How Long Do You Need to Keep Receipts for the CRA?

This is general information, not professional tax advice. For official guidance, see the CRA's pages on keeping records or talk to a tax professional.

If you're self-employed in Canada — freelancer, contractor, or sole proprietor — you've probably wondered: how long do I actually need to keep these receipts?

The answer is short, but the details matter if the CRA ever asks. And sometimes they do ask.

The short answer: six years

The CRA expects you to keep your records and supporting documents — receipts, invoices, bank statements — for six years from the end of the last tax year they relate to, unless the CRA gives you written permission to destroy them earlier. The same general six-year expectation applies to GST/HST records if you're registered.

How to count the years correctly

Say you bought office supplies in March 2024. That expense goes on your 2024 return, and the tax year ends December 31, 2024. Six years from the end of that tax year is the end of 2030.

• Expense incurred: March 2024
• Tax year ends: December 31, 2024
• Keep the receipt until: end of 2030

That's roughly six and a half years from the day you made the purchase. It sounds like a long time, but it's manageable if you're organized.

When you need to keep records longer

• You filed late: the six years run from when you filed, not from the tax year, so a late return stretches the window.
• You've filed an objection or appeal: keep everything until the dispute is resolved and the normal six-year window has passed.
• You're being audited or reassessed: keep all related records until the process is fully closed.

What documents to actually keep

"Receipts" is the catch-all term, but here's what actually matters:

• Proof of purchase — receipts or invoices from suppliers, and the invoices you issued to clients (for income verification).
• Proof of payment — bank or credit card statements, cancelled cheques, digital payment confirmations.
• Supporting records — mileage logbooks, home office area calculations, utility bills if you claim home office expenses.

Digital copies count. Clear, complete scans, PDFs, and photos of receipts are acceptable — you just need to be able to produce them on demand. The key is keeping whatever proves that you incurred the expense and that you paid it; a receipt alone is stronger with a matching statement line behind it.

What if you're missing receipts?

It happens — the receipt got wet, the email got deleted, the store never gave you one. If you have other evidence (a bank statement, a credit card charge, an email confirmation), that can support your claim. If you have nothing, the CRA can disallow the expense entirely. So try to reconstruct missing receipts: ask the vendor for a duplicate, or pull the transaction from your statement.

Organizing receipts so you actually keep them for six years

The rule says six years. The practical problem is that most people don't keep anything organized that long. Three systems that work:

• Folder by year — one folder per tax year, moved to cloud storage or a drawer when the year ends. Minimum effort.
• Folder by category and year — slightly more work, much easier if the CRA asks about one specific category.
• A receipt app — capture receipts the moment you get them, with the amounts, dates, and categories extracted automatically. Best fit if you handle dozens of receipts a month.

Whichever you pick, consistency matters more than the method.

The bottom line

Six years from the end of the tax year the records relate to. Build the habit of filing receipts as you go — folder, spreadsheet, or app — and by the time you can finally delete that first batch, you'll barely notice the effort. And if the CRA ever asks about your expenses, you'll have everything they need.

This is general information, not professional tax advice. Always confirm current rules on canada.ca or with a qualified tax professional.