How long should your business keep each type of document?
- Select your industry and jurisdiction to generate a tailored retention schedule
- See retention periods with legal citations for every document type
- Export as CSV or Markdown to build your formal retention policy
Proof: The IRS can audit up to 7 years back, OSHA exposure records must be kept for 30 years, and some construction documents should be retained permanently.
Document retention requirements vary by document type, industry, and jurisdiction. Most business records should be kept for 7 years, but some must be retained permanently while others have shorter minimums.
- Tax returns and financial records: 7 years under IRS guidelines.
- Corporate documents like bylaws, minutes, and insurance policies: permanent.
- Industry-specific records (patient files, construction drawings, client files) have their own regulations with periods ranging from 3 to 30+ years.
Free, no signup, and all data stays in your browser.
A document retention schedule tells your team exactly how long to keep each type of record and when it is safe to destroy. Without one, businesses either hoard everything (wasting storage and increasing breach risk) or delete too early (creating legal exposure). This generator builds a schedule tailored to your industry and state.
Select your industry and jurisdiction below. Results update instantly.
Retention schedule
Choose your industry and jurisdiction to generate a customized retention schedule.
Showing 10 document types for General Business under Federal (Default) rules
| Category | Legal Basis | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Financial Statements Best practice / audit defense Annual statements, balance sheets, P&L. Foundation of financial history. | Financial | Permanent | Best practice / audit defense | Annual statements, balance sheets, P&L. Foundation of financial history. |
| Insurance Policies Claims may surface years later Keep expired policies indefinitely for occurrence-based claims. | Legal | Permanent | Claims may surface years later | Keep expired policies indefinitely for occurrence-based claims. |
| Corporate Minutes State corporate law Board minutes, resolutions, bylaws, articles of incorporation. | Corporate | Permanent | State corporate law | Board minutes, resolutions, bylaws, articles of incorporation. |
| Business Licenses & Permits Regulatory compliance Keep current and expired licenses for compliance history. | Corporate | Permanent | Regulatory compliance | Keep current and expired licenses for compliance history. |
| Tax Returns IRS Rev. Proc. 98-25 Keep from the date of filing. Extends to 6 years if income underreported by >25%. | Financial | 7 years | IRS Rev. Proc. 98-25 | Keep from the date of filing. Extends to 6 years if income underreported by >25%. |
| Bank Statements IRS Rev. Proc. 98-25 Includes cancelled checks and deposit slips. | Financial | 7 years | IRS Rev. Proc. 98-25 | Includes cancelled checks and deposit slips. |
| Employment Records ADEA, Title VII, FLSA Personnel files, performance reviews, disciplinary actions. | HR | 7 years after termination | ADEA, Title VII, FLSA | Personnel files, performance reviews, disciplinary actions. |
| Payroll Records FLSA 29 USC 211(c) Wage records, timesheets, W-2s, W-4s. | HR | 7 years | FLSA 29 USC 211(c) | Wage records, timesheets, W-2s, W-4s. |
| Accounts Payable / Receivable IRS Rev. Proc. 98-25 Invoices, purchase orders, vendor statements. | Financial | 7 years | IRS Rev. Proc. 98-25 | Invoices, purchase orders, vendor statements. |
| Contracts UCC Statute of Limitations Retention clock starts when the contract expires or terminates. | Legal | 6 years after expiry | UCC Statute of Limitations | Retention clock starts when the contract expires or terminates. |
10 document types shown
Sort: 0 yr (descending)
Disclaimer: This schedule provides general guidance based on common federal and state requirements. It is not legal advice. Retention periods may vary based on your specific circumstances, industry regulations, and local laws. Consult with your legal counsel or compliance officer to develop a formal retention policy tailored to your organization.
Last updated: January 2026
Why this matters
A retention schedule is not just a compliance checkbox. It protects your business from three distinct risks.
Legal liability
Destroying records too early can result in spoliation sanctions, regulatory fines, and an inability to defend lawsuits. A clear schedule with legal citations gives your team confidence about what to keep and what is safe to purge.
Audit readiness
The IRS, OSHA, HIPAA, and state regulators can request records going back years. Having a documented retention policy demonstrates good faith and makes audits faster. The alternative is scrambling through folders hoping nothing was lost.
Storage optimization
Without a retention policy, businesses accumulate decades of documents they no longer need. This wastes storage costs, increases data breach exposure, and makes it harder to find what actually matters. A schedule lets you safely reduce volume.
Enforce retention with filenames that include dates automatically. Renamed.to reads each document and embeds the date, vendor, and project into the filename so you always know when records expire.
50 free renames, no credit card required.
Frequently asked questions
How accurate are these retention periods?
The retention periods are based on common federal regulations (IRS, OSHA, HIPAA, FLSA) and widely accepted industry standards. However, requirements can change and may vary based on your specific circumstances. Always verify with your legal counsel before finalizing a retention policy.
Do requirements vary by state?
Yes, significantly. California requires 4 years for employment applications under FEHA, while many states follow the federal 1-year minimum. New York has specific financial record requirements, and Florida has unique construction lien timelines. This tool shows state-specific additions alongside federal baselines.
Does it matter if records are electronic or paper?
For most purposes, electronic records have the same retention requirements as paper. The IRS accepts electronic records under Revenue Procedure 98-25 as long as they are accurate, accessible, and reproducible. The key is maintaining a consistent, searchable system regardless of format.
What happens if I destroy documents too early?
Premature destruction can lead to legal penalties, failed audits, inability to defend lawsuits, regulatory fines, and spoliation sanctions in litigation. If you are unsure, it is always safer to retain records longer than the minimum required period.
How do I implement a retention schedule in practice?
Start by exporting this schedule and reviewing it with your legal team. Then create a document naming convention that includes dates so you can easily identify when documents are eligible for destruction. Automated file naming tools like renamed.to can embed dates into every filename, making retention enforcement straightforward.
Related resources
Track which tax documents you have gathered for filing
Create consistent naming rules with dates built in
Calculate the true cost of manual document filing
Browse the full collection of file management tools
50 free renames. Pay as you grow.
Guides on file organization and document management