Document location worksheet
Create a findable index of originals, copies and the people who can help. Print a blank worksheet or fill it in here and download a text copy.
Make a useful first copy
- Start with five records someone might need urgently: identity, existing planning documents, insurance, home and care records.
- Describe locations clearly enough for your chosen person to find them. Distinguish an original from a copy.
- Record who can explain or replace a missing record. Keep access keys and identity numbers in protected storage.
- Ask your chosen person to find one sample item, then date the index and correct any unclear directions.
An example entry
This fictional example shows the level of detail to aim for. It is not added to your worksheet.
- Record or category
- Home insurance policy
- Original location
- Study cabinet, insurance folder
- Copy location
- Protected household folder
- Custodian or help contact
- Agent contact in address book
- Last checked
- September 2026
Build your worksheet
Your entries stay in this page’s memory. They are not submitted or saved by this tool, and refreshing or leaving clears them. Download or print a copy before leaving. Avoid passwords, recovery codes and full identity or account numbers.
Document location worksheet
Who is this index for?: ________________________________________________
Entry 1
- Record or category
- ________________________________________________
- Original location
- ________________________________________________
- Copy location
- ________________________________________________
- Custodian or help contact
- ________________________________________________
- Last checked
- ________________________________________________
Entry 2
- Record or category
- ________________________________________________
- Original location
- ________________________________________________
- Copy location
- ________________________________________________
- Custodian or help contact
- ________________________________________________
- Last checked
- ________________________________________________
Entry 3
- Record or category
- ________________________________________________
- Original location
- ________________________________________________
- Copy location
- ________________________________________________
- Custodian or help contact
- ________________________________________________
- Last checked
- ________________________________________________
Review after a move, a new document or a change of trusted contact. Finding a record usually does not give someone authority to use it; ask the institution or an attorney.
Prepared with WiseTomorrow · Keep this copy in appropriate protected storage.
Keep the copy useful
Review after a move, a new document or a change of trusted contact. Finding a record usually does not give someone authority to use it; ask the institution or an attorney.
Date your saved copy and agree who maintains it. Share only the details each helper needs, using storage and sharing arrangements appropriate for that information.
Sources and scope
Prepared by WiseTomorrow for practical organization. No specialist review is claimed. Rules change — check with the provider or institution before relying on a worksheet.
WiseTomorrow is a technology service for organizing and sharing information. It does not provide legal, tax, financial or estate-planning advice, does not replace a will, trust, power of attorney, beneficiary designation or advance directive, and does not verify that stored documents are valid. Consult a licensed professional for advice about your situation. Read the full legal disclaimer.
- National Institute on Aging: Getting your affairs in order · Checked 2026-09-09
Guides to use alongside this worksheet
Important documents checklist: know what you have and where it is
A household document checklist with a practical location index for identity, insurance, financial, legal and home records.
Read the checklist →guideWhere to store important documents: choose a usable access plan
Compare home storage, offsite originals and digital copies, then build a location index that works when a device or home is unavailable.
Read the guide →guideExecutor document checklist: organize the records before the process
Create a record-location packet for an executor or estate representative, with a missing-document log and questions for the relevant professional.
Read the guide →