How long do you have to keep your everyday documents?

You must keep certain documents permanently. This includes:

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

However, you can dispose of your rental agreement and the inventory 3 years after the end of the lease; and your tax notices and tax returns at the beginning of the 4^e year after the tax year (you will be able to part with your 2024 return as of the beginning of 2028).

Your salary 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.

These are all times when you can exercise a right, or when you can be asked for something (a recovery...). Whether the original document was issued to you in digital or paper format, the minimum retention period is the same.

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

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

Find the rules to know for the main documents of everyday life on the practical sheet of Service-Public.fr “Duration of paper retention”.