Updated November 2026 · Southern New Hampshire
EOB retention: how long to keep EOBs and billing records
Practices and patients in New Hampshire hold the same piece of paper for very different reasons. This guide gives each side a clear clock for EOB retention, the rule behind it, and the cheapest safe way to destroy the pile once the clock runs out.
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Quick answer
For EOB retention, a New Hampshire physician practice should keep EOBs and remittance records at least 7 years, the period the NH Board of Medicine sets for patient records (Med 501.02(f)(8)) and Medicare sets for payment documentation on ordered services (42 CFR 424.516(f)). Patients can shred an undisputed EOB after about a year, or keep it 3 years after filing if it supports a tax deduction or an HSA payout. When the clock runs out, New Hampshire Document Shredding cross-cuts the paper at 99 cents per pound plus $34.90 per job, with a Certificate of Destruction, and our document retention guide covers every other record type.
What an EOB holds, and why it is not ordinary mail
An Explanation of Benefits is the statement an insurer sends after a claim is processed. The Federal Trade Commission describes it as a record of the doctor you visited, the date of the visit, the services provided, what they cost, what your plan covered and what you owe. That is a short medical history with your name and member number printed on top.
Practices see the other half of the same transaction. Payers send remittance advice, often still called an EOB in the billing office, listing every patient paid on a batch, with claim numbers, procedure codes and adjustments. One remittance page can name a dozen patients.
Identity data
Full name, address, member ID, group number and sometimes date of birth. Enough for someone to try a claim in your name.
Health data
Procedure codes, provider names and service dates. Read together, they tell a stranger what you were treated for and where.
Money data
Allowed amounts, balances owed and, on practice remittances, payment trace numbers tied to the practice’s bank deposits.
That mix is why an EOB belongs in the shred pile and never in a recycling bin, at home or at the office. The question this post answers is the step before shredding: how long each side has to hold on first.
EOB retention for New Hampshire medical practices
No single federal rule says “keep EOBs for X years.” A practice runs several clocks at once, and the EOB and remittance file sits under more than one of them. The safe approach is to find the longest clock that applies to you and use it for the whole billing file.
| Clock | What it covers | How long | Where the rule lives |
|---|---|---|---|
| NH Board of Medicine | A complete copy of all patient medical records kept by a licensed physician | At least 7 years from the patient’s last contact | Med 501.02(f)(8) |
| Medicare ordered services | Documentation of orders, certifications, referrals, prescriptions and requests for payment for Part A or B services | 7 years from the date of service | 42 CFR 424.516(f) |
| HIPAA documentation | Policies, procedures, Business Associate Agreements and other required HIPAA records (not the claims themselves) | 6 years from creation or last effective date | 45 CFR 164.530(j)(2) |
| IRS business records | Records that support the income on the practice’s tax return | 3 years in the general case, 6 or 7 years in the cases the IRS lists | IRS, How long should I keep records |
| Payer contracts | Audit and record access terms in your commercial and Medicaid agreements | Whatever your contract says | Your signed payer agreements |
Why the billing file follows the 7-year clock
The Medicare rule is the one most billing managers miss. Under 42 CFR 424.516(f), a provider that furnishes ordered or referred Part A or B services must keep documentation, including requests for payment, for 7 years from the date of service and hand it over when CMS or a Medicare contractor asks. Remittance records are how you show what was billed and paid.
The board rule then puts the clinical side on a 7-year clock from the last contact. A patient seen once in 2019 and again in 2024 restarts that clock. Matching the billing file to the same horizon means nobody has to sort EOBs from charts by hand.
Where the IRS fits
Remittances also back up the practice’s reported income. The IRS says to keep records 3 years in the general case, 6 years if income was underreported by more than 25 percent, and 7 years if you claim a bad debt deduction. Ask your accountant which applies. For most practices, the 7-year medical clock already covers all three.
Dentists, therapists, chiropractors and other licensed providers answer to their own boards. Check your board’s rule before you adopt 7 years, and use the longer number if it differs.
We are a shredding company, not a law firm. If your payer contract, malpractice carrier or licensing board sets a longer period, that period wins. Shredding is permanent, so confirm first and destroy second.
EOB retention for patients and families
At home, the stakes are lower and the clock is shorter. The FTC’s 2025 guide on which papers to keep and which to shred lists “undisputed medical bills” under keep for a year. An EOB that matches a bill you paid, for care you recognize, fits that description.
Two situations stretch the clock. If you itemize and deduct medical expenses, IRS Publication 502 says to keep records of those expenses to support the deduction, and the IRS general rule is 3 years after you file. If you paid from a health savings account, Publication 969 says you must keep records showing the money went to qualified medical expenses that were not reimbursed elsewhere or deducted.
Shred after a year
Routine EOBs for paid visits, labs and prescriptions you recognize, with no deduction and no HSA withdrawal tied to them.
Keep with the tax file
EOBs and receipts behind an itemized medical deduction or an HSA payout. File them with that year’s return and shred them when the return’s clock runs out.
Keep until resolved
Anything under appeal, in collections, tied to an injury claim or showing a service you never received. These stay until the matter is closed.
Caregivers and executors inherit years of these statements at once. After a death, keep the EOBs until the final medical bills are settled and the estate’s tax returns are filed, then shred the lot. Our post on shredding after a death walks through the order of operations, and our guide to how long to keep tax records covers the rest of the household tax file.
Online statements help. The FTC suggests getting EOBs electronically to limit how much medical information arrives by mail. If your insurer offers a portal, the paper pile stops growing and the shred pile shrinks with it.
Read every EOB before it goes in the shred box
An EOB is also an alarm. The FTC lists an EOB for services you did not get as a warning sign of medical identity theft, along with bills for prescriptions you do not take, a debt collector calling about medical debt you do not owe, and a notice that you hit a benefit limit you never approached.
So the habit is simple: open, read, then decide. Check the provider name, the dates and the services. If something is wrong, keep the statement and call the fraud line on your insurer’s card. The FTC also points victims to IdentityTheft.gov for a recovery plan.
Shredding a statement you never read throws away the one piece of evidence you would need. Once you have read it and it is clean, the paper has done its job.
- Provider names you recognize and dates you were actually seen.
- Services that match what happened at the visit.
- A patient responsibility amount that matches the bill you got.
- No claims from a provider in a town you have never visited.
Practices have a version of the same check. A remittance that shows a payment for a patient you never treated, or a denial you cannot explain, should go to the billing manager before the batch goes into storage.
How to destroy EOBs and billing records
Once a box of EOBs is past its clock, the method matters. HIPAA does not name one, but the Privacy Rule at 45 CFR 164.530(c) requires reasonable safeguards for patient information, and federal guidance points to shredding, burning, pulping or pulverizing paper so it cannot be read or reconstructed. For a household, the FTC says to shred medical paperwork before you throw it away.
- Pull by date rangeStart with the oldest year. For a practice, pull remittance files whose date of service and patients’ last contact both fall outside your 7-year clock.
- Box without sortingLeave staples, paper clips and folders in place. Remove binder rings and hanging-folder frames. A banker’s box of paper weighs about 30 pounds.
- Log what is leavingWrite the date range, the number of boxes and who packed them. That log and the certificate together prove what you destroyed.
- Choose drop-off or pickupDrive the boxes to Tewksbury on a weekday, or book a pickup by zone. Practices that want to watch can book a witnessed session.
- Shred and recyclePaper is cross-cut shredded at our office at 1215 Main Street, Unit 115, Tewksbury. Drop-off paper is shredded the same business day, and all of the shred is recycled.
- File the certificateEvery job includes a Certificate of Destruction. Practices should keep it with their HIPAA documentation for 6 years.
Practices that send patient paper to an outside shredder usually want a Business Associate Agreement on file first. We sign one on request, and our medical shredding service page explains how a practice job runs from booking to certificate. For a handful of household statements, a cross-cut home shredder works, and our guide to shredding medical records at home covers what your machine can and cannot handle.
What it costs to shred a year of billing paper
Under 10 boxes, you pay by the pound. At 10 boxes or more, the flat rate is $15 for a small box and $20 for a large banker’s box. Every job adds $34.90: a $14.95 HIPAA filing fee for the certificate paperwork and a $19.95 environmental fee for recycling.
| Large boxes | Drop-off in Tewksbury | Zone 1 pickup | Zone 2 pickup | Zone 3 pickup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 box (about 30 lb) | $64.60 | $194.55 | $224.55 | $264.55 |
| 5 boxes (about 150 lb) | $183.40 | $313.35 | $343.35 | $383.35 |
| 10 boxes ($20 each) | $234.90 | $364.85 | $394.85 | $434.85 |
| 20 boxes ($20 each) | $434.90 | $564.85 | $594.85 | $634.85 |
Zone 1 is $129.95 and covers the border towns such as Salem, Pelham, Windham and Plaistow. Zone 2 is $159.95 for greater Nashua and Manchester. Zone 3 is $199.95 for the Seacoast and points farther north. Other towns get their zone confirmed when you book.
The cheapest pattern for a practice is one purge a year. Pull the year that just aged out, box it in January and bring it down in a single trip, so the $34.90 is paid once. Our drop-off shredding page has the parking and unloading details, and our post on medical shredding cost compares quarterly and annual schedules.
Write the EOB clock into a one-page policy
A retention clock only works if someone writes it down. A one-page policy lets a new billing hire make the same call your office manager would make, and it is the first thing to show if a payer or the board ever asks why a file is gone.
What the page should say
Name the record types: EOBs, remittance advice, claim forms, superbills, patient statements and payment plans. Give each one a period and a start date, such as “7 years from date of service or last patient contact, whichever is later.”
Then name the method and the vendor. “Cross-cut shredding by New Hampshire Document Shredding, 1215 Main Street, Unit 115, Tewksbury, MA, certificate filed with HIPAA records” is enough.
Who owns it
HIPAA already requires a covered entity to name a privacy official under 45 CFR 164.530(a). Give that person the retention calendar too. One owner means one annual purge, not a closet that fills for a decade.
Add a legal hold line. If a claim is disputed, under audit or in litigation, those records stay out of the shred box until the matter closes, whatever the calendar says.
If you are winding down a practice, the timing gets tighter. Our medical practice records purge plan lays out an illustrative schedule, and our post on how to dispose of old medical records covers the chart side of the same decision.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a New Hampshire practice keep EOBs?
Plan on at least 7 years. The NH Board of Medicine rule Med 501.02(f)(8) sets 7 years from a patient’s last contact for physician records, and 42 CFR 424.516(f) sets 7 years from the date of service for Medicare documentation on ordered services, including requests for payment. Payer contracts and other licensing boards can require longer, so check those before you set your clock.
How long should I keep EOBs at home?
For a routine EOB that matches care you received and a bill you paid, about a year. The FTC lists undisputed medical bills under keep for a year. Keep EOBs longer if they support an itemized medical deduction or an HSA withdrawal, generally 3 years after you file that return, and keep any EOB under appeal or showing services you did not get until it is resolved.
Does HIPAA say how long to keep EOBs?
No. HIPAA’s six-year rule at 45 CFR 164.530(j)(2) covers required HIPAA documentation, such as policies, procedures and Business Associate Agreements. It does not set a retention period for claims or medical records. Those periods come from state licensing rules, Medicare and payer contracts. HIPAA does require reasonable safeguards when you dispose of patient information.
Can I put old EOBs in curbside recycling?
Not whole. An EOB carries your name, member ID, providers, dates and treatment. The FTC says to shred medical paperwork before you throw it away. For a few sheets, a cross-cut home shredder works. For boxes of old statements, drop them at our Tewksbury office at 99 cents per pound plus $34.90 per job, and the shred is recycled for you.
What should I do if an EOB shows a service I never received?
Keep it and call the fraud number on your insurance card. The FTC lists an EOB for services you did not get as a warning sign of medical identity theft. Ask your providers for your records, report errors in writing, and use IdentityTheft.gov for a recovery plan. Do not shred that statement until the matter is closed.
Do practices need a Business Associate Agreement to shred billing records?
When an outside vendor receives patient information to destroy it, HIPAA generally expects a Business Associate Agreement. New Hampshire Document Shredding signs one on request. Ask when you book online or call (978) 636-0301, and have it signed before the first box leaves your office. File it with your other HIPAA documentation.
How much does it cost to shred five boxes of EOBs?
Five banker’s boxes weigh about 150 pounds. At our Tewksbury drop-off that is $148.50 at 99 cents per pound, plus $34.90 in per-job fees, for $183.40. A pickup adds $129.95 in Zone 1, $159.95 in Zone 2 or $199.95 in Zone 3. Every job includes a Certificate of Destruction.
Do I need to remove staples and envelope windows?
No. You do not need to remove staples, paper clips, binder clips, rubber bands or file folders, and envelopes can go in as they are. Do remove three-ring binder hardware and hanging-folder frames. Leaving the sorting to us keeps fewer people reading patient statements and gets the boxes out the door faster.
Sources
- New Hampshire General Court: Board of Medicine rules, Med 501.02(f)(8) record retention (checked November 2026)
- govinfo: 42 CFR 424.516(f), maintaining and providing access to documentation (checked November 2026)
- govinfo: 45 CFR 164.530, safeguards, privacy official and documentation retention (checked November 2026)
- FTC: What To Know About Medical Identity Theft (checked November 2026)
- FTC: Protecting your personal information, which documents to keep and which to shred (checked November 2026)
- IRS: How long should I keep records? (checked November 2026)
Clear out the EOBs that have aged out
Pull the years past your clock, box them without sorting and bring them to Tewksbury on any weekday, or book a pickup by zone. Practices can ask for our Business Associate Agreement when they book, and every job ends with a Certificate of Destruction.
Visit or call
1215 Main Street, Unit 115, Tewksbury, MA 01876. Route 38 near the I-495 interchange, about 15 minutes south of the NH line. Free parking out front.
Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Witnessed sessions and pickups outside these hours by appointment.
Three ways to shred: walk-in drop-off at 99¢ per pound, pickup by zone, or a witnessed session at $1.99 per pound.
New Hampshire Document Shredding · 1215 Main Street, Unit 115, Tewksbury, MA 01876 · (978) 636-0301 · Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.