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Keep the receipts behind your taxes for at least six years, counted from the end of the tax year they belong to. For the 2025 return, that means holding on to them until the end of 2031, even if you filed online and attached nothing.
How long should you keep tax receipts?
The CRA says six years, and the clock starts on December 31 of the tax year, not on the day you filed. Filing late or getting your notice of assessment in June doesn’t change the start date.
| Tax year | Six years ends |
|---|---|
| 2023 | December 31, 2029 |
| 2024 | December 31, 2030 |
| 2025 | December 31, 2031 |
That’s our own count from the CRA rule. If you want to destroy records sooner, you need written permission from the CRA, and most people have no reason to bother.
What counts as proof for a claim?
A receipt is the obvious answer, but it isn’t the only one. The CRA also tells you to hold your return copy, your notices of assessment or reassessment, cancelled cheques and bank statements. It adds that your records should be more than just the official receipts.
Why does that matter? A card statement shows you paid something. It doesn’t show what for. So pair the two when you can. The receipt says what you bought, the statement says the money left your account.
For a business, the rules are wider. The CRA defines records as ledgers, journals, statements, correspondence and anything else holding financial information, and it wants records from accounting or point of sale software kept too. Enough detail has to be there for the CRA to work out what you owe.
Do you send receipts in with your return?
No, not with a normal online return. The CRA still says to keep them, though, because it can ask to see them later. Think of the return as a claim you may have to back up.
So the timing that matters is the review, not the filing. A claim you can’t support can be disallowed. We couldn’t find a CRA rule for what to do when a receipt is lost, so the practical route is asking the seller for a copy and keeping the bank record as backup.
How do you keep track of receipts for business tax?
Sort by category as you go. Use the same headings your tax form uses, so year end is a matter of adding columns. A phone photo in a labelled folder works as well as a shoebox, as long as you can find the right one in an hour.
Here’s an example on the home office. Say your workspace is 200 square feet in a 1,600 square foot home. That’s 12.5%, and the CRA accepts a reasonable basis such as area of the workspace over total area. If utilities and insurance for the year come to $4,000, the business share is $500. The catch is that you need those bills to show it.
The CRA also limits this claim to your net business income before the home expenses, and unused amounts carry forward. Work through the effect with the self-employed tax calculator. In our run for an Ontario sole proprietor, moving net income from $80,000 to $70,000 cuts income tax and CPP together from $22,126 to $18,298. That’s $3,828 for $10,000 of documented expenses.
GST/HST on a business expense is part of what you can deduct, less any input tax credit you claimed. So the receipt needs the tax amount visible, and ideally the seller’s registration number too. We haven’t confirmed that second point on a CRA page, so check before you count on it.
Which mistakes cost you a claim?
Clearing the drawer in year two is where trouble starts.
- Keeping only the credit card statement and no receipt.
- Mixing personal and business spending on one card, so every line needs explaining.
- Claiming the full cost of something you also use personally. Only the business share counts.
- Deleting digital records when you change accounting software.
The tax credits calculator can show what a credit claim is worth before you go hunting for paperwork. It’s federal only, so provincial credits aren’t in the total. And the marginal tax rate calculator tells you what each extra deducted dollar saves at your income. Don’t spend a weekend on a receipt worth two dollars.
Where the numbers come from
Retention periods and record types come from Canada Revenue Agency pages on keeping income tax records and on record keeping for businesses, read in September 2026. The home office method comes from the CRA page on business use of home expenses. The dollar examples are our own arithmetic, with tax figures from the 2026 Ontario and federal schedules. This site has no link with the CRA or any government.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I keep receipts for taxes?
At least six years from the end of the tax year they relate to. Records for 2025 last to the end of 2031.
Do I send receipts to the CRA when I file?
Not with a normal online return. Keep them anyway, since the CRA can ask to see them later.
Is a bank statement enough without a receipt?
The CRA lists bank statements and cancelled cheques as records to keep, but they show only that you paid. Keep the receipt too when you can.
Can I keep receipts as photos?
The CRA page we read covers electronic records from business systems, and we found no rule that bars a clear digital copy. Check the CRA guidance if you plan to throw out paper originals.
Can I destroy records early?
Only with written permission from the CRA.
- How to file your tax return in Canada: steps and dates
What to gather, when your return is due and how to file in Canada, from the first slip to the notice of assessment that closes the year
Information only. This page is general information, not tax, legal or accounting advice. Tax-Services.ca is an independent publisher: we don't prepare or file tax returns or offer tax services, and we have no connection with the CRA, Revenu Québec, any government or any company named on this page. Check the figures that matter with an official source or a qualified professional.