Ask Unclutterer: Document scanning services
Reader Jacqueline submitted the following to Ask Unclutterer:
I am a fairly organized person and nearly 80 years old. I have no close relatives, and have asked kind friends to manage things after I die. I want to make things as easy for them as possible. The idea of scanning all my records appeals to me but the time needed to spend scanning five years of income tax records in addition to everything else is more than daunting. I have one plastic bin with the income tax stuff filed in large ziplock bags for each year, and another bin for the other records. Is there an easier way?
Are you doing your taxes yourself or do you have an accountant? If you have an accountant, ask him/her to store your documents for you. If your accountant says no, ask your lawyer if he/she can do it. My grandmother is 100 and her lawyer has been keeping her tax documents for the past 10 years, so I know it’s not an uncommon request.
There are also services that will scan papers for you, like Office Drop. You load up a pre-paid envelope or box, ship it off to the scanning company, and then they send you back the papers and a disc with the data. You can also choose to have them simply upload your documents online so you have an additional backup accessible from anywhere. After the papers are returned to you, you can shred them and be done with the process. It’s obviously more expensive than doing it yourself, but it will save you considerable time.
Honestly, since you say you’re “fairly organized,” I don’t know if you need to digitize your documents. Once a year, review your files with your friends and/or estate lawyer, and see if they have any questions about where important documents are located. Make a photocopy of the most valuable papers and put them in a safety deposit box at your bank. Give a copy of the key to your lawyer or friend in case of emergency (and notify the bank of this), and don’t worry about it any more. It sounds like you have been great at keeping clutter out of your files, which will be extremely helpful to anyone who may need to access your files in the future.
Thank you, Jacqueline, for submitting your question for our Ask Unclutterer column. Check the comments for additional suggestions from our readers.
Do you have a question relating to organizing, cleaning, home and office projects, productivity, or any problems you think the Unclutterer team could help you solve? To submit your questions to Ask Unclutterer, go to our contact page and type your question in the content field. Please list the subject of your e-mail as “Ask Unclutterer.” If you feel comfortable sharing images of the spaces that trouble you, let us know about them. The more information we have about your specific issue, the better.
11 comments posted
Posted by Healy Jones - 04/30/2010
Erin, thank you for highlighting OfficeDrop in your post! We’d love to help your readers go paperless, and to help them get started I’ve created a custom coupon code for $5 off their first month on any of our subscription or on-demand scanning offerings.
Simply enter “Unclutt5” (without the quotes) in the “Type in your coupon code” section of our sign up form to get $5 off your first month’s service.
We have also recently released a free desktop software that connects your scanner directly with your Google Docs account, allowing you to seamlessly scan, preview, rotate, reorder and upload to your account. This application, ScanDrop, is available for free download on our website.
Happy scanning!
Healy Jones
Head of Marketing, OfficeDrop
Posted by Debkb - 04/30/2010
Having worked in banking and with safe deposit boxes I would advise her NOT to put anything in there that would be needed in the event of her death. In the event of a box owners death they are sealed by the bank and access is only given when a court order is obtained and then it’s in the presence of various legal representatives.
Giving a copy of the key to someone is also meaningless whether you notify the bank or not. They have to be listed as a box owner or deputy (gives them access to, but not ownership of) on the contract for access and in the event of her death see above.
Most people think a safe deposit box is the best place for legal docs and such but actually they can be the worst place for them sometimes.
My dh and I have gotten around this by having seperate boxes, listed as sole owners on respective boxes. Anything I need upon his death is in my box and vice a versa.
And yes, after all this I realize you said photocopies but if the originals aren’t available the box contents won’t be either, in the event of death.
Posted by Erin Doland - 04/30/2010
@Debkb — When I said “notify the bank,” I meant to do it with a legal signature. No one can be issued a key to a safety deposit box without their signature and proof of identification. If your name is on the box, and your signature on the card, you can access the box after someone has passed away.
Posted by asiji - 05/01/2010
Let’s not forget that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with scanning just the new stuff, then holding on to the old paper until they’re no longer needed (10 years/whatever your accountant/attorney tells you). Especially if you have mobility/motor control issues.
Personally, I advise starting with new incoming paperwork, and if there is time then start to work backwards. In most cases, the most recent files have a greater chance of being needed, so you’ve made them accessible/searchable first. And if you end up taking a long time, you may hit a point where the material left to be scanned is old enough it doesn’t need to be retained, and you can just stop and shred the rest. (If you are working on a long scanning project and start with the oldest, and the early files start “expiring” before the newer files are scanned in yet, it can be really de-motivating.)
Posted by Margaret - 05/01/2010
First of all, I think one rubbermaid containter, or even one reasonably well labelled filing cabinet, is not going to be a burden for whomever is looking after your estate. A burden is when records are stored hither and yon in 15 different places, junk mail kept along with important documents, no order, stuffed in any drawer or box and no certainty at any time that you have actually found all the paperwork unless you go through one or two hundred boxes. So if your papers are organized enough that someone coming in could find, in short order, any document they might need, then that is great.
Second, I question whether scanned documents would actually make it easier for someone to handle your estate. For some people, it would be easier, but I can think of many many people in my life who would be extremely stressed out if they had to work with digital files. For example, my mother has been the executrix of several estates. She is fine with actual documents, but she would have no idea how to work with scanned documents. Not that I think she couldn’t learn, but it sure wouldn’t make things easier for her. Even I would probably rather just have the hard copies, and I’m reasonably computer literate. So before investing ANY time or money into scanning documents, unless you want it done for YOURSELF, I would ask the friends if scanning would be of any assistance to them.
Posted by historydoll - 05/02/2010
For scanning, I highly recommend a graduate student
I have hired someone who has shredded years worth of stuff for me, and is now scanning huge amounts of paper and academic articles. I found her through a reference from someone I know, who has worked with her and assured me that she is trustworthy, and it’s been a lifesaver!
Posted by Miss Margaret Picky - 05/03/2010
You sound more organized than most people especially with your papers. I don’t know why anyone would need five years of tax returns and supporting documents after you die but you should have them while you are alive just in case the IRS makes themselves a nuisance. Since you have designated someone to handle this already show them what you have done and discuss it with them. You probably had a lawyer draw up a will and he or she might also make suggestions about what is needed.
Honestly, I wouldn’t bother trying to scan those limited documents unless you are short on space. It’s simply not worth the trouble otherwise and it won’t benefit your executor.
Posted by Jackie Pettus - 05/03/2010
Dear Jacqueline:
You are a considerate and savvy lady! By organizing your papers in bins, you’ve already done more than most people to help your friends find the information they will need!
If you have your documents scanned, find a service that will store your data online as well as send a disk. Data stored locally on your computer or on a CD is vulnerable to fire, natural disasters and computer problems.
Rather than scanning, I like Erin’s idea of just letting your friends and/or your estate lawyer know where to find important information. There’s an application called “Matters of Fact” at http://www.habitudes.info which is designed to do exactly that. It takes some time to fill out, but probably less than it would take to scan everything, and if something changes (your insurance information, for example), it’s easy to update. It’s printable as well as safeguarded online.
Posted by Amanda - 05/09/2010
Maybe b/c the writer is older and already organized this is appropriate advice, but overall I disagree whole-heartedly.
Best $ I ever spent was a high speed scanner. If you can afford, it get yourself a Fujitsu Snapscan.
Yes, they’re expensive, but they’re so incredibly fast – they can get you to paperless faster than you ever imagined.
Less paper, less clutter. Done and done.
Posted by Maria S - 05/27/2010
I agree with asiji mostly because that is what I did a few years ago. My canon multifunction printer has a sheetfeeder on top and scans quickly and conveniently. I started scanning all NEW stuff and have gradually dumped all old stuff. Don’t forget this means you will need a backup drive or ‘thumbdrives’ stored properly. I have 4gb thumb-drives in a safety deposit box. I replace it annually.
As mentioned, nothing that will be needed URGENTLY should be kept at the bank since it will not be accessible for days or weeks unless the box is held jointly.
Posted by Ishita - 07/03/2010
Document scanning is better process for data storage. This storage is more easily hand able. So scan all the papers and store its soft copy, it is your best decision.
Comments are closed for this entry.