Keeping receipts
How long should you keep receipts?
In short: for as long as they can still help you. In the Netherlands, where Linkly is made, that means as long as the product should last for a warranty claim, five years for the tax office, and seven if you are self-employed.
For a warranty claim: as long as the product should last
Dutch law sets no fixed end date for a warranty. According to the Dutch government, you are always entitled to a product that works, for as long as you may expect from what it is: a washing machine should last longer than a pair of children's shoes. For an expensive laptop or washing machine, the Dutch consumer authority ACM says that can be 5 to 8 years.
If something breaks within 12 months of buying it, the seller has to prove it was your fault. After that, it is up to you to show the fault lies with the product. So keep the receipt for an expensive appliance at least as long as you expect it to last.
You do not always need the receipt itself. You have to show that you bought the product at that shop, and according to the consumer association Consumentenbond, a bank statement (if you paid by card or online banking), a scan or photo of your proof of purchase or the shop's own till records can do that too. Useful, because the print on a paper receipt fades, and a receipt you can no longer read counts as lost.
For returns and exchanges: not long
An exchange is not a right: the shop decides whether you can, for how long and whether you need the receipt. When you buy online, you often have 14 days to change your mind. Once that time is up, the receipt is no longer any use for a return, though you may still need it for a warranty claim.
For the tax office: five years
If you are not self-employed, Dutch law does not require you to keep your records. But the Dutch tax office, the Belastingdienst, can reassess your tax for up to 5 years back, so the government advises keeping your records, such as bank statements and payslips, for at least 5 years. That way you have proof if you disagree with a reassessment.
If you are self-employed: seven years
For businesses and the self-employed, it is a legal requirement: keep your records for 7 years, and records about property for 10. A contract that is still running, such as a four-year lease, stays part of your records for as long as it runs; the 7 years start when it ends.
At a glance
- Receipt for an expensive appliance: as long as it should last, often years
- Receipt for a return or exchange: until the shop's deadline has passed
- Bank statements, payslips and anything in your tax return: 5 years
- Your records if you are self-employed: 7 years, property 10 years
Source: Rijksoverheid, Welke garanties heb ik op een product? (in Dutch)
Source: ACM, Garantie maar 2 jaar? Vaak niet waar! (in Dutch)
Source: Consumentenbond, Kassabon kwijt? Dit zijn je rechten (in Dutch)
Source: Belastingdienst, Hoelang moet u gegevens bewaren? (in Dutch)
How Linkly keeps your receipts, for as long as you like
Linkly is still in development. This is what it does today; the screenshots show sample data.
Every receipt with its payment
Linkly picks up receipts and invoices from your inbox and puts each one with the payment it belongs to. Paper receipts you scan with the app. So when you make a warranty claim, you have the receipt and the payment together.
- The original sits next to what Linkly read from it
- A receipt stays until you delete it yourself
Find it again, even years later
Search for the shop or for what you bought: search also looks through the lines of your receipts. The result opens the payment, with its receipt next to it.
- Across every administration you show
See which receipt is still missing
When a larger purchase, such as a laptop or a pair of glasses, has no receipt yet, Linkly says one is worth keeping; it does not ask for one for groceries or for paying a friend back. On a computer you just drag the PDF or photo onto the payment.
What Linkly doesn't do yet
Linkly does not track warranty periods and does not warn you when a warranty runs out. Whether your records as a self-employed person meet the Belastingdienst's requirements is not something Linkly checks.
Common questions
Is a photo of my receipt enough for a warranty claim?
Yes. According to the Consumentenbond, you can also prove a purchase with a scan or photo of your proof of purchase, with a bank statement if you paid by card or online banking, or through the shop's own till records. For an exchange, a shop may still ask for the receipt itself. That is the Dutch rule; other countries have their own.
How long should I keep bank statements?
In the Netherlands you do not have to unless you are self-employed. The government does advise keeping your records for 5 years, because the tax office can reassess tax that far back.
How long does Linkly keep my receipts?
A receipt stays with its payment until you delete it yourself, or until you delete the administration it is in.
Can I use Linkly now?
Not yet. Linkly is in development and not open to everyone yet. Leave your email address and you will hear when it opens.
Hear when Linkly opens
Linkly is not open to everyone yet. Leave your email address and you will hear when it is.