How to sort out your paperwork

Organise all your correspondence and important documents

Narrow down paperwork to the essentials that must be kept and sort into relevant categories.

Bin all old leaflets, catalogues and junk mail that isn’t of interest.
Check shopping receipts and cash machine slips against your bank/credit card statements, and shred any that you don’t need to keep.

What to keep in your files

Have a file for each of the following – some may need to be sub-divided into plastic sleeves

Statements from banks and building societies, credit-card bills
Car – MOT certificates, registration and insurance documents (separate files for each vehicle)
Employment records, payslips, pension information and tax returns
Family – one file for each child with health and school records, etc
Property – mortgage papers, building warranties
Instruction manuals and warranties for appliances (bin any for items you no longer own)
Insurance policies – separate into buildings, contents, health, travel
Medical cards
Bills – separate into gas, electricity, water, telephone and broadband, council tax, TV licence, etc
Miscellaneous correspondence – keep an extra A-Z file for this

What to keep in a fireproof box or cabinet

Hard-to-replace documents should be stored securely, such as:

What to keep at your solicitor’s office

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