1C. Documents you need

Keep copies of the following:

• Payslips and records of income
• Bank statements, cheque books, account details
• Credit card statements
• Superannuation statements and account details
• Tax returns and tax file number
• Housing documents, such as rental agreements, mortgage statements or title deeds (if you have a mortgage these will be held by your bank)
• The title, or lease paperwork, and registration documents for your car
• The trust deed for any trust or self-managed super fund
• Documents relating to other assets (including recently sold assets)
• Documents relating to other loans
• Details of insurances (health, life, car, house and home contents)
• Centrelink documents

Keep copies of the following:

• passports (for you and any children) *
• birth certificates (for you and any children) *
• medicare and health benefit cards and information
• children’s vaccination certificates and medical records
• driver’s licence
• will
• documents that gives any other person authorisation over your affairs such as an enduring power of attorney (which you may want to consider cancelling)
• marriage certificate
• prenuptial agreement
• documents recording offers or agreement regarding the split of assets
• paperwork relating to immigration or court proceedings
• documents relating to family violence restraining orders
• passwords
• phone numbers or important addresses

*Passports and birth certificates are expensive to replace and, in the case of children, may need the signatures of both parents.

*Replacement certificates are available under certain circumstances – see information at Department of Justice: Birth, Deaths and Marriages

• business financial statements
• records of business partnerships
• business tax records
• details of business assets

You may also want to take photos of any valuable assets in the home (anything you think may be worth some money or be of value to you).