Tax Tip of the Week | Keep your Tax Returns Forever?

Tax Tip of the WeekOctober 24, 2018One of our more commonly asked questions is, how long do I have to keep my income tax returns?Maybe, the key words in this question are “have to.” For practically all intents and purposes “have to” refers to the requirement of retaining three (3) years after filing them. The reasoning is that you and the IRS only have three (3) years to amend or change a return (typical statute of limitations).BUT, there are some notable exceptions to the three (3) year rule:(1) The IRS may go back six (6) years when a significant income amount (25%) has been omitted from an income tax return. They can also go back indefinitely if the IRS proves you filed a fraudulent tax return.(2) What about the situation where the IRS says you failed to file a return? Let’s say the IRS asks for a return from four (4) years ago. Oops – you just shredded that one since you were diligently following the three (3) year rule. Who knows why the IRS did not receive the return. Maybe your neighbor hijacked it from your mailbox, possibly your postal carrier lost it or the IRS Center received it but simply missed processing it because the return was attached to another return and overlooked. It matters not, why the return was not shown as received by the IRS, because the burden is yours to prove the return was filed. Now you have to resurrect your records, prepare and file the tax return again or be classified forever and ever as a “non-filer.”Bob Carlson, editor of Retirement Watch, contends that keeping your tax returns indefinitely may well be worth the hassle. “Once you show a return was filed, the statute of limitations is three (3) years, unless the fraud or six (6) year exceptions apply. With very few exceptions, the IRS won’t be able to question the details of the (older) returns. You can shred and dispose of those supporting records and keep a copy of the return.”It may well be worth the hassle to store these old returns in an effort to gain just a little peace of mind.Thank you for all of your questions, comments and suggestions for future topics. As always, they are much appreciated. We may be reached in our Dayton office at 937-436-3133 or in our Xenia office at 937-372-3504. Or, visit our website.This Week’s Author – Mark C Bradstreet, CPA–until next week