Family Information Binder Index

Who this is for

The first page of the binder somebody else may have to open. It lists each section, what is in it and where the originals live, names the people to ring first and ends with what still has to be gathered. The sections are headings; what goes under them is yours.

Anyone building a home binder for the day they are away, ill or simply not the one at home, couples where one person knows where everything is, and adult children helping a parent get their paperwork into one place.

What this helps you track

• What each section of the binder holds, in a line
• Where the original documents are kept, since the binder usually holds copies
• When each section was last checked, so a stale page is obvious
• Who to ring first, second and for advice
• What has still to be found, ticked off as it goes in

How to use it

1. Write the household, where the binder is kept and who keeps it at the top, then the people to ring first.
2. Go down the printed sections and describe what is in each in a few words; cross out any that do not apply and add your own on the blank lines.
3. For each section, write where the originals are — a drawer, a safe, a solicitor, an online account — rather than copying them into the binder.
4. Date each section when you check it, and again whenever something changes.
5. Work through the gathering list and tick what is already in the binder; the unticked lines are the job.
6. Print a fresh index whenever the sections change, and keep the old one behind it.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

What should go in a family information binder?

Whatever somebody standing in for you would need to find in a hurry: contacts, policies, accounts, the medical basics and where the important papers are. The sections printed here are a starting set; rename or strike out any that do not fit.

Does it replace the will, the policies and the deeds?

No. It says where they are. Originals usually belong somewhere safer than a ring binder, and this page exists to point at that place. What any document has to look like to count is a question for the rules where you are and for whoever advises you.

Should I keep passwords in it?

Not in full, and there is no page in this set that asks you to. The accounts and logins record holds a hint and a note of where the password is kept, which is enough for someone who is meant to find it and useless to anyone who is not.

Who should know where the binder is?

The people named at the top of this page, at least. A binder nobody can find is a drawer of paper.

Can I fill this in on screen?

Yes. The browser version saves in your own browser and prints or downloads as a completed PDF. Most people print the index and keep it at the front of a physical binder.