Document retention periods in France, by document

Minimum periods, counted from the right starting point

A retention period is the time during which you can assert a right, or during which someone can claim something from you. These are minimums: nothing stops you from keeping a document longer, and anything related to a dispute that’s underway should be kept, since it can serve as evidence.

Everything depends on the starting point. A bank statement counts from the date of the transaction, a lease from the end of the tenancy, a loan agreement from the closing of the loan. For income tax, the period runs until December 31 of the 2nd year after the tax was assessed for collection (the mise en recouvrement, shown on your tax notice). The tool asks for the right date for each document.

Some papers are never thrown away, and others depend on an event, like your pension being settled for payslips. The tool says so without making up a date. It’s all explained in our article How long to keep documents in France.

Tax documents of a business

Law no. 2026-534 of June 25, 2026 (art. 36) raised the retention period for documents needed for a tax audit from 6 to 10 years, for documents whose period ends after January 1, 2027. The tool applies this rule: a 6-year period that had already ended by then stays ended, the others move to 10 years. Invoices sent and received are kept 10 years from the end of the financial year anyway, under the Commercial Code.

Service Public’s page for individuals, reviewed on October 13, 2026, doesn’t mention this law. The periods for individuals’ taxes follow that page.

Every period, category by category

Taxes

Document	Minimum period	Good to know
Income tax return, tax notice, supporting documents (actual expenses…)	Until December 31 of the 2nd year after the tax was assessed	This is the deadline to file a claim. The tax office’s own window to reassess you varies with your situation. Service Public’s example: the return filed in 2026 for your 2025 income can be thrown out from January 1, 2029.
Property tax, or taxe foncière (notice, return, supporting documents)	Until December 31 of the year after the tax was assessed	This is the deadline to file a claim. The tax office can reassess you for 3 years if an exemption or a relief is later corrected.
Inheritance tax return and supporting documents	Until December 31 of the 3rd year after it was filed	This is the tax office’s audit window. Service Public suggests keeping everything permanently.

Banking

Document	Minimum period	Good to know
Bank statement, check stub	5 years from the date of the transaction	A fraudulent debit must be disputed within 13 months at most.
Card receipt	Until you get the statement that shows it	Same 13 months to dispute a fraudulent debit.
Check you haven’t cashed yet	1 year and 8 days	After that, the check can’t be cashed, but the debt is still owed.
Loan agreement and supporting documents	5 years after the loan is closed	For a consumer loan, the lender has 2 years to sue if the borrower defaults.

Housing

Document	Minimum period	Good to know
Lease, check-in and check-out report (état des lieux), rent receipts	Length of the tenancy + 3 years	For a main home, furnished or not (law of July 6, 1989, art. 7-1). Keep them for as long as you rent.
Electricity and gas bills	5 years	The supplier has 2 years to claim a payment.
Water bills	5 years	The supplier has 4 years to claim a payment if it’s a public utility, 2 years if it’s a private company.
Phone and internet bills	5 years	Also keep proof that you returned the internet box for 5 years.
Condo charges (proof of payment), letters from the building manager (syndic), general meeting minutes	5 years	A general meeting decision can be challenged within 2 months of being notified of the minutes.
Invoices for major works	10 years for structural work	For an extension or an improvement, as long as you own the home: they count toward the capital gains calculation, unless you’re exempt.
Deed of sale (title deed)	Permanent	If you lose it, the notaire who holds the original can give you a copy.

Insurance

Document	Minimum period	Good to know
Home or car insurance policy	2 years after the policy ends	You have 2 years to take action, or 10 years after your condition stabilizes for a bodily injury.
Receipt, premium notice, cancellation letter	2 years from the date of the document	The same applies to proof of payment.
Car insurance record (relevé d’informations)	Permanent	It shows your no-claims bonus or penalty.
Life insurance policy	Permanent	The deadline to take action depends on whether you’re the policyholder, the insured or the beneficiary.

Health

Document	Minimum period	Good to know
Prescription	1 year	For glasses, 5 years from age 16 to 42 and 3 years from age 43.
Treatment form (feuille de soins)	2 years	The reimbursement deadline runs to the end of the calendar quarter of the treatment, 2 years later.
Assurance Maladie statement	2 years	This is how long you can be asked to repay an overpayment, 5 years in case of fraud.
Public hospital bill	4 years	Public Health Code, art. L6145-9. For a private hospital, 2 years.
Private hospital or clinic bill	2 years	Social Security Code, art. L160-11. For a public hospital, 4 years.
Health record (carnet de santé), vaccination record, blood group card, medical certificates and test results	Permanent

Work

Document	Minimum period	Good to know
Payslips, employment contract, certificate of employment (certificat de travail)	Until your pension is settled	Payslips are still useful after that, to calculate an annuity if an occupational disease appears after you retire.
Final pay statement (solde de tout compte)	5 years	The deadline to dispute the amounts depends on whether you signed the receipt.
France Travail certificate, unemployment benefit records	5 years	Service Public suggests keeping them until you claim your pension.

Family

Document	Minimum period	Good to know
Civil status records, livret de famille, divorce or adoption judgment	Permanent	The town hall can replace a lost livret de famille, and the court can issue a copy of a judgment.
Acknowledgment of a child, marriage contract, PACS agreement	Permanent
Family allowance payment notices	5 years	You have 2 years to act if the amount is wrong, and the Caf has 2 years to claim back an overpayment.

Vehicle

Document	Minimum period	Good to know
Notice of a minor traffic offense (contravention)	3 years after the decision became final	The limitation period for the penalty (Criminal Code, art. 133-2 to 133-6).
Notice of a more serious offense (délit)	6 years after the decision became final	Speeding by 50 km/h or more, for example.
Purchase and repair invoices	As long as you own the car, + 2 years if you sell it	For the warranty against hidden defects (Civil Code, art. 1648). Keep them for as long as you own the car.

Purchases

Document	Minimum period	Good to know
Invoice for an appliance or furniture	5 years from purchase	It can help for longer: after a theft or a claim, it serves as proof for your insurer.
Proof of purchase (invoice, receipt, delivery note)	Until the warranty ends	Legal guarantee of conformity: 2 years to act after the item is delivered. The date shown follows this legal guarantee; a longer commercial warranty pushes it back.

Studies and career

Document	Minimum period	Good to know
Diplomas, university transcripts, pension certificate (titre de pension), military papers	Permanent

Freelancers and businesses

Document	Minimum period	Good to know
Invoices sent and received, accounting books and ledgers	10 years from the end of the financial year	Commercial Code, art. L123-22. An e-invoice is also kept in its original format, XML included.
Documents kept for a tax audit	10 years, up from 6	Law of June 25, 2026, art. 36: 10 years for documents whose retention period ends after January 1, 2027. A 6-year period that had already ended by then stays ended.
Business contracts and correspondence	5 years	Commercial Code, art. L110-1 to L110-4.
Annual accounts of a company	10 years from the end of the financial year	Balance sheet, income statement and notes.
Company bylaws (statuts)	5 years after the company ceases to exist (struck off the trade register)	In other words, for the life of the company, then 5 years.
Copies of payslips, employment contracts (employer)	5 years	Documents on payroll contributions, 3 years.

Frequently asked questions

How does the tool work out the keep-until date?

It starts from the date you enter, the one that starts the clock: the date of the document, the end of the tenancy, the closing of the loan or the date the tax was assessed. It then adds the minimum period. For income tax, the period runs until December 31 of the 2nd year after the tax was assessed.

Can I throw a document away the day after the date shown?

Yes, if no dispute is underway. These are minimums: a document can serve as evidence in court, and nothing stops you from keeping it longer.

Which papers should you keep for life in France?

Among others, civil status records, the livret de famille, divorce or adoption judgments, a marriage contract or PACS agreement, the deed of sale of a home, the car insurance record, life insurance policies, health and vaccination records, diplomas, the pension certificate and military papers.

How long does a French business keep its invoices?

10 years from the end of the financial year, under the Commercial Code (art. L123-22). The tax period went from 6 to 10 years with the law of June 25, 2026, for documents whose period ends after January 1, 2027.

Is a scan enough to throw away the original?

Service Public recommends keeping the original in the form you received it. A scan only counts as a copy, and you can be asked to show the original as long as it exists.

Sources

Checked on October 14, 2026. Service Public’s periods are minimums.

How long should you keep this document?

Good to know