Corona Police Department Interim Police Chief Michael E. Abel 730 Corporation Yard Way Corona, California 92880 (951)736-2330 Visit Department's Homepage County: Riverside
My rule: Keep records and tax returns for years that include atypical transactions (sales or donations of property) and irregular income (stock option exercises, trust income, etc.) for six years after the filing date of the return. Keep a 2005 tax return that includes reporting of irregular items until April 2012.
6 years might be a good idea, especially for collection reasons. In many cases, the IRS will require the last 6 years of returns before working with taxpayers. If the IRS lost your return, you might need to resubmit it--so maybe 6 years generally, and 10 years or longer if you think the return might be incredibly weird.