Are you eager to spring clean your stacks of records? Not so fast. While you can safely dispose of some records, employment tax records must be kept for at least four years after filing your fourth quarter taxes for the year. They must be available for IRS review upon request.
Among other things, the tax records you maintain should include:
- Your employer identification number (EIN)
- Amounts and dates of wage, annuity, and pension payments
- Names, addresses, and Social Security numbers of employees and payment recipients
- Dates of employment
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Keeping business records organized is essential in case of an IRS audit or examination. However, retaining unnecessary documents can quickly exceed your storage capacity. Consider establishing a record retention schedule aligned with state and federal regulations, as well as your industry’s best practices.
Financial Records
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Accounts Payable Ledgers & Schedules: 7 years
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Accounts Receivable Ledgers & Schedules: 8 years
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Audit Reports: Permanently
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Bank Statements: 3 years
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Cash Books: Permanently
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General Ledgers, Year-End Trial Balance: Permanently
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Financial Statements (Year-End): Permanently
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Petty Cash Vouchers: 3 years
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Invoices (Customer or Vendor): 7 years
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Trial Balances (Monthly): 3 years
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Expense Reports: 7 years
Tax and Legal Documents
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Tax Returns, Revenue Agents’ Reports & Related Documents: Permanently
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Forms 1099 Received: 7 years
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W-2 Forms: 7 years
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Payroll Records, Summaries & Tax Returns: 7 years
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Employee Personnel Records (After Termination): 7 years
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Employee Applications: 5 years
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Correspondence (Legal and Tax-Related): Permanently
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Deeds, Mortgages & Bills of Sale: Permanently
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Trademark Registration, Patents & Copyrights: Permanently
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Contracts & Leases (Expired): 7 years
Business Operations
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Safety Records: 6 years
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Receiving Sheets: 1 year
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Purchase Orders: 3 years
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Inventory Records: 7 years
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Minute Books of Directors, Stockholders, Bylaws & Charter: Permanently
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Retirement Plan Records: Permanently
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IRA/Keogh Plan Contributions, Rollovers, Transfers & Distributions: Permanently
Digital Document Retention Guidelines
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Store documents securely using encrypted cloud storage or on-premises servers.
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Implement automatic backups and version control for critical financial and legal documents.
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Maintain audit trails for document modifications and access history.
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For disaster recovery, backup permanent digital documents in multiple locations.
The retention periods are intended as a general guideline only.
LBMC tax tips are provided as an informational and educational service for clients and friends of the firm. The communication is high-level and should not be considered as legal or tax advice to take any specific action. Individuals should consult with their personal tax or legal advisors before making any tax or legal-related decisions. In addition, the information and data presented are based on sources believed to be reliable, but we do not guarantee their accuracy or completeness. The information is current as of the date indicated and is subject to change without notice.