How long to keep receipts and invoices, country by country.
Three years, five, eight, ten? It depends on the country, on what the paper is, and on the day the clock starts. Here are the periods for the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany and the Netherlands, read from the tax authorities and the laws themselves.
Updated 16 October 2026
The short answer, country by country.
For an ordinary small business. Your accountant knows the cases that run longer.
| Country | Receipts and invoices | Counted from | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 3 years in general | The day you filed the return | 6 years if you left out income of more than 25% of the gross income on your return; 7 years for a bad debt or worthless securities; employment tax records at least 4 years; with no return filed, for good |
| United Kingdom | Sole traders: at least 5 years. Limited companies: 6 years | Sole traders: the 31 January deadline of that tax year. Companies: the end of the financial year | A company: an asset that lasts longer, a late tax return or an open HMRC check. VAT records: at least 6 years |
| Germany | 8 years | The end of the calendar year the document was made | Books, annual accounts and inventories: 10 years |
| Netherlands | 7 years | The moment the record is no longer current | Records about property, and sales under the EU one-stop shop: 10 years |
| Canada | 6 years | The end of the last tax year the records relate to | Kept in Canada unless the CRA allows otherwise; destroyed early only with its written permission |
| Australia | 5 years for most business records | When you got the record or completed the transaction, whichever is later | Company records and some employee records: 7 years |
Reading the table right.
- The clock does not start on the receipt's date. In Germany it starts at the end of that calendar year, so a receipt from March 2026 is kept until the end of 2034. In the United States it starts when you file the return.
- Germany changed in 2025. Receipts and invoices went from 10 years to 8 on 1 January 2025, for every document whose old period had not run out by the end of 2024. Books and annual accounts stay at 10 years.
- In Canada, the last year counts. The six years run from the end of the last tax year a record relates to, so the records of a contract that runs for years are kept six years past the end of its last tax year.
- When in doubt, keep it. A receipt kept too long costs a little space. One missing in an audit can cost the deduction it proved.
How to keep them.
- One place, by month. Every receipt and invoice in one place, in the month it belongs to, so a month can be handed to your accountant whole.
- Keep the original. An e-invoice is the data file itself, not a printout of it. Whether a scan may replace a paper receipt depends on your country and on how it was scanned: ask your accountant before you throw paper away.
- A copy somewhere else. A second copy, away from the first, in case a laptop or a phone is lost.
- Write down why. A note on a receipt that is not obvious ("lunch with a supplier, about the new order") saves a question years later.
- Before you close any account, download everything. Your records must outlive the tool you kept them in.
Where Neaion helps
- Receipts from photos, invoices from your mailbox, one place
- Every document kept as it came, the same one counted once
- A monthly PDF and every file in one package for your accountant
- Everything downloadable at any time
What Neaion is, and is not.
Your office reads your receipts and invoices into one tidy set of books and keeps each document as it arrived while your account is open. It is not a legal archive for the years above: hand each month's package to your accountant or keep it in your own archive, and download everything before you ever close your account, because a closed account is deleted 14 days later. See how your office keeps receipts and invoices.
Asked before you start.
How long do I keep receipts in Germany?
8 years for receipts and invoices since 1 January 2025, counted from the end of the calendar year they were made. Books and annual accounts stay at 10 years.
How long do I keep business receipts in the US?
Generally 3 years from the day you filed the return, longer in some cases: 6 years if you left out more than 25% of your income, 7 years for a bad debt, and for good if you filed no return.
How long does a UK sole trader keep records?
At least 5 years after the 31 January submission deadline of the tax year. A limited company keeps them 6 years from the end of the financial year.
Can I throw away paper receipts after scanning them?
That depends on your country and on how they were scanned. Ask your accountant before you throw paper away.
Does Neaion keep my receipts for the legal period?
It keeps every document while your account is open, and you can download them all at any time. It is not a legal archive: keep each month's package where your accountant or your archive needs it.
Sources
The rules and dates on this page come from these sources, read on the day shown. This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice: rules change and your case may differ, so ask your adviser before you rely on it. If something here is out of date, write to us at hello@neaion.com and we will correct it.
- IRS: How long should I keep records?, checked 16 October 2026
- GOV.UK: Business records if you're self-employed, how long to keep your records, checked 16 October 2026
- GOV.UK: Running a limited company, company and accounting records, checked 16 October 2026
- GOV.UK: Record keeping for VAT (VAT Notice 700/21), checked 16 October 2026
- § 147 AO: keeping records (Germany), checked 16 October 2026
- § 14b UStG: keeping invoices (Germany), checked 16 October 2026
- Art. 97 § 19a EGAO: the 2025 transition (Germany), checked 16 October 2026
- Belastingdienst: keeping your records (Netherlands), checked 16 October 2026
- Canada Revenue Agency: where to keep your records, for how long, checked 16 October 2026
- business.gov.au: record keeping (Australia), checked 16 October 2026
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