How long do you have to keep receipts for taxes?
It depends where you file, and the range is wider than most people assume — three years in one place, fifteen in another for the same shoebox. The retention periods for six jurisdictions, with the rule each comes from.
Checked against IRS record retention guidance, HMRC self-employed records, HMRC VAT records, the ATO, the CRA and UAE tax legislation on 20 September 2026.
- US: 3 years from filing. 6 if income was understated by more than 25%; indefinitely if no return was filed.
- UK: 5 years after the 31 January deadline for the self-employed; 6 years for companies and for VAT records.
- Canada: 6 years from the end of the tax year. Australia: 5 years.
- UAE: 5 years for VAT records, 15 years for anything relating to real estate.
- Photographs count everywhere, if they are legible, complete and can be produced on request. Thermal paper fades; the photo does not.
On this page
The honest answer is that it depends where you file, and the ranges are wider than most people assume — three years in one place, fifteen in another for the same shoebox.
| Where | How long | Counted from, and notes |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 3 years | The filing date. 6 years if income was understated by more than 25%; 7 for worthless-securities or bad-debt claims; no limit where no return was filed. |
| United Kingdom — self-employed | 5 years | After the 31 January submission deadline for that tax year. |
| United Kingdom — companies, and VAT | 6 years | From the end of the accounting period; VAT records 6 years (10 under the One Stop Shop schemes). |
| Canada | 6 years | From the end of the last tax year they relate to. Electronic records must remain electronically readable. |
| Australia | 5 years | From when you lodge the return. |
| United Arab Emirates — VAT | 5 years | 15 years for records relating to real estate. |
What actually has to be on the record
A record is not just proof that money left your account. A card statement shows an amount and a merchant; it does not show what was bought or how much tax was charged. For most purposes a valid record shows:
- The date of the transaction
- The supplier — name, and for VAT purposes their registration number
- What was bought
- The amount, and the tax shown separately where it applies
This is why a faded thermal receipt is a genuine problem rather than an aesthetic one. Thermal paper loses its print — sometimes within months in a hot car or a sunlit kitchen. The record does not become disputed; it becomes blank. Whether you needed the receipt in the first place is covered in do you need receipts for tax deductions.
Do photographs count?
Yes. Electronic records are accepted in every jurisdiction above, provided they are legible, complete, and can be produced when asked. A clear photograph of the whole receipt — edges included, not cropped through the total — is a valid record. Canada goes one step further: electronic records must be kept in an electronically readable format for the full six years, so a photo in a format that still opens in year six is what counts.
Photograph it the day you get it. A receipt you meant to photograph is not a record, and thermal ink does not wait.
The part nobody plans for
If your records live inside an app, three questions decide whether you actually have them:
- Can you export everything, in a format something else can read? If the answer is a screenshot, that is not an export.
- What happens if the company shuts down, or you stop paying? Plenty of expense apps put export behind the subscription — so the moment you stop paying, your five-year archive becomes unreachable.
- Who else has a copy? Anything uploaded is a copy you no longer control, held under someone else's retention policy and someone else's breach risk.
The safest arrangement is dull: keep the originals on a device you own, export at least once a year, and store that export where you keep the rest of your tax paperwork. Fifteen years — the UAE property rule — is longer than most apps, and some companies, will exist.
Questions people ask
How long should I keep receipts for taxes in the US?
Three years from the date you filed the return, which is the normal period the IRS has to assess additional tax. Six years if income was understated by more than 25%, seven for a claim for worthless securities or a bad-debt deduction, and indefinitely if no return was filed. Employment tax records: four years.
Do digital photos of receipts count as records?
Yes. The IRS, HMRC, the ATO, the CRA and the UAE Federal Tax Authority all accept electronic records provided they are legible, complete and can be produced on request. Canada adds that electronic records must stay electronically readable for the whole six years. Photograph the whole receipt, including the tax line.
How long must UK businesses keep records?
Self-employed individuals must keep records for at least five years after the 31 January submission deadline of the relevant tax year. Companies keep records for six years from the end of the accounting period. VAT records are kept for six years.
How long must records be kept for UAE VAT?
Five years for most businesses, and fifteen years for records relating to real estate. Tax invoices must be retained and produced on request by the Federal Tax Authority.
How long do I keep receipts in Australia and Canada?
Australia: five years from the date you lodge the return. Canada: six years from the end of the last tax year the records relate to, unless the CRA gives written permission to destroy them earlier.
General information, not tax advice. Rules and rates change; check the current position with your tax authority or an accountant before filing.