Document location worksheet
Create an index of document originals, copies and help contacts. Mark missing records, save an editable draft, download CSV or text, or print your worksheet.
Build your worksheetMake 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
Record a gap without guessing #
A useful index can be unfinished. Write what you have actually found, then name the next person or organization to ask. These fictional examples show how to use the existing fields; they do not establish whether a copy will be accepted.
| Situation | Original location | Copy location | Custodian or help contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Only a scan found | Not yet confirmed | Protected records folder: policy scan | Ask the policyholder where the original is kept |
| Record not found | Not found | Not found | Contact the issuing organization through its official website |
| Someone else may hold it | Unconfirmed; ask the custodian | Copy in household folder | Named custodian; confirmation pending |
Use Last checked for a real check #
Enter a date after you verify the location or confirm it with the custodian. Saving a draft does not verify a record. If you checked but could not find it, write the date and “not found”; keep the follow-up in the help-contact field. Try finding one listed record with your chosen person before sharing the index.
Choose the copy you need #
Use the editable draft to reopen your entries in this tool, CSV to work in a spreadsheet, or text for a simple readable copy. Print a blank sheet to fill by hand or print your completed entries. Saved files contain your entries without encryption, so keep them in protected storage and share only the details the recipient needs. This worksheet records locations; it does not upload your documents.
- Save a draft before leaving if you want to continue here later.
- Open the saved copy and check that its location references make sense.
- Replace old shared copies when locations change. Review your records at least annually, as the FTC recommends.
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.
Your entries stay in this page’s memory. They are not sent to WiseTomorrow. Reloading or navigating away can clear them. Save a draft before leaving; this tool does not automatically store your entries.
A downloaded draft is an unencrypted file on your device. Keep it in protected storage. It includes entries in sections you have chosen not to print.
Save an editable draft whenever you want to keep your work.
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
- FTC: Organize important papers before a disaster · Checked 2026-10-19
Guides to use alongside this worksheet
Important documents checklist: know what you have and where it is
Identify your important household documents, record original and copy locations, and create an editable index. Includes a free printable checklist and worksheet.
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
Locate executor documents, distinguish originals and copies, and track missing records. Build a free printable request plan without an account.
Read the guide →