Need to know how long to keep your records?
| Record | Retention Period |
| Accident reports/claims (settled cases) | 7 years |
| Accounts payable ledgers and schedules | 7 years |
| Accounts receivable ledgers and schedules | 7 years |
| Audit reports | Permanently |
| Bank reconciliations | 2 years |
| Bank statements | 3 years |
| Capital stock and bond records | Permanently |
| Cash books | Permanently |
| Charts of accounts | Permanently |
| Checks (canceled-see exception below) | 7 years |
| Checks (canceled for important payments, i.e. taxes, purchases of property, special contracts, etc. Checks should be filed with the papers pertaining to the underlying transaction) | Permanently |
| Contracts, mortgages, notes, and leases (expired) | Permanently |
| Correspondence (general) | 2 years |
| Correspondence (legal and important matters only) | Permanently |
| Correspondence (routine) with customers and /or vendors | 2 years |
| Deeds, mortgages, and bills of sale | Permanently |
| Depreciation schedules | Permanently |
| Duplicate deposit slips | 2 years |
| Employment applications | 3 years |
| Expense analyses/expense distribution schedules | 7 years |
| Financial statements | Permanently |
| Garnishments | 7 years |
| General/private ledgers, year-end trial balances | Permanently |
| Insurance policies (expired) | 3 years |
| Insurance records, current accident reports, claims, policies, etc | Permanently |
| Internal audit reports (longer retention periods may be desirable) | 3 years |
| Inventories of products, materials, and supplies | 7 years |
| Invoice (to customers, from vendors) | Permanently |
| Journals | 7 years |
| Magnetic tape and tab cards | 7 years |
| Minute books of directors, stockholders bylaws and charter | Permanently |
| Notes receivable ledgers and schedules | 7 years |
| Option records (expired) | 7 years |
| Patents and related papers | Permanently |
| Payroll records and summaries | 7 years |
| Personnel files (terminated) | 7 years |
| Petty cash vouchers | 3 years |
| Physical inventory tags | 3 years |
| Plant cost ledgers | 7 years |
| Property appraisals by outside appraisers | Permanently |
| Property records, including costs, depreciation reserves, year-end trial balances, depreciation schedules, blueprints, and plans | Permanently |
| Purchase orders | 7 years |
| Receiving sheets | 1 year |
| Retirement and pension records | Permanently |
| Requisitions | 1 year |
| Sales commission reports | 3 years |
| Sales records | 7 years |
| Sales Invoices | 7 years |
| Scrap and salvage records (inventories, sales, etc) | 7 years |
| Stenographers’ notebook | 7 years |
| Stock and bond certificates (canceled) | 7 years |
| Stockroom withdrawal forms | 7 years |
| Subsidiary ledgers | 7 years |
| Tax returns and worksheets, revenue agents’ reports, and other documents relating to determination of income tax liability | 7 years |
| Time books/cards | 7 years |
| Trademark registrations and copyrights | 7 years |
| Training manuals | 7 years |
| Union agreements | 7 years |
| Voucher register and schedules | 7 years |
| Vouchers for payments to vendors, employees etc. (includes allowances and reimbursement of employees, officers, etc. for travel and entertainment expenses) | 7 years |
| Withholding tax statements | 7 years |