How long do I have to keep receipts (tax question)

[CarlaBrooni]

In the middle of packing up and moving country again and all my paperwork weighs a lot. I'm trying to do a clear out and I'm coming across tax returns and paper back up receipts from 2004/2005.

How long do I legally need to hold on to this paperwork. It refers to a flat that I sold in 2007 and which I rented out before then (hence the taxman being involved).

Thank you

For business we keep the current financial year and another 6 years prior to that.

^^ Is the correct answer

If you are an individual and not a business, HMRC say you should keep the records for two years after the end of the tax year. They define this as a year after the deadline for filing an SA return which is 31 January for most.

You can also scan them and or keep them electronically. Unless you still have an ongoing business of buying and renting property, I think you are safe to chuck them out.

Does this also go for other paperwork? For example, can I now safely throw away everything related to my housing benefit claim from 2006, and DP's JSA claim from 2007? I've been hanging on to enough paper to start a substantial bonfire because it was such a horrific overpayment/underpayment/yes/no/maybe eligibility nightmare at the time I've never quite trusted them to not write to me about it again.... But I suppose at this point it'd be reasonable for me to have thrown it out?

if self employed six years but if inland revenue or HMRC suspect deliberate fraud they can go back 12 years, my accountant recommended keeping all paperwork for 6 years and the end of year summaries ie just the summited accounts ( rather than paperwork that backs them up) indefinitely.

never throw away the original mortgage or loan agreement or share certificates etc there are very very few circumstances in which debts can be pursued after more than 6 years unless a deliberate attempt to mislead has taken place which would need to be proven