Which trading records to keep, for how long, and how to organize statements, confirmations, deposits, fees and journal notes so tax time and analysis are easy.
This article is general information, not tax or legal advice. Record-keeping requirements vary by country and situation.
Good records serve two purposes. They make tax filing and any questions from tax authorities much easier. And they are the raw material for every insight you get from your trading journal. The same records do both jobs.
If you might qualify for trader tax status or claim expenses, keep receipts for data, software, equipment and education, as allowed where you live.
In the US, the IRS generally recommends keeping records that support your return for at least three years, and longer in some situations, such as when you carry losses forward or the basis of a position depends on earlier years. Many traders simply keep everything for at least seven years. Check the rules for your country.
The same data that supports your taxes feeds your journal: dates for time-of-day analysis, fees for cost analysis, and holding periods for holding time analysis.
TradeThink stores your full history across accounts, separates trades from deposits, withdrawals, fees and dividends on the transactions and cash flow pages, and can export everything to CSV, JSON or PDF reports. Related: reading broker statements.
A guide to the main sections of a brokerage statement, what each line means, how to spot fees and corporate actions, and how to reconcile your statement with your journal.
How to export trades from your broker, which report to choose, common CSV problems with dates, symbols and time zones, and how to check an import is complete.
How the old US pattern day trader rule and $25,000 minimum worked, what FINRA's new intraday margin standards change from June 2026, and what still applies.
