How Long to Keep Tax Records and Receipts: IRS Rules (2026) - ReceiptGenie

How long to keep tax records for the IRS? Three years after you file your return, in most cases. Keep them 6 years if you left out more than 25% of your gross income, and 7 years for a bad-debt or worthless-securities claim. Employment tax records need 4 years. If you never filed, keep everything indefinitely. Below: IRS retention periods, what a receipt must show, the $75 rule, and whether a scan can replace the paper. For retention rules outside the US, see how long to keep receipts by country. Not tax advice: check with your accountant or the IRS.

How long the IRS says to keep records

Situation	Keep for	Counted from
Default	3 years	Date you filed the return
Refund claim filed after the return	3 years from filing or 2 years from the date you paid the tax, whichever is later	Filing or payment
Unreported income over 25% of gross income	6 years	Date you filed the return
Worthless securities or bad debt deduction	7 years	Date you filed the return
Employment tax records	4 years	Date the tax is due or paid, whichever is later
No return filed	Indefinitely	n/a
Fraudulent return	Indefinitely	n/a
Property (equipment, vehicles, improvements)	Until the period of limitations expires for the year you dispose of the property	Disposal year

The years count from the date you filed the return. A return filed before the due date is treated as filed on the due date.

Source: IRS, “How long should I keep records?” (updated 30 June 2026, checked November 2026).

How long to keep receipts for taxes

Receipts support a deduction on a specific return, so they follow that return’s retention period. The IRS says to keep records that support a deduction “for 3 years from the date you file the income tax return on which the deduction is claimed. A return filed early is considered filed on the due date.”

That means a receipt from 2025, claimed on a return filed in April 2026, stays on file until at least April 2029.

Property receipts take longer. Equipment, a vehicle or home improvements keep their basis until you sell or dispose of the property. Keep those receipts until the period of limitations expires for the year you dispose of it.

Sources: IRS Pub 463 (2025), IRS Topic 305 (both checked November 2026).

IRS receipt requirements: what a receipt must show

The IRS says your supporting documents should identify:

The payee (who you paid).
The amount paid.
Proof of payment (a canceled check, credit card statement or bank record).
The date incurred.
A description of the item (what you bought or what the service was).

Acceptable documents include cash register tape receipts, credit card receipts and statements, invoices, and canceled checks.

A scanned receipt can capture the payee, the amount, the date and the description. Proof of payment is separate: keep the card statement or bank record that matches the receipt.

Source: IRS, “What kind of records should I keep?” (updated 3 August 2026, checked November 2026).

The $75 rule: what it covers

IRS Publication 463 says documentary evidence (a receipt or bill) is not needed when any of these conditions apply:

Your expense, other than lodging, is less than US$75.
You have a transportation expense for which a receipt is not readily available.
You are reimbursed under an accountable plan with a per diem allowance.

“Documentary evidence will ordinarily be considered adequate if it shows the amount, date, place, and essential character of the expense.”

For a hotel receipt, that means the name and location, the dates you stayed, and separate amounts for lodging, meals and calls. For a restaurant receipt, it means the name and location of the restaurant, the number of people served, and the date and amount.

Publication 463 covers travel, gift and car expenses. For other business expenses, the general rule applies: keep the supporting documents that show the five fields above.

Source: IRS Pub 463 (2025) (checked November 2026).

Can you keep a scan instead of the paper receipt?

The IRS says “all requirements that apply to hard copy books and records also apply to electronic records.” Publication 583 adds that the electronic storage system must “index, store, preserve, retrieve, and reproduce the electronically stored books and records.” Once the system “has been tested,” the original paper may be destroyed. The details are in Revenue Procedure 97-22.

ReceiptGenie keeps a clear image of the receipt plus the extracted data and lets you export both. Whether the image can replace the paper depends on your tax authority’s rules, summarised above. ReceiptGenie does not claim compliance with Rev. Proc. 97-22.

Keep the scanned images alongside the original paper until your system meets the IRS requirements. The scan serves as a readable backup if the thermal paper fades.

Sources: IRS, “What kind of records should I keep?”, IRS Pub 583 (rev. 12/2024) (both checked November 2026).

If a receipt is lost or destroyed

Publication 463 says you can prove a deduction by reconstructing your records when a receipt is missing “because of reasons beyond your control.” Those reasons include fire, flood and other casualties.

If you scanned the receipt before it was lost, the scan and the extracted data give you a starting point for reconstruction. Keeping the original card or bank statement alongside the scan strengthens the record.

Source: IRS Pub 463 (2025) (checked November 2026).

A 4-step routine to keep receipts for taxes

Scan each receipt when you get it. Use your phone camera, import a photo from your library, or import a PDF. Scanning several pages at once works too.
Check what the app read. The AI reads the merchant, date, total, tax and every line item. Every field stays editable, so correct anything that is wrong. These cover most of the fields the IRS lists; proof of payment is separate (see below).
Tag receipts by the expense type your accountant uses. Tag whole receipts or single line items, so business and personal expenses stay apart.
Once a year, add the tax year’s receipts to a report and export. Export receipts to CSV or Excel as CSV, Excel (XLSX) or a ZIP with both CSVs plus the receipt images (Premium). On Android, export a ZIP regularly because the library has no cloud backup.

Proof of payment is not on the receipt itself. Keep the card statement or bank record that matches each expense.

Frequently asked questions

Should I keep receipts for tax purposes?

Yes. The IRS says you “must keep records, such as receipts, canceled checks, and other documents that support an item of income, a deduction, or a credit appearing on a return.” Keep them for at least 3 years from the date you file the return that claims the deduction.

What is the IRS $75 receipt rule?

Under IRS Publication 463, you do not need a receipt for a travel, gift or car expense (other than lodging) that is under US$75. You still need to record the amount, date, place and essential character of the expense.

What records need to be kept for 6 years?

Keep records for 6 years if you underreport income by more than 25% of the gross income on your return. The 6-year period runs from the date you filed.

What records must be kept forever?

Keep records indefinitely if you did not file a return or if you filed a fraudulent return. Property records (equipment, vehicles, improvements) stay until the period of limitations expires for the disposal year. This can be well beyond 3 years.

Scan your receipts before they fade

Thermal paper can fade within months. If the IRS asks for a receipt 3 or 6 years from now, the print may be unreadable. Scan each receipt when you get it, and a readable copy lasts as long as the IRS can ask for it.

Download ReceiptGenie for iPhone or Android with 25 free Smart Scans.