Lost your home improvement receipts? Here's what to do

If you've renovated over the years but can't find the paperwork, you're in good company — and you're not necessarily out of luck. Your improvements still added to your cost basis; the problem is proving them if the IRS asks. Here's how to rebuild the record and stop the bleeding.

Why it matters

At sale, your basis is reported as a number on your return, and the supporting documents aren't attached. But under audit, an improvement you can't substantiate can be disallowed — which raises your taxable gain and your bill. The goal of reconstruction is a record credible enough to stand behind the number.

Where to look for proof

• Bank and credit-card statements. These show the amount, date, and payee — often enough to corroborate a project even without the itemized invoice.
• Email.Search your inbox for contractor names, “invoice,” “quote,” and “estimate.” Attachments and confirmations pile up here.
• Contractors and suppliers. Many keep records for years and can reissue an invoice on request.
• Building permits. Permitted work (additions, electrical, plumbing, structural) is on file with your city or county and can be pulled — dated proof the work happened.
• Before-and-after photos. Not dollar amounts, but they establish that the improvement exists and roughly when it was done.

Reasonable reconstruction

Assemble what you can find into a dated, itemized list — project, date, amount, and whatever backup you have for each. A consistent, good-faith reconstruction is far stronger than a number pulled from memory. For anything material or unclear, a tax professional can tell you how much support a given item really needs.

Protect everything from here forward

The receipts you have noware the easy ones. From today on, log each project the moment it's done — while the invoice is still in your inbox — instead of reconstructing under pressure years later. Keep the original document attached to each cost, not just the amount.

That's exactly what KeepBasis is for: a running record of every improvement, classified against IRS Pub 523, with the invoice kept as proof and a CPA-ready export the day you sell.