The IRS suggests 3 years from the due date of your return. We suggest that you may discard cancelled checks, receipts, bills and credit card statements after 3 years. However, we suggest your tax returns, W-2 forms, and 1099s forms from banks and mutual funds or brokerage firms should be made part of your permanent records. This is to insure you have this information available in the event they are needed for an unrelated court proceeding.