By the end of a busy season, most accounting and tax offices are surrounded by paper. Tax returns, W-2s and 1099s, bank statements, payroll records and copies of client IDs fill desks, file cabinets and back rooms. This guide covers accounting firm shredding Tucson practices can use to clear out years of client paperwork safely, then keep the office from filling back up.
Assured Document Destruction opened its Tucson location at 602 E. 24th Street in 2017, after serving the Tucson market for years from its Phoenix branch. The company is NAID AAA Certified, licensed, bonded and insured, and serves Tucson and the surrounding communities.
Why Years of Client Paperwork Become a Liability
Accounting and tax firms hold some of the most sensitive paper any business keeps. Every return and statement carries the details an identity thief would want, and old files sitting in storage don’t become any less sensitive with time.
Assured’s regulatory compliance page notes that the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act applies to financial institutions and to businesses that receive personal information in the course of business. The same page says FACTA applies to businesses that collect customer information, and its Disposal Rule requires discarded information to be destroyed by shredding, burning or pulverizing. The page also recommends consulting an attorney or advisor for guidance specific to your industry.
On-Site Accounting Firm Shredding Tucson Staff Can Watch
When the season winds down, a one-time purge is the fastest way to clear a crowded file room. Assured’s one-time shredding [https://www.shredtucson.com/one-time-shredding/] is built for annual or end-of-quarter cleanups of expired documents, office moves and bulk clean-outs of stored files. There are no long-term commitments, and a Certificate of Destruction is provided after each shredding service.
With on-site shredding [https://www.shredtucson.com/on-site-shredding/], Assured brings a self-contained mobile shredding unit to your property and cross-cut shreds your documents there. You can watch the destruction, so you see your client files destroyed at your own location. Same-day and next-day service is available Monday through Saturday, and if you prefer, Assured can shred off-site at its secure facility instead.
Preparing the File Room
Preparation is minimal. Gather the documents you want destroyed before the appointment. Staples, paper clips and rubber bands don’t need to be removed, since they’re shredded and recycled along with the paper.
Smaller Batches at the Drop-Off Facility
Not every cleanup is a full file room. For a few boxes, drop-off shredding [https://www.shredtucson.com/drop-off-shredding/] is available at 602 E. 24th Street, Bldg 2, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. It costs $10 per 1.2-cubic-foot box, about the size of a copy paper box. File folders can stay in, but take out large metal items such as staplers and plastic items such as three-ring binders or sheet covers first.
Scheduled Shredding for Day-to-Day Client Paper
Once the backlog is gone, scheduled shredding [https://www.shredtucson.com/scheduled-shredding/] keeps it from coming back. You choose weekly, bi-weekly or monthly service based on your needs and budget, and Assured provides free, lockable security containers for the high-traffic, central areas of your office. Staff can drop papers in without removing staples, clips or binders.
On each visit, documents are cross-cut shredded at your location using mobile shred trucks, and you receive a Certificate of Destruction detailing what was destroyed and how. All materials are recycled or shredded in line with environmental policies and privacy laws.
Choosing Containers for Each Desk and Workroom
Assured’s secure shredding containers come in several sizes. The Shredinator fits under a desk, holds up to 60 pounds and has a tamper-proof lid, which suits preparers’ desks. Executive cabinets come in Gray, Espresso, Cherry or Maple and hold 70 to 80 pounds, about three to four copier-size boxes.
For copy rooms and file areas, 64-gallon bins hold up to 250 pounds and 96-gallon bins hold up to 350 pounds. Both have internal and external hasp locking systems and a molded paper slot with a deflector to prevent tampering.
Hard Drive Destruction When Workstations Are Upgraded
Client data doesn’t only live on paper. Tax software, scanned documents and email leave sensitive information on workstations, and Assured notes that formatting or degaussing a drive isn’t enough. Physically destroying the drive is what makes the information unrecoverable.
Assured’s hard drive destruction service [https://www.shredtucson.com/hard-drive-destruction/] can be done on-site: staff collect the media into secure containers and shred it in the truck while you watch. The company’s dedicated on-site hard drive shredding truck can shred 600 hard drives per hour. The service also covers smartphones, cell phones, flash drives, CDs, DVDs and a wide range of backup tapes, and you receive a Certificate of Destruction once everything is destroyed.
Who Handles Your Clients’ Files
Assured’s Tucson team includes seven dedicated employees. Every security specialist has passed a stringent background check before shredding any sensitive material, and they wear company uniforms and visible ID badges.
The company also says that when you call, a person will always answer, twenty-four hours a day. Its regulatory compliance page notes that NAID conducts annual and random third-party audits of certified companies.
Your clients trust your firm with their most personal financial information. A plan that clears the backlog, handles daily paper and covers retired workstations protects that trust long after the work is done.
To schedule a one-time purge, set up recurring service or arrange on-site hard drive destruction, call (520) 352-7346 or contact Assured Document Destruction today [https://www.shredtucson.com/contact-us/].