Which papers to keep for tax purposes?

Which papers to keep for tax purposes is a question frequently asked by my clients and students. I always dodge answering the question directly, because I am not qualified to give an answer (I am not a CPA or a lawyer.) I recommend they contact whoever does their taxes. If they do their own taxes, I recommend they read the IRS Publication 552 Recordkeeping for Individuals. A big 'thank you' to one of my clients for sending me the link, because when I received it, I decided to peek to see if it was the same copy I have from long ago and delighted to see it was just revised (February 2010).

By the way, if you feel 'lost' about your taxes, I thought I'd let you know that I heard one Professional Organizer speaking at a NAPO national conference say "I've called the IRS before and guess what!?! They're actually very nice people and very helpful!"

FYI Publication 552 states:
Tax questions. If you have a tax question, check information available on www.irs.gov
or call 800-829-1040.

Good luck taking care of this typically dreaded annual 'chore'!