[northark]

According to the IRS, the amount of time is six years. Most people will keep copy of their returns for seven years, just to be on the safe side. In my own personal opinion, I would keep all copies indefinitely. The reason behind this is I have seen tax cases where they will dig back more than 10 years and claim you owe them money. This is what has happened to a close friend of mine. They actually pulled tax records from 15 years ago saying she owes them money on back taxes.