and other property, stored with the scanned copies
• Scanned copies on a secure device or cloud account, backed up regularly
• Bank and card statements downloaded or kept electronically
• Your preparer's contact details stored with the records
• A yearly review of the whole setup

Getting rid of records safely

When a document with personal or financial information is no longer needed, the Federal Trade Commission says to shred it, and to look for a local shred day in your community if you do not have a shredder at home. Which records can go, and when, is the IRS retention question again, so check the IRS page first and shred second. Never put an intact return, a statement or anything showing a Social Security number in the household trash.

Getting a copy back

A lost return does not always mean a lost record. The IRS separates a transcript from an actual copy of a filed return: a transcript can be pulled online or by mail, while a full copy of an original return is requested from the IRS separately. Transcripts partly mask personal information to protect you, which is one reason a household may still want its own full copy. IRS notices can also be viewed digitally in the IRS online account, and bank and card statements are usually available online from the institution.

Recorded property documents live with the county. The Bell County Clerk offers an online index and image search for recorded property records, along with a Property Fraud Alert sign-up. In Lampasas County, which includes Kempner, the County Clerk's QuickLink index helps you find a deed's volume and page to request from the office, which does not run searches for the public, and the county offers a free Property Notification Service. The Bell County Appraisal District also runs an online property search.

When records are missing for a year that matters

If records are missing for a year you still need to file, or the books were never kept, rebuilding them is its own job, and our guide to catch-up bookkeeping walks through the order it happens in. If you get a notice from the IRS, call us. We'll help you understand what it says and tell you if you need someone with IRS representation rights. For returns and books going forward, see our tax preparation services.