Tax Tip: Photograph Every Receipt the Day You Get It
A shoebox of faded thermal-paper receipts is how deductions die. The CRA requires you to keep supporting documents for at least six years from the end of the tax year they relate to — a 2026 receipt must be kept until the end of 2032. A clear photo taken today is accepted as a record; a blank slip of thermal paper found in 2029 is not.
How to do it
- Snap it immediately. Photograph or scan every receipt the day you spend — medical bills, charity donations, work expenses, childcare, moving costs. Phone photos are fine as long as they are readable and complete.
- Check the four details. A usable receipt shows the date, the seller's name and address, a description of what you bought, and the amount paid including tax. For GST/HST input tax credits on purchases of $100 or more, it should also show the vendor's GST/HST registration number.
- File it the same week. Drop the photo into a folder per tax year (e.g., `2026-tax/medical`, `2026-tax/donations`). A 30-second habit beats a 6-hour April scramble.
- Back it up. Keep the folder in cloud storage or an external drive. If your phone dies, your evidence should not die with it.
- Keep the big three too. Your filed return, every Notice of Assessment, and all T-slips — these are the backbone of your file.
Watch out
- Thermal receipts fade. Gas station and pharmacy slips go blank within months. If you only kept the paper, photograph old ones now before they disappear.
- Six years means six years from year-end, not from purchase. A March 2026 receipt relates to the 2026 tax year (ending December 31, 2026), so the clock runs to the end of 2032 — nearly seven years after you paid.
- Late filing restarts the clock. File late and the six years are counted from when you filed, not from the tax year.
- Disputes extend it. If you object to an assessment or appeal, keep everything until the matter is fully resolved, even past six years.
Frequently asked questions
Are phone photos of receipts accepted by the CRA?
Yes. The CRA accepts electronic records and digital images as long as they are readable, complete, and kept for the full retention period. A blurry partial photo is not a record — retake it.
What if I already lost a receipt?
Reconstruct what you can: bank and credit card statements, email confirmations, appointment records. They are weaker than a receipt but far better than nothing. Start the photo habit today so the problem never repeats.
Do I need to keep receipts for things I did not claim?
Only records supporting what you reported or claimed. But when in doubt, keep it — a deduction you forgot is only recoverable if the proof exists.
Sources
- CRA – How long should you keep your income tax records?: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/topics/about-your-tax-return/long-should-you-keep-your-income-tax-records.html
- CRA – Business records (what a valid receipt must show): https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/sole-proprietorships-partnerships/business-records.html
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