Business Record Retention Guide
Business Documents To Keep For One Year
Correspondence with Customers and Vendors
Duplicate Deposit Slips
Purchase Orders (other than Purchasing Department copy)
Receiving Sheets
Requisitions
Stenographer’s Notebooks
Stockroom Withdrawal Forms
Business Documents To Keep For Three Years
Employee Personnel Records (after termination)
Employment Applications
Expired Insurance Policies
General Correspondence
Internal Audit Reports
Internal Reports
Petty Cash Vouchers
Physical Inventory Tags
Savings Bond Registration Records of Employees
Time Cards For Hourly Employees
Business Documents To Keep For Six Years
Accident Reports, Claims
Accounts Payable Ledgers and Schedules
Accounts Receivable Ledgers and Schedules
Bank Statements and Reconciliations
Cancelled Checks
Cancelled Stock and Bond Certificates
Employment Tax Records
Expense Analysis and Expense Distribution Schedules
Expired Contracts, Leases
Expired Option Records
Inventories of Products, Materials, Supplies
Invoices to Customers
Notes Receivable Ledgers, Schedules
Payroll Records and Summaries, including payment to pensioners
Plant Cost Ledgers
Purchasing Department Copies of Purchase Orders
Sales Records
Subsidiary Ledgers
Time Books
Travel and Entertainment Records
Vouchers for Payments to Vendors, Employees, etc.
Voucher Register, Schedules
Business Records To Keep Forever
While federal guidelines do not require you to keep tax records “forever,” in
many cases there will be other reasons you’ll want to retain these documents
indefinitely.
Audit Reports from CPAs/Accountants
Cancelled Checks for Important Payments (especially tax payments)
Cash Books, Charts of Accounts
Contracts, Leases Currently in Effect
Corporate Documents (incorporation, charter, by-laws, etc.)
Documents substantiating
fixed asset additions
Deeds
Depreciation Schedules
Financial Statements (Year End)
General and Private Ledgers, Year End Trial Balances
Insurance Records, Current Accident Reports, Claims, Policies
Investment Trade Confirmations
IRS Revenue Agents. Reports
Journals
Legal Records, Correspondence and Other Important Matters
Minutes Books of Directors and Stockholders
Mortgages, Bills of Sale
Property Appraisals by Outside Appraisers
Property Records
Retirement and Pension Records
Tax Returns and Worksheets
Trademark and Patent Registrations
