Accident reports/claims (settled cases) | | 6 years |
Accounts payable ledgers and schedules | | 6 years |
Accounts receivable ledgers and schedules | | 6 years |
Audit reports | | Permanently |
Bank reconciliations | | 2 years |
Bank statements | | 3 years |
Capital stock and bond records: ledgers, transfer registers, stubs showing issues, record of interest coupons, options etc. | | Permanently |
Cash books | | Permanently |
Charts of accounts | | Permanently |
Checks (canceled-see exception below) | | 6 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) | | 6 years |
Contracts, mortgages, notes, and leases (still in effect) | | 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 | | 6 years |
Financial statements (year-end, other optional) | | Permanently |
Garnishments | | 6 years |
General/private ledgers, year-end trial balance | | 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 |
Internal reports (miscellaneous) | | 3 years |
Inventories of products, materials, and supplies | | 6 years |
Invoices (to customers, from vendors) | | 6 years |
Journals | | Permanently |
Magnetic tape and tab cards | | 1 year |
Minute books of directors, stockholders, bylaws, and charter | | Permanently |
Notes receivable ledgers and schedules | | 6 years |
Option records (expired) | | 6 years |
Patents and related papers | | Permanently |
Payroll records and summaries | | 6 years |
Personnel files (terminated) | | 6 years |
Petty cash vouchers | | 3 years |
Physical inventory tags | | 3 years |
Plant cost ledgers 6 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 (except purchasing department copy) | | 1 year |
Purchase orders (purchasing department copy) | | 6 years |
Receiving sheets | | 1 year |
Retirement and pension records | | Permanently |
Requisitions | | 1 year |
Sales commission reports | | 3 years |
Sales records | | 6 years |
Scrap and salvage records (inventories, sales, etc.) | | 6 years |
Stenographers’ notebooks | | 1 year |
Stock and bond certificates (canceled) | | 6 years |
Stockroom withdrawal forms | | 1 year |
Subsidiary ledgers | | 6 years |
Tax returns and worksheets, revenue agents’ reports and other documents relating to determination of income tax liability | | Permanently |
Time books/cards | | 6 years |
Trademark registrations and copyrights | | Permanently |
Training manuals | | Permanently |
Union agreements | | Permanently |
Voucher register and schedules | | 6 years |
Vouchers for payments to vendors employees, etc. (includes allowances and reimbursement of employees officers, etc., for travel and entertainment expenses) | | 6 years |
Withholding tax statements | | 6 years |