Businesses large and small should strongly consider coordinating end-of-year file shredding as a great way to declutter, maximize productivity, and protect corporate and employee information before the new year begins.
The end of the year is the perfect time for Cincinnati and Columbus office workers to clean out files and schedule secure end-of-year paper shredding to help 2026 begin on just the right note.
Before Your Business Arranges Shredding Box Purge Service
Follow your Columbus or Cincinnati company’s individual document retention schedule. This is the “must have” plan for businesses, describing how long different types of documents should be kept. The first step for ensuring legal compliance of documents is to determine which files to purge. Your accountant, in-house legal team, or the official IRS website should be your go-to retention expert. However, below are some general shredding retention guidelines:
- Legal documents: Keep deeds, birth/death certificates, marriage licenses, divorce documents, estate planning records, social security cards, titles, wills, and corporate records as long as they are valid. These documents should be stored in a fireproof safe.
- Taxes: Keep tax documents, and their support information, W-2s, income tax returns,1099 forms, home improvement receipts, bad debt deductions, loss claims from securities, and more, for 7 years.
- Expired insurance policies, canceled checks, payroll records, job evaluations, employment records, general business records, invoices and expenses should be kept for three years, then certified shredded. Personal records such as significant medical bills, cancelled insurance policies and annual investment statements should be destroyed after 3 years.
- Many bills, credit card statements and applications, bank statements, invoices, and even junk mail, memos, marketing plans, and business solicitations should be certified shredded in an ongoing manner. A NAID certified shredding company, such as Royal Document Destruction, can walk your business through the best ongoing shredding service schedule for your business.
- Ongoing, regular shredding service with a NAID certified expert should be part of any business’s comprehensive document retention program. A “shred everything” program is the easiest way to ensure documents don’t end up in the wrong hands and your company’s reputation remains secure.
Before Calling Royal Document Destruction for a File Purge:
- Clearly separate boxes for annual, one-time shredding in a clearly designated area so they are easy to identify for the shredding specialist. Or, call Royal Document Destruction to have locking containers dropped off for a week, so they can be filled by the staff with documents, then picked up at a convenient time for certified shredding.
- Separately, organize papers that must be saved in boxes, clearly label the retention timeline on the outside of the box, and move those to a different secure location.
- Royal Document Destruction’s cost-effective shredding services include annual shredding cleanouts, regularly scheduled shred service, box pick-up shredding, box drop off shredding, on-site mobile shredding, hard-drive destruction and more. Simply call our Cincinnati or Columbus shredding office for expert help.
- Box cleanouts at the end of the year are a very common best business practice for companies of all sizes. It is a cost-effective, stress-free way to keep information safe.
Why Is Hiring A NAID Certified Shredding Company Critical For A File Purge?
NAID certified shredding companies, like Royal Document Destruction, go through extensive yearly audits, announced and unannounced, and have each step in their shredding processes verified by the National Association for Information Destruction (NAID), the governing body of the shredding industry. Simply put, NAID certified shredding companies are the very best at what they do. A Certificate of Destruction is provided for customer records verifying that all documents were certified shredded.
How Does an End-Of-Year File Purge Help Your Business?
- Less information reduces the risk of a data breach or identity theft. All office waste should be NAID certified shredded according to the business retention schedule for maximum security of all records.
- An organized space with fewer documents means employees can find what is needed faster. Purging outdated documents clears up valuable space in filing cabinets and offices, making your office more organized and stress-free. Hiring a NAID Certified company maintains the best security for your business and its documents.
- End-of Year records destruction helps your business stay compliant with all state and federal regulations regarding data retention and destruction. Therefore, a regularly scheduled shredding service, along with an end-of-year file purge, is the best shredding plan for businesses.
End-of-year box cleanouts with Royal Document Destruction in Columbus or Cincinnati guarantee the secure destruction of your outdated paper waste. Royal Document Destruction offers Ohio customers many benefits with NAID certified, full-service shredding services. Call the Royal Document Destruction office to pick up your end-of-year boxes of material for secure, guaranteed NAID certified shredding at a very good price.
