How long do you need to keep your everyday documents?

You must keep certain documents permanently. This is particularly the case for:

• your family booklet;
• your health record;
• your marriage contract;
• an adoption judgment;
• the deed of sale of a dwelling.

On the other hand, you can dispose of your rental contract and the inventory 3 years after the end of the lease; and your tax notices as well as your income tax returns at the beginning of the 4^e year following the taxation year (so you can separate from your 2025 return starting at the beginning of 2029).

Your pay slips must be kept until you have asserted your pension rights with the various pension funds to which you have been linked during your career.

In these different cases, these are periods during which you can exercise a right, or during which you can be claimed something (a recovery…). Whether the original document was issued to you in digital or paper format, the minimum retention period is the same.

You can of course keep these documents longer; this can allow you to bring evidence before the court if necessary. For example, when you sell a car, it may be useful to keep the certificate of transfer of the vehicle for several years, in case of dispute with the new owner, even if no retention period is provided for legally.

Some documents must also be kept, including after the death of the holder of these documents. They can prove debts or claims.

One simulator allows you to quickly check the minimum retention period of a document according to different themes (insurance, banking, family, taxes, housing, work, vehicle, health...). The times indicated are minimum times during which it is prudent to keep the documents. You can of course keep them longer.