# How long do you keep bank statements?



## AprilSun (Feb 17, 2017)

How long do you keep your printed bank statements? I have been searching online for the answer and one site will say 1 year and then one site will say 3 years, etc. unless they are associated with tax records.  They are not all in agreement about it so what do you do?


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## Lon (Feb 17, 2017)

I don't Save them at all. I am totally paperless.


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## Falcon (Feb 17, 2017)

Usually shred them.


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## tnthomas (Feb 17, 2017)

I can download my statements in .PDF form, I leave them on a storage hard drive that's secure.


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## RadishRose (Feb 17, 2017)

Way back when I used to get paper statements, a few months, perhaps 6 or so- then shredded.


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## Knight (Feb 17, 2017)

Same as Lon paperless


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## Buckeye (Feb 17, 2017)

I still get them from several banks but I shred them upon receipt.  It's on my "to do" list to get them turned off.

Hoot, MBA, CPA*

*License is inactive


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## Steve LS (Feb 17, 2017)

Knight said:


> Same as Lon paperless


Ditto


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## nvtribefan (Feb 17, 2017)

I haven't received a paper statement in years.


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## Butterfly (Feb 17, 2017)

I am paperless, too.


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## Aunt Bea (Feb 18, 2017)

I keep my financial statements for a running five years, it's a habit that I started when my mother was in the assisted living.  I had to spend quite a bit of time gathering my mother's financial information in preparation for a medicaid application, that as it turned out we never needed to file.    At the time it was only three years worth of information and I increased the number to five years as the medicaid laws changed.   I may never need the information but I like to be prepared.


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## AprilSun (Feb 18, 2017)

I have thought about going paperless but I like to have a "hard copy" in front of me when I balance my checkbook. If I have to print one out when I get ready to balance it, I won't be any better off.


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## Knight (Feb 18, 2017)

AprilSun said:


> I have thought about going paperless but I like to have a "hard copy" in front of me when I balance my checkbook. If I have to print one out when I get ready to balance it, I won't be any better off.


If you feel comfortable having a hard copy then why not copy and paste your bank statement to a note pad and save it in your documents.


Of course you would have to have an online account with wherever you bank. 



With direct deposit in and electronic deductions for utility payment combined with electronic payment to our credit card account, record keeping is only a matter of accessing the account to verify the balance in our local checking account.  Quick easy and accurate to the penny every time I decide to check.


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## tortiecat (Feb 18, 2017)

Do all my banking 'online' see my statements monthly and then delete.


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## Don M. (Feb 18, 2017)

We, too, are paperless.  I can bring up our statements quickly on the banks websites, and they all go back at least 18 months.  I check our accounts 2 or 3 times a week, just to make sure that there is no "hanky panky" with our accounts.  Besides, by the time a "paper" statement would arrive, we would have probably had several transactions that would not show until the next months statement arrived.


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## OneEyedDiva (Feb 19, 2017)

I'm paperless also. And the banks pay so little in interest anyway that it's not enough to even file at tax time.


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