Our Guide to Document Shredding: What You Should and Shouldn’t Shred

The security of your important documents and private information is more critical than ever, making it essential to use document shredding services to destroy sensitive materials. But deciding what should be shredded can often seem like a difficult task. You don’t want to risk vital information getting out while also ensuring that you don’t end up shredding important items needed for documentation purposes. To help make this process easier, PROSHRED® Orlando has compiled a list of items that should and shouldn’t be shredded – so you can keep yourself secure without worrying about if you should’ve kept that document.

Medical Bills and Records

Medical bills and records are filled with confidential information you don’t want just anyone to have access to. You know that it is important to shred them securely but how long should you hold onto your medical records? Most experts recommend that you keep your medical bills for at least a year. These are extremely important to have on file in case you need to ask for reimbursement or dispute a charge. Once your bills have been taken care of and you are confident that there won’t be any later issues, you can shred them.

Personal medical records, on the other hand, should be kept forever. Records of diagnosis and treatment, even decades later, could become critical for you later. You’ll want to not only have these records saved, but organized in a place that is easy to access. When it comes to hospitals, state laws require that they retain all of their patient’s medical records for at least seven years.

Direct Mail

The mail contains your first and last name as well as your address. While it may not seem like much, oftentimes that is more than enough for someone to find you on the internet, especially if you have other social media accounts that you use frequently. You should collect all of your mail, including the envelopes, to have them securely shredded.

Business Document Shredding

Tax Filing Documents

You should keep all of your tax documents. These documents are crucial to running a business. Tax documents are beneficial to have even after you’ve filed the assessment and returns. The number of years you should keep your tax documents varies depending on your business’s unique needs. As a minimum, you’ll want to keep them for at least three to seven years.

Business Receipts

It’s important to hold onto business receipts for an extended amount of time in case your business has to go through an audit. You’ll want to make sure you have records of anything you claim in your business taxes such as transactions for goods and services. You’ll want to hold onto supportive tax documents for at least seven years.

Property Records

If you own the property of your business, you want to make sure you have the original hard copies of the deed or titles, as well as any other documents. If you are leasing or renting your business’s property, you’ll need to have the relevant documents on hand in case a dispute arises. You should never shred these documents.

Disputed Bills

If you have any paperwork for ongoing business matters, you’ll want to keep all of the records. This is especially helpful if you have trouble collecting from a customer or dealing with a tricky contract. Sometimes these disputes require legal action, and more documents to you can help you with your case. Once you have finalized agreements or payments, you can securely shred them.

Personal Records Document Shredding

Birth and Adoption Certificates

You should never shred birth certificates and adoption certificates. You’ll need them your entire life to prove your identity to obtain a passport or apply for jobs. After adoption, adoption certificates officially replace the original birth certificate and will be needed for passport application.

Marriage Certificates

You should never shred marriage certificates, prenuptial agreements, or divorce paperwork. These documents are important to things such as finances, health and life policies, and tax benefits. You may need to prove your marital status when applying for loans or buying property.

Expired Passports

While you may think it’s smart to shred expired passports to avoid risking your personal information from getting out, you should never do that. Expired passports contain valuable information that is needed to renew passports, even older ones. Passwords work to provide a timeline of your citizenship and international movements.

Wills or Death Certificates

It’s important to keep wills and death certificates. After someone passes away, their assets, money, and belongings are distributed to family members according to their will. If you are the power of attorney of someone deceased, you’ll need the death certificate to handle burials, close estates, and perform other tasks on the deceased behalf.

Other Important Personal Records You Never Want to Shred:

• Life insurance policy paperwork
• Pension plans
• Home purchase and maintenance documents
• Vehicle registration documents/logbook

What Needs to Be Shredded

So now that you have a pretty good idea of what you shouldn’t shred, what are the documents that you should you shred? There are a number of documents that contain your private information that you should shred, though when you shred them is another matter.

What You Should Shred Immediately

• Boarding passes
• Resumes/hiring documents (if no longer needed)
• Shipping labels
• Sales receipts
• Paid utility bills and credit statement
• Expired warranties

What You Should Shred After One Year

• Bank statements
• Pay stubs
• Bills
• Paid medical bills

What You Should Shred After Seven Years

• Tax receipts
• W-2s

Reach Out to PROSHRED® Orlando to Keep Your Documents Safe

PROSHRED® Orlando provides secure document destruction, guaranteeing that your sensitive and confidential information is not compromised. With our state-of-the-art shredding equipment and secure chain of custody procedures, you can trust that all your paper documents will be safely and thoroughly shredded, ensuring your peace of mind. Contact PROSHRED® Orlando to learn more about our paper shredding services and how we can ease your mind and keep your business’s confidential information secure.