How to organise your life admin in a digital world
Ever felt like you are drowning in a sea of life admin, emails, bills, letters, appointments and to-do lists? We hear ya! It’s getting harder and harder to keep on top of all those admin tasks. Four in five (80%) of UK respondents now feel that information overload is contributing to their daily stress, according to OpenText research.
Nobody enjoys tackling the constant round of personal and household paperwork - whether it’s renewing insurance/MOT/passports or cancelling unwanted subscriptions. One in three (34%) of us admit to putting off reviewing our day-to-day finances, even when we could be saving some money, research last year by Lloyds Bank revealed.
And with the increasing shift to paper-free, there’s the new challenge — finding where you’ve saved things on your computer. Which brings us to the modern dilemma ‘what do I still need hard copies of and what can I safely store online?’
The chances are your financial and life admin is increasingly digitised but with a certain number of old documents gathering dust in drawers, files and boxes. Here's how to sort it once and for all!
How to organise your digital filing cabinet
Create a digital filing cabinet - either on your laptop or in an online storage service, such as iCloud or Google Drive. "This is just a series of folders that you can store digital correspondence and bills in, to ensure they're all in one place and easier to find if you ever need to refer to them - rather than needing to log into different apps," says Carrie-Ann Skinner, tech expert who runs the Instagram channel Tech-ing It Easy.
Pick a strategy and stick to it! Decide whether you are going completely paperless wherever possible - bank accounts, credit cards, insurance policies and utilities - or keeping some as paper.
"If you include a PDF of a utility bill or council tax bill in your 'digital filing system', you'll always have quick access to a digital copy of your proof of address, should you need it instantly. Always ensure you use strong, secure passwords in this online storage to prevent hackers gaining access to your personal information," says Carrie.
"Get into good habits and make a digital copy of everything and keep it in one place. Life inevitably gets in the way - so try to record everything the moment it happens using digital tools. Many digital business bank accounts now do this for you, making it so much easier,' says Emma Jones, CEO and founder of Enterprise Nation.
"Have one specific email address for all the admin so it is easy to find correspondence and have email folders for each provider," says Lisa Conway-Hughes, chartered financial adviser, LCH Wealth.
"Always download copies of payslips when you move jobs - 12 months, plus your last p60 as a minimum. Your employer may provide your p45 and final payslip in a print format if you won't be able to access the payslip portal when your employment ends - make sure they've got the right postal address on file for you so that you receive these promptly," says a spokesperson for Equifax.
"Make sure your nearest and dearest still know how to access things – do you have an 'in case I die file'?" says Lisa. Keep a shared google doc that you can update as and when. Alternatively, keep a hard copy in the house. (It should cover key contacts, where your will is, who your executors are and passwords, PIN codes and other memorable information.)
What financial documents to keep or bin
Time to declutter your filling system? Here's our rundown on what should you keep, what can you bin (or delete), what needs renewing regularly and what you still need in paper form.
Identity documents and statements
You need to keep all the paper documents listed below in a secure, safe place for life. While you can apply for replacements, it can be a hassle and will cost you.
Birth, adoption, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates
If you lose any of these, use the General Register Office (GRO) in England and Wales to apply for a copy. In Scotland, visit mygov.scot, and in Northern Ireland, go through the NI's General Register Office.
Divorce certificate
Always keep the final divorce order or decree absolute safe – you will need to show it if you remarry or to prove your marital status. Lost yours? Get a copy at gov.uk.
Passport
An adult passport is valid for 10 years – for a child under 16, it's five years. You may want to hang on to old passports once they have expired because they hold important personal information and travel history. If you do decide to get rid of yours, never just throw it away because of the risk of ID fraud. You can send it back to the Passport Agency for safe disposal.
National insurance number
Your National Insurance number remains the same for life. Anyone reaching 16 is automatically sent their number in advance of their birthday.
If you've lost your NI number you should be able to find it on a payslip, P60 or on a tax return. If not, you can find a lost number via gov.uk.
Legal documents
Wills and powers of attorney
These don’t have expiry dates so remember to review and update yours periodically or if you have a change in circumstance (status/address/financial outlook). It may be that the original will and power of attorney documents are kept with your solicitor or it may be that you are storing them at home. Either way, make sure your family knows where to find them.
Mortgage policy documents
It's important to keep these safe for the lifetime of the agreement, and review them regularly. Mortgage statements should be kept for up to seven years or at least three years after you sell your home.
House deeds
House deeds are usually lodged with the lender if you have a mortgage. If you’ve paid off your mortgage, the deeds will be returned to you, or it might be that they are with the solicitor you used when you bought the property.
If you want to see a scanned copy, the Land Registry will have them on file, search Land Registry property information. But don't worry – if your property is registered with the Land Registry, you don't need the deeds. If you have the original deeds, it's a good idea to keep them, as they can hold extra information about legal boundaries or who the previous owner was, for example.
Rental agreement
This should be kept until you have received your deposit back from your landlord or letting agent in case you need to negotiate over anything. Keep evidence you have paid utility bills on rental property, too.
Financial documents
Payslips
HMRC suggests keeping payslips and any other relevant tax records for at least 22 months after the end of the tax year they were issued in.
'If you receive regular variable pay (bonus, commission, overtime etc) consider extending this to three years of payslip history. Lenders may ask to see this if your additional income is regular and reliable and could be factored into a mortgage application,' says a spokesperson for Experian.
It might be wise to hang on to all your P60s indefinitely, so that you have evidence of things like National Insurance contributions later in life. These should be securely stored and password protected if digital.
Bank statements
Keep these for a minimum of one year. If you bank online, you will be able to access a year’s worth and can apply for up to five years through your bank if needed.
Credit card statements
You should be keep credit card statements for a minimum of sixty days, but experts suggest hanging on to them for up to six years. For instance, they may provide proof of purchase for extended warranties or protections on products, or be relevant in any tax claims. Similarly, loan statements should be kept even after you have made all the repayments, so you have evidence in case of any disputes.
Insurance documents
Insurance paperwork and other active contracts or evidence of debt repayments should be kept for as long as they are active/in force. It’s a good idea to keep a couple of old statements so you can compare price or T&C changes with any new agreements.
With life insurance, make sure your beneficiaries know where your insurance policies are kept and who the main contact at the company is.
Pensions
Find a permanent safe place to keep all the pensions you accumulate during your working life and details of any pension sharing arrangement you might have post divorce, otherwise you could end up missing out on hard-earned money.
It’s a good idea to register with your pension providers' websites so you can log in any time, check on your pension projections and keep the provider updated with any change of address easily. They will also send you annual statements about your pension in paper form that you should keep safely.
If you have lost track of any pensions, contact the employer if you can. There is also the Government’s free Pension Tracing Service.
Household documents
Utility bills
While these don’t need to be kept for any specific period (unless you're self-employed), it’s useful to keep ready access to them for at least a year, in case of problems or if you need to provide proof of identity or permanent address. If you don't have paper versions, keeping PDFs of your most recent utility bills in a folder on your computer is a good idea. If you already receive utility statements online, your supplier can give you access to the last 12 months of statements digitally if you need them.
TV licence
This needs renewing annually but can be done online. You'll need your TV Licence number, name and postcode. When your licence needs renewing, you will be emailed a link to do it online. You can still get a paper copy by post.
Lost track? You can access your TV licence through TV Licensing any time.
If you still have a paper copy, you will be sent a paper renewal reminder.
Health documents
Your NHS number
This is your unique number for life. The old paper-style medical cards are no longer issued in England, so there is no need to keep yours. You don’t need to know your NHS number to access medical care but it can be useful to have it – for instance, for easy reference at hospital appointments and if you change GP. If you don’t know what your NHS number is, you can check online at NHS.UK.
EHIC and GHIC cards
These cards give you access to basic healthcare when visiting the EU. If you have the old EHIC card, you can carry on using it until it expires. After that, you will need to apply for a GHIC (Global Health Insurance Card). These are also valid for five years. Apply for your new card through the NHS website. Avoid unofficial websites – they may charge you a fee to apply.
Medical exemption certificate
This entitles you to free prescriptions and lasts for five years (or until the holder's 60th birthday). You will be sent a reminder and have to apply via your GP for a replacement each time. If you are registered with a particular chemist, they will also make a note online so you don't have to show your card every time. Prescriptions are free once you hit 60 years old so you won't need to renew after that.
Children’s Personal Child Health Record/Red book
You will need this until the child is four. However, it’s worth keeping this book safely until your child is well into adulthood, as it can be hard to remember when inoculations were given or if all the childhood diseases were ticked off. There is also a digital version, the eRedbook app (which can be connected to the NHS in some areas).
Pet vaccination records
Keep proof of all their jabs and make a note when your pets need boosters. Pet passports are no longer issued in the UK but have been replaced with an Animal Health Certificate (AHC) instead. You can get this via your vet. Your pet will need one of these every time they travel abroad.
Motor documents
V5C
Your car 'logbook' is still a paper document, which you must keep safely as proof of ownership and pass onto the new owner if you sell the car.
If you lose it, you can get a replacement V5C online. It will be posted to the address the DVLA has on record. But if anything needs changing (address/owner), you will need to download and fill in a V62 form.
Car insurance, road tax and MOT certificate
All of these need to be kept safely (whether physically or digitally) until they expire.
You'll get an annual reminder when your insurance is about to expire. Your tax will automatically renew if you pay by monthly direct debit (you'll get an email or letter telling you when the money will be taken). Use Gov.uk to check if your vehicle is taxed. If you need to tax your vehicle, you can do so quickly and securely online at any time here.
You won’t automatically be reminded when it's time for the MOT but you can sign up to get free reminders by text or email for when it’s next due at gov.uk. Alternatively, keep a note of when it's due for renewal as you can be fined up to £1,000 for not having an up to date MOT.
Driving licence
If you still have the paper counterpart to your driving licence, this has had no legal status so you can destroy it, except if you live in Northern Ireland where both parts are still needed.
The photocard driving licence needs renewing every 10 years (at a cost of £14)– you’ll receive a reminder before your current licence ends.
The DVLA will send you a renewal application form 90 days before you reach 70 and then every three years (free of charge).
Documents if you're self-employed
"If you operate your working day via a limited company, you’ll have to keep a record of all financial transactions for six years from year end, and sometimes longer," says Emma Jones, CEO and founder of Enterprise Nation, a community of small businesses and advisors,"Of course, accounting software will do all of this for you as most transactions now take place online."
You can check out your responsibilities when running a limited company at gov.uk and find out more about finding the right accounting software here.
"If you’re self-employed or work in the gig economy, you are required to keep accurate financial records for five years. The Low Incomes Tax Reform Group have good advice on this," says Emma. If you’re not sure what business structure to register under, Enterprise Nation have a simple legal checklist.
Disposing of personal data securely
For paper documents, use a good crosscut paper shredder. For digital paperwork, simply moving your files into the recycling folder isn't enough and could leave you vulnerable to cybercriminals.
Steve Wilson, senior director, Norton says: "Whether you’re changing devices or doing a digital cleanse, knowing how to delete your data is just as important as safeguarding the data that remains. It's crucial to wipe your hard drive to ensure data is permanently deleted by overwriting it. With recovery software, cybercriminals can easily retrieve your files from your deleted folder, steal your data and potentially use this to hack you.”
"Newer windows computers store files on a solid-state drive (SSD). Deleting the file and emptying the recycle bin removes it completely. The same is true for Mac computers, but the recycle bin is called trash," says Carrie-Ann Skinner, tech expert and founder of @tech_ing_it_easy.
"It's a similar process for digital files stored in cloud services, like iCloud or Google Drive. Deleted files are sent to the bin, and erased completely up to 30 days later - but you can manually empty the bin at any point," she says.
However, older Windows laptops may have a Hard Disk Drive (HDD), which stores files differently and emptying the recycle bin won't delete them completely. "Instead use Eraser software to do the job. It's simple to use, with clear onscreen instructions. You can download it from Source Forge," she says. Curry's also offers a data wipe service for £45.
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