Yes, you need to shred your document for legal and personal reasons. We are in a digital world and rely on the internet for most things. But still, we receive paper documents, including birth certificates, driving licenses, and energy bills. All will have a lifespan and usability period. You can talk to a shredding company to destroy these papers once the period is over. The experts will accommodate you and destroy the document in your presence.
Why Should You Shred Your Documents?
Your documents will have personal information, including your name and address. There will be different types of data based on the document type. What will happen if you do not destroy the document? It might go to the wrong hands, and you can imagine the outcome. Someone might use your identity for illegal purposes. If it happens, you will be in trouble. You might need to deal with legal complications. Many throw the document instead of destroying it. However, others can access it and use the information.
You can avoid all these by considering shredding. You can hire shredding services in Essex and destroy all the old documents. The process will be easy, smooth, and cost-effective. There will be no fear of losing your identity and inviting legal troubles.
Documents to Shred Immediately
You can shred credit cards and mail offers immediately. The objective is to prevent fraudsters from accessing your account. Also, shred the documents after making utility and credit card payments. Destroy the paper to avoid unauthorised access. Besides, you can destroy your gas and ATM receipts straightaway. You should never keep your utility bills and ATM receipts. These are unnecessary and might invite trouble for you.
Documents to Shred Within Two Years
Some documents will be valid for a year or two. We can take the example of salary-related documents. You can keep them for a year or two for tax benefits. Your payslips, P45s, and P60s are worth keeping for tax benefits. You can keep your payslips for twenty-two months. You can also keep your bank statements and medical bills for one year. You can destroy when these documents are not helpful for any purpose.
Also, you can avoid shredding work contracts, insurance documents, rental agreements, mortgage documents, bank statements, and council tax bills straightaway. As mentioned earlier, all the records will come with a lifespan. You can consider shredding after that period. However, destroy all these since most will have your sensitive personal and financial information. You will invite a lot of hassles if your document goes into the wrong hands. You cannot be careless when it comes to financial and personal safety.
Documents You Should Never Shred
There are a few documents you will need for a lifetime. Here are such records.
- Passports
- Birth and death certificates
- Marriage and divorce certificates
- Military papers
- Pension documents
- Driving license
- HMRC documents
- Wills
- Immunisation details
- National insurance card
- Bankruptcy documents
Now you know the documents you need to shred immediately or after years. You can plan accordingly and destroy all unnecessary papers. Hire a shredding company and find a safe and easy solution for your old documents.
