Types Of Documents That Need To Be Shredded

Documents containing sensitive information need to be shredded during disposal in order to prevent data breaches and identity theft. Not only can a data breach or an identity theft be a hassle to deal with, it can ruin someone’s life. In addition, your business or organization is responsible for managing the disposal of documents in a safe and secure way, and you may be liable for the legal ramifications of a data breach or identity theft caused by negligent or non-secure document disposal practices. Shredding is the best option for secure disposal to prevent thieves from recovering documents from the trash or dumpster. Shredding is also a quick and convenient way to accomplish secure document destruction compared to other methods.

Shred Anything With Sensitive Information

Sensitive information is any data that needs to be protected from unauthorized access in order to safeguard an individual or business. Sensitive information can include data such as your name and address, your SSN, your date of birth, bank account numbers, tax records, financial statements, medical history, etc. The loss or theft of sensitive information can lead to data breaches or identity theft. 

Business Documents

These are the types of business documents that need to be shredded: 

• Account files
• Audit records
• Bank statements
• Business records
• Client data
• Email correspondence
• Employee personnel files and applications
• Financial reports 
• Injury reports
• Insurance documents
• Intellectual property
• Internal communications
• Inventory records
• Invoices
• Legal documents
• Payroll documents 
• Price lists
• Proposals and quotes 
• Receipts
• Sales documents, forecasts and reports
• Tax records
• Telephone numbers

Personal Documents

These are the types of personal documents that need to be shredded: 

• ATM receipts
• Bank statements
• Checks
• Credit card statements 
• Credit reports 
• Insurance records
• Medical/Dental records
• Passport numbers
• Paycheck stubs
• Resumes
• Social security documents 
• Tax records 

Mail

Your personal mail will contain your number, your address, and any other sensitive information contained within the contents of the mail. With this in mind, it is important to shred your mail as it already contains many of the ingredients needed for someone to steal your identity. 

How Long To Keep Documents

Different types of documents should be kept for different periods of time. Below, we recommend how long to keep certain documents prior to shredding. 

Shred Right Away

• Junk mail 
• Sales receipts (If you need to keep these documents for tax-reporting purposes, then it is recommended to keep for three years)

Shred After A Month

• ATM receipts (After you balance your checkbook each month, you can safely shred)

Shred After A Year

• Bank statements (If you need to keep these documents for tax-reporting purposes, then it is recommended to keep for three years)
• Checks (If you need to keep these documents for tax-reporting purposes, then it is recommended to keep for three years)
• Credit card receipts (If you need to keep these documents for tax-reporting purposes, then it is recommended to keep for three years)
• Paycheck stubs
• Quarterly investment statements
• Utility bills (If you need to keep these documents for tax-reporting purposes, then it is recommended to keep for three years)

Keep Long-Term Or Forever

• Annual investment statements (3 years) 
• Birth certificates (forever)
• Contracts (while active)
• Death certificates (forever)
• Documents that support reported income or deductions for taxes (3 years)
• Home construction records (while active)
• Insurance documents (while active)
• Loan records (7 years)
• Medical bills (3 years) 
• Mortgage payment records (forever)
• Pension records or retirement plans (while active)
• Property documents (while active)
• Record of selling a house or stock (3 years) 
• Social security cards (forever) 
• Tax returns (3-7 years) 
• Wills (forever)

How To Store Secure Documents

For individuals with a small amount of documents, it is good to keep these records in a safe place like a small personal security vault, or a safety deposit box. For larger quantities, secure self-storage locations are helpful to keep documents and other personal belongings safe. For business and organizations, it is always recommended to keep documents stored with a professional storage company. Guard Docs provides these services to businesses, and offers great solutions such as document pick-ups and retrievals, barcode inventory reporting, secure long-term storage, and detailed inventory reports. 

Where To Shred Documents

You can visit a secure Guard Docs drop-off center to have your documents shredded. There are many local drop-off center locations in your area. Drop-off centers are ideal solutions for customers with up to 100lbs of paper, or 3 boxes or less. For businesses or residents with larger quantities of paper, you can schedule a Guard Docs shredding truck to come to you to pick up your documents for on-site or off-site destruction. There is no volume too great for Guard Docs professional shredding services!