Shredding for New Hampshire CPAs, Accountants and Tax Preparers

Every CPA firm in New Hampshire carries the same paper problem. Tax returns from prior seasons. Client correspondence. 1099 and W-2 source documents. Bank statements, brokerage records, deposit summaries, retirement contribution worksheets. Multiply by every individual return, every entity return, every audit defense file. Then add the workpapers, the engagement letters, the retention copies of e-filed returns. Multiply again by every year you have been in practice. By the time April 16 arrives, your storage room is the largest physical object in the office.

NewHampshireDocumentShredding.com has served Southern New Hampshire CPAs, enrolled agents, tax preparers and bookkeeping firms since 2007. We handle tax season closeouts, retention purges and practice transitions with documented FACTA-compliant destruction. Drop-off, off-site and witnessed shredding. Certificate of Destruction every job. Call 📞 978-636-0301 or book online.

Why CPA firms need a documented destruction vendor

The IRS does not specify a destruction method. FACTA does. The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act and the FTC Disposal Rule require any person who possesses consumer information to take reasonable measures to dispose of it. Cross-cut shredding to BNBA A+ with a Certificate of Destruction is the documented commercial standard the FTC explicitly cites.

GLBA (Gramm-Leach-Bliley) safeguards rule applies to any financial institution. CPA firms are financial institutions under GLBA. The safeguards rule requires written information security programs that cover disposal. IRS Section 7216 makes the disclosure or use of tax return information without consent a criminal offense. Improper destruction (where information remains readable) creates a disclosure exposure point.

AICPA Code of Professional Conduct 1.700.001 Confidential Client Information requires CPAs to maintain confidentiality. Disposal that does not protect confidentiality is a Code violation. State licensing boards (NHBPA in NH) treat improper records handling as grounds for discipline. Layer all of these and the conclusion is simple: documented destruction is not optional.

What CPA and accounting firms shred

The list below covers the record categories most NH accounting practices destroy on a recurring schedule. The retention rule for most categories is 7 years from filing. Confirm specific timelines with your malpractice carrier and the NHBPA.

FACTA, GLBA and IRS Section 7216 explained

FACTA Disposal Rule

The FACTA Disposal Rule (16 CFR 682) applies to any person who maintains consumer information for a business purpose. CPAs and accountants fall squarely inside this definition. The rule requires reasonable measures to dispose of consumer information. The FTC commentary specifically cites burning, pulverizing or shredding as acceptable methods. Hiring a vendor whose destruction process meets these standards is the recommended approach. Read more on our FACTA compliance in NH page.

GLBA Safeguards Rule

GLBA applies to financial institutions including tax preparation firms. The Safeguards Rule (16 CFR 314) requires a written information security program that covers the lifecycle of customer information, including disposal. A documented destruction vendor agreement with a Certificate of Destruction trail satisfies the disposal portion of your written program.

IRS Section 7216

Section 7216 of the Internal Revenue Code makes the disclosure or use of tax return information without taxpayer consent a federal crime. Treasury regulations under Section 7216 require return preparers to safeguard tax return information. Improper destruction (where information remains readable) creates a 7216 exposure point. The penalty per violation is significant.

Three service tiers for tax practices

Drop-off shredding ($0.99 per pound)

Walk in to our Tewksbury, MA facility during open hours. No appointment. Same-day Certificate of Destruction. Best for solo practitioners and small firms with one to four boxes of seasonal closeout. From Nashua, Salem, Pelham, Hudson and surrounding NH towns the drive is short. See our drop-off shredding service page.

Off-site shredding (by appointment)

We arrive at your office in a locked vehicle, load the boxes under chain of custody and destroy at our Tewksbury facility. Certificate of Destruction within two business days. Best for firms doing an annual retention purge or transitioning out of a practice. Pricing is by weight plus a $129.95 transportation fee, a $14.95 HIPAA service fee (for any health-related records in the engagement) and a $17.95 Plant Environment fee. See our off-site shredding page.

Witnessed shredding ($1.99 per pound, by appointment)

A partner or designated staff member watches destruction at our facility in real time. Common for client files with privilege questions, contested estate returns or any record requiring supervisory chain of custody.

Pricing for accounting firms

Tax season planning calendar

January (pre-season prep)

Confirm vendor agreement is current. Make sure your FACTA-compliant destruction vendor is named in your written information security program. If your firm does not have a current Letter of Engagement on the destruction vendor file, add it before the rush.

April 16 (post-deadline cleanup)

Tax season ends. Your office is at peak paper volume. Schedule a destruction batch for prior-year records (7-year-old returns, supporting documents and engagement letters) that you have been holding to free space. Most firms run this batch in late April through May.

October 15 (extension deadline cleanup)

Extension returns complete. A second destruction batch handles the records freed by the completed extensions plus any client files where the engagement closed during summer.

December (year-end retention purge)

Annual retention purge. Any client file with a final return filed 7 years ago is eligible for destruction. Run this in December so you start the new tax season with cleared storage.

Two scenarios and the right tier for each

The solo enrolled agent in Salem with a closet of seven-year-old returns

You run a one-person tax practice. Every December you destroy the prior year returns and engagement letters that hit the seven-year mark. The volume is three to four banker boxes. The right tier is drop-off at our Tewksbury facility. Total cost runs around $100. You walk out with a Certificate of Destruction for your written information security program file.

The 12-person CPA firm in Manchester doing an annual purge

Your firm has twelve professionals plus an admin team. Each December the firm purges client files where the final return was filed seven years ago. Volume is twenty-five to forty boxes. The right tier is off-site shredding by appointment. We arrive at your Manchester office, load the boxes under chain of custody and destroy them at our Tewksbury facility. Certificate of Destruction arrives within two business days. The destruction batch is logged in your firm written information security program documentation.

Who we serve

Solo CPAs, enrolled agents, tax preparers, bookkeeping firms, accounting partnerships, payroll service bureaus and finance-leaning consultants across Southern NH. For city-specific information see Nashua, Manchester, Salem, Derry, Londonderry and Portsmouth.

Frequently Asked Questions