Consumer Financial

Protection Bureau

Your disaster checklist
Financial records

Most financial records can be replaced, but you will 

need your insurance information if your property 

is damaged, or if you or a family member needs 

medical care. Keeping this information safe will also 

help you avoid trouble if questions arise later about 

your investments, taxes or workplace benefits. 

Make and store copies of:

§ Insurance policies

§ A room-by-room inventory of your belongings

§ Investment records

§ Income tax information

§ Pay stubs and employer benefits records

§ Wills, living wills, trusts, financial and medical 

powers of attorney

Computer files

If you keep financial records, passwords, family 

photos and videos on your computer, consider 

backing the information up to a secure cloud 

storage service, or back up your data regularly and 

keep the backups somewhere safe.

Be prepared: 

Protect your 

personal finances

If you had to leave your home in an 

emergency, you would have only 

minutes to choose what stays and what 

goes, and your financial records may be 

one of the last things on your mind. 

Collecting, copying, and storing your financial 

information now could help you avoid problems 

and recover faster after a disaster. This checklist can 

help. Use it to make sure you have the information 

and documents you will need. Then, keep it with 

your important documents so you can refer to it 

when needed.

Account numbers

Use the sample table on the right, or a separate 

piece of paper, to organize your account and 

customer service numbers.

Personal records

Gather and make copies of:

§ Driver’s licenses 

§ Passports

§ Social Security cards

§ Birth certificates

§ Marriage and divorce papers

§ Home titles or deeds

§ Car, boat, or RV registrations and titles 
Account number Customer service number

Loans and credit cards

Mortgage

Home equity loan

Car loan

Credit card

Student loan

Other:

Home and utilities

Rent

Cable or satellite

Water

Electricity

Phone

Other:

Other financial accounts and insurance policies

Homeowners or renters insurance

Auto insurance

Medical insurance

Checking account

Savings account

Investment account

Other:
Keep important documents safe 

and always make copies

Be sure to secure and copy your important papers. 

Keep the originals in a water-tight container, fire 

safe, or a bank safe deposit box. If you keep your 

documents at home, be sure you can grab them in 

a hurry and go.

Store your copies somewhere else – in a secure 

place at work or with a trusted relative or friend. 

If you have access to a computer, you can scan 

your documents and then put them on a flash 

drive or store the information at a secure online 

storage website.

Inventory your belongings

A written inventory of your belongings, backed up 

by a video of each room in your home, can help 

prove what you lost and what was damaged.

After a disaster

If a disaster strikes your home, as soon as possible, 

contact your credit card company, your mortgage 

lender, and other creditors to let them know about 

your situation. Most of them will have ways to help. 

If you can’t live in your home, check with your 

utility companies (e.g. electric, gas, cable) to see 

if you can shut off service to add extra money to 

your budget. 

Many people and groups will offer help. Disasterchasing criminals may also show up and try to 

scam you. 

Watch out for:

§ Up-front fees to help you claim services, benefits, 

or get loans. Government employees never 

charge to help you get a benefit or service.

§ Contractors selling repairs door-to-door, 

especially if they offer deep discounts or ask you 

to pay them up front.

§ Insurance agents who try to sell you after-thefact policies.

§ Organizations with names similar to government 

agencies or charities.

About the CFPB

The CFPB is a 21st century agency that 

helps consumer finance markets work by 

making rules more effective, by consistently 

and fairly enforcing those rules, and by 

empowering consumers to take more 

control over their economic lives.

Learn more at consumerfinance.gov

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