Where to keep tax documents on your iPhone
Keep one folder per tax year, name each file by date and payer, and check your tax authority's own retention rules before deleting anything. A Vault with folders gives you encryption and structure on the phone. Keep a second copy, because StrongRoom has no cloud copy and a lost phone takes a single set with it. This is not tax advice.
What to keep, and for how long
This page cannot tell you which papers you must keep or for how many years. That depends on your country and your situation, and the rule is set by your tax authority. Look for its published guidance on record keeping, or ask a qualified adviser, before you delete a paper original or a scan. Keep the paper if the authority or a lender may ask for the original.
Typical items people file: income statements and payslips, bank and investment statements, receipts for expenses you claim, donation receipts, the filed return and any letters from the authority.
A folder per year
In a Vault, create a folder for each tax year: Tax 2025, Tax 2026. Inside, keep files flat; folders in StrongRoom are one level deep. Folder names are stored inside the encrypted Vault along with everything else. Search looks by name across every folder, so a good name does most of the work.
File names that sort
Use a pattern you will not have to think about: date, payer, kind.
2026-03-employer-annual-statement2026-01-bank-interest-letter2026-05-return-filed
Dates first keeps files in order when sorted by name. Avoid personal identifiers in the name itself, since names are the part most easily seen on screen.
Getting papers in
Scan paper inside StrongRoom: tap the add button and choose Scan a document. Apple's scanner finds the page edges and the pages are saved as one encrypted PDF in the Vault, never in Photos. It is free and counts as one Item toward the free limit of 10; results depend on the light and on Apple's scanner. Or scan with the Files scanner: tap the More (three dots) button, tap Scan Documents, drag the corners to fit and tap Keep Scan, then choose where to save. PDFs you receive by email or download can be saved to Files. Import them into the Vault, check they open, then delete the originals from Files and Recently Deleted. See the scanning guide for the full flow.
A second copy
Make an Export Package of the Vault after each filing season and keep the file somewhere other than the phone, such as an external drive. It is opened with your 12-word Recovery Phrase, which you should have written on paper. Without the Export Package and the phrase, a lost phone means the files are gone. For anything the authority could ask for in years, keep the paper too.
- Folders in a Vault
- Export Package
- Back to the pillar guide
- Scanning documents privately
- What is a Recovery Phrase
- What StrongRoom does not protect against
Frequently asked questions
How long should I keep tax documents?
That is set by your tax authority and your circumstances. Check its published guidance or ask an adviser; this guide cannot say.
Can I throw away the paper once it is scanned?
Only if the rules that apply to you allow it. When in doubt, keep the paper.
Is a Vault better than iCloud Drive for tax papers?
It is a different trade. A Vault keeps files encrypted on the phone with no account, but it makes no copy elsewhere, so you must make an Export Package yourself.
Sources
- How to scan documents on your iPhone or iPad (Apple Support), checked on 2026-10-30.
- Delete files or recover deleted files in the Files app (Apple Support), checked on 2026-10-30.