Receipts and warranty: what to keep and for how long
The washing machine breaks down after a year and a half, the retailer asks for proof of purchase, and the receipt has turned white. Keeping receipts sounds tedious but is worth money when it matters. With a simple filing system you find what’s important in seconds and throw away the rest without a guilty conscience.
Statutory warranty and guarantee
- Statutory warranty: a legal right against the retailer. For new goods in the EU usually two years from purchase. It covers defects that were already present at the time of purchase.
- First year: if a defect appears within the first year, the retailer usually has to prove that the goods were fine at the time of purchase. After that, this burden of proof is usually on you.
- Guarantee: a voluntary promise, usually from the manufacturer. The manufacturer sets its duration and scope; it can run longer than the statutory warranty.
What you should keep
- Larger purchases: electronics, household appliances, furniture, bikes. At least until warranty and guarantee have expired.
- Contracts and cancellation confirmations: until after the last debit, better a few months longer. See Cancel contracts on time.
- Receipts for your tax return: for example for tradespeople, household services or work equipment. You usually don’t have to send them in, but you should keep them until the tax assessment is final.
- Tradespeople’s invoices: in Germany, private individuals have to keep invoices for work on their house or property for two years.
You don’t need the receipt for bread and milk, on the other hand. A simple rule: keep what costs more than a certain amount or has a warranty.
Receipts fade
Many receipts are printed on thermal paper. The print fades over time, especially with heat and light. After a while there’s often hardly anything left to read, exactly when you need the receipt.
- Take a photo right awayRight after the purchase, lying flat, well lit and complete with date and total.
- File it with the purchaseNot in a folder “Receipts 2026”, but where you’ll look later: with the device or with the entry in your household budget.
- Note the end of the warrantyWith a reminder shortly before it expires. Then you check in time whether everything still works.
- Sort out regularlyOnce a year: what has expired and is no longer needed can go.
How it works in Ausgabentracker
With the Receipts & warranty feature (from Plus) you attach photos and PDFs directly to expenses and one-time purchases. For a purchase you enter “Warranty until”, and the app reminds you 30 days before. You find all receipts collected on the Documents page.
- Photo or PDF up to 10 MB; photos are rotated, downsized and stored without metadata
- Warranty quick choices of 2, 3 or 5 years from the purchase date
- With the AI assistant (Pro): “Fill in from receipt” reads merchant, amount and date from the receipt
Frequently asked questions
Is a photo of the receipt enough? Usually yes, if everything is readable: retailer, date, items and amount. Some retailers also accept a bank statement as proof. But you aren’t entitled to that in every case.
How long do I have to keep bank statements? As a private individual there’s usually no general obligation. Many still keep them for a few years, for example as proof of payments. Most banks provide them in online banking anyway.
What do I do with the user manual? You can usually find it online at the manufacturer’s site. You don’t have to keep it, but you do have to keep the proof of purchase.