How Long Should You Keep Business Records?

Businesses organized as corporations should keep some additional documents. These include board and shareholder meeting minutes, annual reports, corporate bylaws and amendments, https://www.bookstime.com/articles/inventory-accounting and a stock ledger permanently. The IRS and Small Business Administration (SBA) recommend you keep key business documents on file long after your business closes.

If you report an expense or income on your taxes, you need to document it. In most cases, these are the same records you use to prepare regular financial statements. If you’re a corporation, you’ll also need to keep any director or shareholder meeting minutes and a stock ledger. Other key ownership and business documents should be kept permanently including deeds, titles, property records, and any contracts. Aside from the IRS requiring you to maintain business records, there’s a business case to do so as well.

Business documents

Log into your owner’s portal for more free articles and advice that can help you with every step of the business closure process. With the threat of identity theft, it is also good practice to shred all of the records you no longer need, especially those with personal information. Shredders are an inexpensive means of destroying small amounts of information. However, a personal shredding service should be considered with a large volume of shredding.

Review all guidelines carefully and come up with a plan that’s easy to implement and stick with. Practical and real-world advice on how to run your business — from managing employees to keeping the books. Let’s review some of the business records that the IRS may request, how long to keep each one, and why these records are so important. Business owners love Patriot’s award-winning payroll software. Get up and running with free payroll setup, and enjoy free expert support. Try our payroll software in a free, no-obligation 30-day trial.

How Long Should You Keep Documents?

For example, if you file a claim for a loss carryback, you’ll need to have records from the previous year on hand. The same is true if you’re self-employed or have income from rental properties; in these cases, you should keep records for at least seven years. If you record depreciation expense on capital assets, invoices and any other purchase agreements should be maintained for at least seven years after that asset is sold.

If someone tries to say that you committed fraud, then you will need your business records to prove otherwise. While some documents should be kept permanently, others can be disposed of after a certain amount of time has passed. For example, documents such as bills of sale, permits, licenses, contracts, deeds and titles, mortgages, and stock and bond records should be kept permanently. However, canceled leases and notes receivable can be kept for 10 years after cancellation. In general, it is important to keep track of any documents that might have legal or financial implications. Consulting with an attorney or accountant can help you to determine which documents need to be kept and for how long.

Business documents: What to keep and what to shred

Telling the IRS that “the dog ate my tax records” simply won’t fly. If your bank doesn’t have online banking, it’s best to hang on to bank records for three years. how long do businesses need to keep records In this guide, we’ll walk you through which records you’re legally required to keep, how long you should keep them, and how to make sure you don’t lose them.

Keep records concerning payroll, collective bargaining agreements, as well as sales and purchase records for at least three years. Too many people tell small business owners that they can’t attain grants. Anything from customers citing negative effects from the long-term use of a product to employees discovering a health concern or injury and linking it back to time spent at your business.

Which records should I keep when closing my business?

Before you toss them, double check to see whether anyone else you do business with might need them. Creditors, business lawyers, and insurance companies all sometimes require you to keep records longer than the IRS does. Many companies store such documentation in a corporate binder. Keep the binder in a safe space (even if it just collects dust).

All requirements that apply to hard-copy books and records also apply to electronic storage systems that maintain tax books and records. The electronic storage system must index, store, preserve, retrieve, and reproduce the electronically stored books and records in a legible format. All electronic storage systems must provide a complete and accurate record of your data that is accessible to the IRS. As a small business owner, you are responsible for keeping accurate records for all of your employees. This includes maintaining accurate records of their hours worked, as well as their compensation and benefits. Employment tax records should be kept for the duration of each employee’s tenure with your company.

How long should you keep business records?

Taxpayers who owe more than $51,000 won‚Äôt be issued a new passport or get old passports renewed if the IRS has filed a Notice of Federal Tax Lien. We recommend scanning every record and receipt in your business, tagging it with a descriptive name, and archiving it forever. If you are keeping evidence for a meal, you’ll want to have a receipt that shows the name and location of the restaurant, the number of people served, the date of the meal and the cost.

The IRS has determined that electronic records are the same as paper originals. In some cases, electronic is preferred, since paper receipts can fade and become illegible over time. But, if you’d prefer to store all your files digitally, feel free to do so. There are also key business documents that you’ll want to keep indefinitely.