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Administrative Record Retention

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Management Plans and Procedures Retention

A vital part of record keeping for any institution is the proper retention, organization, and disposal of documents that contain management-related information, plans, and procedures. These documents can help you track the trajectory of your business or organization and compare current procedures to past ones. With this information, you can routinely perform comparative analysis of business policy both current and past.

Another important reason to hold onto administrative records is that these documents can become important evidence in legal cases, especially lawsuits that are brought on the grounds of discrimination, wrongful termination, and other actions.

For these reasons, there is good cause to hold onto all managerial or administrative documents permanently. This includes both physical copies and digital forms of record storage. For your information, we have put together some recommended guidelines on how long certain documents should be retained.

Managerial and Administrative Document Retention Schedule

Document Type Suggested Minimum Retention
Corporate charter and bylaws Permanently
Strategic plans Permanently
Organizational charts Permanently
Mission/vision statements Permanently
Patents and related papers Permanently
Copyrights, trademarks Permanently
Administrative Correspondence* 3 years
*(Important memos, emails and other correspondence regarding strategy, services, programs, policies, procedures, planning and other such materials)
General/Routine Correspondence 1 year
Legal Correspondence Permanently
Asset appraisals Permanently
Property records including cost reports, depreciation schedules Permanently
Deeds, mortgages, bills of sale 7 years after property sale or transfer
Internal audit reports 3 years
Employee evaluations 3 years following termination
Training Manuals Permanently
Sales records 7 years
Year-end statements Permanently

Important note: This is a list of recommended document retention times, and may not reflect the current best practices in your state. It’s best to consult your CPA or an attorney for detailed information on record retention policies in your industry.

Get Secure Disposal of Administrative Documents

When paper documents reach the end of their retention period, it is best to dispose of them in a secure manner. This is best achieved through the use of a paper shredder, but often, office shredders aren’t equipped with the security features that a professional paper shredding company can provide. Office shredders do not shred documents according to the best security practices, while Proshred® Columbus shredding machines go above and beyond those standards, meaning your sensitive documents stand no chance of being reassembled. For paper shredding services that you can count on, contact us today.

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