Reference

How long to keep tax records

For most of the papers behind a tax return the answer is three years, counted from the day the return was filed. A few kinds of paper run longer, and some should outlast the thing they describe. Find your kind in the tables and read across.

Reviewed November 2026 by LAS CPA, PC. Federal and Virginia rules.

The federal periods

How long the IRS says to keep the records behind a return
How long	Which records	What starts the clock
3 years	The records that support the income, deductions and credits on a return, when none of the longer rows applies.	The day the return was filed. A return filed early counts as filed on its due date.
3 years or 2 years	The same records, when you file a claim for a refund after the return went in.	3 years from the day you filed the original return or 2 years from the day you paid the tax, whichever is later.
6 years	Everything behind the return, when income that should have been reported was left off and it comes to more than 25% of the gross income the return shows.	The day the return was filed.
7 years	The records behind a claim for a loss from worthless securities or a bad debt deduction.	The due date of the return for that year.
No end date	Everything, for a year in which no return was filed or the return was fraudulent.	The clock never starts.

The records to keep longer than any of those

Each of these is tied to something you still own, so its clock hasn't started yet.

What you paid for property and what you put into it. Keep the records for a home, an investment or a rental property until the period runs out for the year you dispose of it. They are what your gain or loss, and any depreciation, is figured from.
The records for property you traded away in a nontaxable exchange. Your basis in the new property is carried over from the old one, so keep both sets until the period runs out for the year you dispose of the new property.
The records behind nondeductible IRA contributions. Keep each year's Form 8606 with its worksheets, along with the Form 5498 statements, until all the money has been distributed from the account.

What Virginia adds

Virginia income tax
How long	Which records	What starts the clock
At least 3 years	The records behind a Virginia individual return.	The return's due date or the day it was filed, whichever is later. With an extension, the three years run from the extended date.
As long as the IRS period	The Virginia records for any year the IRS asks you to keep longer.	The same event that starts the federal clock.
One year to act	If the IRS or an amended federal return changes your federal taxable income, Virginia requires an amended Virginia return.	The final determination date: the day you file the federal amended return or refund claim, or the day the last party signs an agreement with the IRS.
No end date	Everything, when no Virginia return was filed, the return was false or fraudulent with intent to evade tax, or a federal change that raised your federal taxable income was never reported to Virginia.	The clock never starts.
3 years or one year	The records behind a claim for a Virginia refund.	3 years from the return's original or extended due date, one year from the final determination date of a federal change, or 2 years from paying an assessment or the added tax on an amended return (for the issues and amount of that payment), whichever is later.

If you run a business

Payroll and sales tax records
How long	Which records	What starts the clock
At least 4 years	Federal employment tax records.	The date the tax becomes due or is paid, whichever is later.
At least 3 years	Virginia employer withholding records.	The due date of the returns or the date the tax was paid, whichever is later.
4 years	The employer records Virginia's unemployment tax rules require.	The date the tax based on them was paid.
3 years	The records a dealer needs to work out its Virginia retail sales and use tax.	Virginia's regulation gives the period. Virginia's general rule counts three years from the date a return is required to be filed.

Before you shred

Ask who else wants the paper. An insurance company or a lender may need a record for longer than the IRS does.
Know the rule before you scan and shred. You can keep records electronically. Every requirement that applies to paper books and records applies to electronic ones as well, and for a business the IRS points to Revenue Procedure 97-22 for what a storage system has to do.
Keep copies of the returns you filed.
Keep health coverage statements with your tax records. Form 1095-A, Form 1095-B and Form 1095-C aren't filed with the return, and the IRS states no separate period for them.

Sources: the IRS pages "How long should I keep records?" and "What kind of records should I keep"; IRS Tax Topic 305; IRS Publication 583; the instructions for Form 8606; 26 U.S.C. 6501 and 6511; 26 CFR 31.6001-1; Virginia Tax's recordkeeping pages for individuals and for businesses; Code of Virginia 58.1-102, 58.1-311, 58.1-311.2, 58.1-312 and 58.1-499; 23VAC10-20-90, 23VAC10-210-470 and 16VAC5-32-10.

This page is general information, current as of November 2026. It isn't advice for your situation, and it covers tax records only. Other laws and your own contracts can require records for longer.

Would you rather talk it through?

Schedule an introduction call. We will learn about your situation and you decide if we are the right fit.

Schedule Your Introduction Call Prefer to call? 703-491-2794