How Long Should You Keep Tax Records?
How long to keep tax records in Canada, and the exceptions to the six-year rule.
The short version
- Keep tax records for six years from the end of the tax year they relate to. Your 2026 records: until the end of 2032.
- Filed late? The six years run from the date you filed, not the deadline.
- Objection or appeal open? Keep everything until it's settled, or six years, whichever is later.
- Records for things you still own (your home, shares, a rental, business assets) are kept until six years after you sell.
- Scans and digital copies are fine if they're readable and complete. Want to destroy business records early? You need CRA's permission (form T137).
How Long Should You Keep Tax Records in Canada?
Every household has the box. It sits in a closet, it holds every receipt since 2009, and nobody has opened it since the last move. Here's what you actually need to keep, for how long, and what can go to the shredder without keeping you up at night.
Which receipts to keep for which claims is on its own page: what tax receipts should you keep. This page is about time limits.
The Six-Year Rule
CRA's general rule: keep records and supporting documents for six years from the end of the last tax year they relate to. Along with the receipts, keep a copy of each return and every notice of assessment or reassessment.
| Tax year | Keep records until at least |
|---|---|
| 2020 | December 31, 2026 |
| 2023 | December 31, 2029 |
| 2026 | December 31, 2032 |
Why six years? CRA can normally reassess within three years of the notice of assessment, longer in some cases, and it can ask for proof during a review or an audit at any time in that window. “I threw it out” isn't a defence; an unsupported claim is usually just denied. See notice of reassessment.
When Six Years Isn't Enough
- Late-filed returns: six years from the date you actually filed.
- Disputes: if you've objected or appealed, keep everything until the dispute is over, or the six years, whichever is later.
- Property you still own: purchase documents, improvement receipts and records of reinvested distributions prove your cost when you sell. Keep them for as long as you own the property, plus six years. A new roof on a rental in 2004 still matters when you sell in 2030; see capital gains on rental property.
- Your home: keep the purchase and sale papers. The principal residence exemption has to be designated when you sell.
- Carryforwards: anything supporting an amount you're still carrying forward (capital losses, business losses, unused tuition) until six years after it's fully used.
- RRSP and pension records: keep contribution receipts until they've been deducted and the year is closed. Pension statements are worth keeping for life.
Can I throw this out?
Describe the document and the year. The assistant tells you whether CRA could still ask for it and when it's safe to shred.
Paper or Digital?
Electronic records are acceptable if they're complete, readable and can be produced when CRA asks. A clear photo or PDF of a receipt works; a blurry photo of half a receipt doesn't. Business owners have extra rules: records generally have to be kept in Canada (or accessible from Canada with CRA's permission), and they need written permission to destroy records early, using form T137. Ask your bookkeeper, or see business recordkeeping requirements.
A simple system that works:
- One folder per tax year, paper or digital.
- In it: the return, the notice of assessment, all slips, and receipts for every claim.
- A separate “forever” folder for property, home, investment cost and pension records.
- Every January, shred the year that just passed its six years. Not before.
Where to Find What You Already Lost
CRA My Account keeps copies of slips CRA received, past returns' key figures, and every notice of assessment. Banks keep statements for years and can reissue them. It's not a substitute for your own records, but it fills gaps. If a slip is missing, see missing T4.
Why It Matters for Your Money
Good records are the cheapest tax insurance there is. They win reviews, they shrink capital gains, and they make catching up on old years possible (see filing years of unfiled taxes). And the review you never get is better still: Return Check checks that every claim on your return is the kind CRA asks receipts for, so you know what to keep handy.
Tax Records Questions
How long do I need to keep tax records in Canada?
Generally six years from the end of the last tax year the records relate to. For a 2026 return, keep records until at least the end of 2032.
How long should I keep records if I filed late?
Six years from the date you filed the return, not from the original deadline.
How long do I keep records for property or investments?
For as long as you own the property, then six years after the year you sell it, because the records prove your cost for the capital gain calculation.
Can I keep tax records electronically?
Yes, if the electronic records are complete, readable and can be produced when CRA asks for them.
Can I destroy business records before six years?
Only with written permission from CRA, requested with form T137.
Sources: CRA, Where to keep your records, for how long, and permission to destroy them early; RC188 Keeping records; Federal income tax and benefit information. Checked October 2026. Rules for long-term property records are summarized from CRA's business guidance and the capital gains rules.
Last reviewed October 5, 2026 against CRA and Government of Canada sources. How we check our facts.