How long do you keep your logbooks?

I keep the last seven years. And if DOT comes to my house to audit me personally, they better have warrants, hahaha!!

Like that would happen...

 

Well, Unless things have changed, they can only go back 6 months, Ill looked into to see if it have changed, but it would have been this year if it did

 

The IRS can audit back three years and it hasn't changed in years. If they find fraud or wrongdoing they can go back seven years.

 

If they find fraud they can go back indefinitely.

 

For the sake of clarification.

IF FRAUD IS FOUND by the IRS, then there is the possibility that they can go back indefinately.

Normally, it is 7 years.

I had a client they went back 20 years and did some spot checks on them to see if there was fraud in the period and worth expanding.

 

Do you really need to keep them even if they are a few months old?

 

Only if you have to prove something to the IRS.

If not available, receipts that might show where you were for the per diem as well as other items.

For the layman, it is just easier to suggest keeping the logs with the tax records for at least 3 years.

I personally have the tax records to support every tax return I have ever filed. Mainly it is because of the time I spent in the accounting and tax industry where I entered at the age of 18.

 

I throw my logs out after they get past the required 8 days. There isn't really any reason to keep them for IRS purposes. All of your pay information is on the forms that your carrier will send you at tax time. The information on the logs has nothing to do with your pay. It has to do with making sure you are within legal hours of service.