I want to get rid of old tax returns, beyond the time on which I could get audited. It would be easiest to just tear them up and put then in the garbage bag and put the garbage bag our for the garbage man to take. But is it safe, privacy-wise? I hope AKB says yes because that would be easiest, but I suspect some may say, no, get them shredded. What sayeth you, AKB? *places offering"
AKB: Is it safe to tear up old tax returns and put them in the garbage?
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You have a Risk/Reward Decision.
Your PII (name, address, SSN, etc) is on every page of those returns.
It's probably safe. It's likely those bags go in the garbage truck and wind up in a landfill or incinerator, never to be seen again.
OR
You can buy a shredder for about $30 and spend <1hr shredding old returns or you can just throw them out and accept whatever small risk of your identity being compromised there is, and the significant financial issues that come with it.
You have a very small chance of a significant issue vs the convenience of not spending $30 and an hour of your time.
Took 30 years of returns to UPS and they shredded for $20. Don’t just toss in garbage.
I burn mine in the fireplace or outside in the summer. Many places will do the shredding if you don't have easy access to a fireplace or pit.
We burn everything- credit card bills, medical records, but especially tax returns.
We burn everything- credit card bills, medical records, but especially tax returns.
OldiesAtTheGaff
Well-Known Member
When I used to have a wood burner, and lived where you could have a backyard fire pit, I would burn any PII documents. Now I live in a townhouse, so that's not an option.
Shredding can be cumbersome, especially when there are stacks and stacks of papers, that might include staples and paperclips. So, I came up with the idea to dispose of confidential paperwork by soaking them in a 5-gallon bucket of water for a few days. This breaks up the pulp and rendering them unreadable. Then I put them in them trash. (There was one time I had a lot to dispose. I didn't do it all at once, but kinda systematically over a period of a few weeks.)
Before a recent move, it felt "freeing" to finally get caught up on and minimalize years and years of paper tax returns, bank statements, cancelled checks (yes back in the day...lol), utility bills, etc. Now moving forward, I don't worry so much about keeping a paper copy of a lot things I used to anymore. I keep files of such things electronically, and backed up on an external hard drive.
Shredding can be cumbersome, especially when there are stacks and stacks of papers, that might include staples and paperclips. So, I came up with the idea to dispose of confidential paperwork by soaking them in a 5-gallon bucket of water for a few days. This breaks up the pulp and rendering them unreadable. Then I put them in them trash. (There was one time I had a lot to dispose. I didn't do it all at once, but kinda systematically over a period of a few weeks.)
Before a recent move, it felt "freeing" to finally get caught up on and minimalize years and years of paper tax returns, bank statements, cancelled checks (yes back in the day...lol), utility bills, etc. Now moving forward, I don't worry so much about keeping a paper copy of a lot things I used to anymore. I keep files of such things electronically, and backed up on an external hard drive.
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I hear the Second Mile folks have an effective system
I put mine in Biden's garage. I hear it's locked.
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Shredders are cheap and you can shred other papers as well. Not sure why this is a problem for anyone.
I shred everything - people are stealing mail from malboxes around here so dumpster diving would not be a stretch.
I’ve found that old tax returns and other documents are never required or necessary until one week after disposal.
1) You only have to keep current year plus 3 past years for the IRS. So get rid of the 4 year old return every year when you file the new one.
2) Search Amazon for "strip" shredder -- there's a good one for about $35 that can go through a tax return and documents in a few minutes. Strip shredding isn't as secure as crosscut but as a practical matter it's plenty for most people.
3) As an extra precaution I don't put the shreds into recycling because that could be exposed to human eyes at the recycling center. I put them into the week's garbage and they will get buried in a landfill without anyone even seeing there's paper in the bag.
2) Search Amazon for "strip" shredder -- there's a good one for about $35 that can go through a tax return and documents in a few minutes. Strip shredding isn't as secure as crosscut but as a practical matter it's plenty for most people.
3) As an extra precaution I don't put the shreds into recycling because that could be exposed to human eyes at the recycling center. I put them into the week's garbage and they will get buried in a landfill without anyone even seeing there's paper in the bag.
Just contact the person that sends you the Nigerian prince emails. They have free document pick up.
I do this PLUS I mix the shreds into the bag wherein I have pooper-scooped the backyard to clean up after my dog. It really discourages dumpster diving.
I think I'd have been able to get into Biden's garage....I'll try it if you try Mar-a-Lago!!!!
Important to note, Hunter could definitely get in.
Absolutely. I just needed to retrieve several record's pre 2009. Thankfully we had retained our tax and other financial records to 2005. The day we destroy records seems to become a regretted day of infamy!
