7 Things You Should Never Store in a Safe Deposit Box—And Smarter Ways to Keep Them Safe

Why you may regret keeping certain important documents and valuables at the bank

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Aaron Kassraie,

Updated February 26, 2025

AARP

En español

Published January 05, 2022

/ Updated February 26, 2025

While so much focus these days is placed on protecting digital records and online identities, it's easy to overlook the need to keep precious physical belongings secure. That's where a bank safe deposit box can come in handy.

“If you have anything that is hard to replace or has sentimental value or you want to pass on to your kids, that’s probably the best reason for getting a safe deposit box,” says Dave McGuinn, founder and president of Safe Deposit Specialist, a financial consulting firm. “You’ve got one central location, and your family knows where your stuff is.”

While safe deposit boxes add a layer of protection, they also come with access limitations, especially during emergencies or when the bank is closed. Because of this, only items that are expensive or difficult, if not impossible, to replace should be stored in them, such as heirloom jewelry, original copies of adoption papers, and important family photos. So it’s important to know which items don’t belong in a safe deposit box—and where to store them instead.

Worst things to store in a safe deposit box

1. Your original will

A safe deposit box might seem logical for your will, but if you’re the sole box owner, your executor could face legal obstacles accessing it after your death, according to the American Bankers Association (ABA). Banks usually need a court order to open a safe deposit box after the owner passes away, which can slow down the legal process of settling their estate.

Alternative: For safekeeping, store your will in a fireproof home safe and share the location and combination with someone you trust. You can also include this information in a letter of instruction and give copies to your executor. If a law firm drafted your will, keep the original there.

Best things to store in a safe deposit box

Adoption records
Armed service records
Birth certificates
Business/legal contracts
Citizenship/naturalization papers
Collectibles
Death certificates
Family photos
Insured Jewelry
Marriage/divorce records
Property records
Vehicle titles

2. Powers of attorney

A financial or health care power of attorney is only helpful if someone can access it when needed. If it’s locked in a safe deposit box, your appointed representative may be unable to retrieve it, defeating its purpose.

Alternative: Give a copy to your attorney or trusted family members. Store an original in a secure but accessible location at home. If you’ve appointed someone as your financial power of attorney, that person may be able to access the box while you're alive, said Naomi Becker Collier, an attorney specializing in trust and estate planning. However, a power of attorney is no longer valid once you die.

3. Your passport or other identification

If you travel frequently or need identification quickly, keeping your passport or other essential IDs in a bank vault could be an inconvenience—especially if the bank is closed when you need them.

Alternative: Store your passport in a fireproof home safe or another secure, easy-to-reach place.

4. Cash

Safe deposit boxes protect against theft but do not allow easy access to cash during emergencies. Most banks recommend against storing cash in these boxes. Unlike funds in a savings or checking account, the FDIC does not insure money in a bank vault.

Alternative: Keep emergency cash in an account with a bank or credit union, store it on a prepaid card you can load money onto, or keep cash in a safe in your home, suggests the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

5. Spare keys

If you need backup keys quickly, accessing them from a safe deposit box can be impractical, especially if the bank is closed or if you lose your main set outside of banking hours.

Alternative: Give a spare key to a trusted friend or relative or store it in a secure home lockbox.

6. Uninsured jewelry

Heirloom jewelry pieces or other items that are expensive and difficult, if not impossible, to replace are great candidates to be stored in a safe deposit box. But if they aren’t insured, there is still a risk of damage from a plumbing catastrophe or natural disaster.

Alternative: No safe deposit box or home safe is completely protected from theft, fire, flood or other loss or damage. Ask an insurance agent about adding what's called a personal articles floater to your home or auto policy. Be sure to let the insurer know the items are in a safe deposit box, which could score you a discount of about 50 percent on your premium, according to McGuinn. To further protect your valuables, place them in plastic bags or containers labeled with your name for storage, the FDIC recommends.

7. Illegal or restricted items

Certain items—such as firearms, explosives, or illicit substances—may violate bank policies or legal regulations if stored in a safe deposit box, says McGuinn. However, banks do not verify the contents of your safe deposit box when items are placed inside or taken out privately, making the restrictions unenforceable.

Alternative: Firearms can be stored in a secure, locked safe at home.

Selecting a safe deposit box

The cost of renting a safe deposit box varies based on the bank, branch location, and box size. It’s a good idea to compare prices in your area to find the best deal. Rental fees generally range from $10 to $50 per year for a small box measuring 3 by 5 inches, while larger boxes, such as those measuring 10 by 10 inches, can cost hundreds of dollars annually, according to PNC Bank.

To find the most secure vault, consider using McGuinn’s safe deposit report card—a checklist of 30 key questions to ask before leasing a box. The more “yes” answers, the better the security.

Once you’ve selected a safe deposit box, make sure someone knows where it is. If you trust them enough, add them to the contract—this way, they can access it without dealing with legal headaches if something happens to you.

How to securely manage a home safe

If your local bank no longer rents safe deposit boxes or if you prefer the accessibility of having your valuables secured in your home, here’s what to consider.

There are two main categories of home safes: portable lockboxes and safes that you bolt into a wall or floor. Portable boxes should be well hidden; some suggest putting them inside beat-up cardboard boxes in the attic to make them as hard to find as possible. Crooks will likely look for valuables in your bedroom and closet, so skip those locations. But keeping a safe that is challenging to reach may also hinder you.

“The idea of a safe is also to have it accessible,” says Chris McGoey, president of McGoey Security Consulting. “If you’re older, you’re not going to be climbing up on ladders, necessarily, or going up in the attic.”

Instead, McGoey suggests getting a safe you can anchor to the floor. “If it’s a good safe and it’s bolted down, room placement doesn’t matter,” he says. “Burglars will see it, but they won’t be able to get it.”

In either case, tell a trusted family member or friend what’s being kept in the safe and how to open the lock. You might also consider including this information in a letter of instruction accompanying your will.

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Aaron Kassraie writes about issues important to military veterans and their families for AARP. He also serves as a general assignment reporter. Kassraie previously covered U.S. foreign policy as a correspondent for the Kuwait News Agency’s Washington bureau and worked in news gathering for USA Today and Al Jazeera English. 