Document retention policy: how to write one, with a template

A document retention policy says who keeps which records, for how long, who may destroy them and how a hold works. The schedule of periods is its appendix. This page explains each part and gives a template you can copy and fill in.

You may also see it called a records retention policy or a record retention policy. They are the same document.

What a document retention policy does

A policy gives every team the same answer to three questions: how long a record is kept, who decides when it goes, and what stops a purge. It also leaves a record of who approved each destruction.

The IRS says you may choose any recordkeeping system suited to your business, and that except in a few cases the law does not require any special kind of records. The sources we checked do not say a company must have a written policy. Write one because it makes people apply the schedule the same way each time.

The parts of a policy

Storage rules differ by record. For tax records, IRS Publication 583 says original paper may be destroyed once the electronic storage system has been tested and procedures keep it compliant (DS-02). Form I-9 may be kept on paper, electronically, or on microfilm or microfiche. Benefit plan records can be kept electronically if the conditions in 29 CFR 2520.107-1 are met. Say in the policy which record types may be scanned and who confirms the system.

Keep the schedule apart from the policy

Put the periods in a schedule and refer to it from the policy. That way you can reissue the schedule when a rule changes without rewriting the policy. Our record retention schedule generator builds a dated schedule from the federal rules, with the source and the check date on every row.

Three rules apply when you read any schedule:

• The longest period that applies wins.
• A hold overrides every period.
• Every period is a minimum, so a record may be kept longer.

Some rows give a period and no start date. Our schedule marks eight rows “start not stated in the source” and does not guess.

Example: six rows of a schedule. Each period names the rule behind it.

See how long to keep business records for the federal periods by record group.

What the IRS says to keep

People who search for an IRS document retention policy usually want the IRS periods. For records behind a tax return, the IRS says to keep them until the period of limitations for that return runs out:

• 3 years from the date you filed is the default (TX-01).
• 6 years if you left out income of more than 25% of the gross income shown on the return (TX-03).
• 7 years for a bad debt deduction or a loss from worthless securities (TX-04).
• No end date for a return that was never filed or was fraudulent (TX-05, TX-06).

The IRS says to keep employment tax records for at least 4 years (PR-01). Those periods were checked on 2026-11-03. Your schedule should name the rule behind each period, as the template below does.

The hold clause

A hold stops destruction whatever the schedule says. A federal statute, 18 U.S.C. 1519, covers knowing destruction of a record with intent to impede a federal matter, including one that is only contemplated (DS-03). Records relevant to a discrimination charge or an enforcement action are held until final disposition (HR-03).

The policy should say who can start and lift a hold, how staff are told, and that destruction stays stopped until the hold is lifted in writing. A lawyer should write the hold notice itself. The template leaves a blank for it.

Operational records: review before destroying

Add one row type to the schedule for the records that run the company: support tickets and chats, SOPs, the wiki, CRM and sales history, project files, and internal chat and email. As of November 2026, no general federal period turned up for them in the sources we checked (OP-01 to OP-06). The company sets the period. Mark the row “review before destroying” in place of a number.

The review has four checks: a hold, tax or employment records inside the files, the FTC rule on disposing of consumer information (DS-01), and your customer contracts.

Some operational records may be worth more kept than destroyed, so read what to check before you destroy company records before you decide.

Document retention policy template

Copy the template into your own document and replace each bracketed field. It states no retention period. Periods belong in the schedule, where each one carries its rule and its source.

Before you adopt it

1. Fill every bracket, then attach the dated schedule. The date shows which version of the rules you followed.
2. Ask your lawyer or adviser to read the hold clause and anything that depends on your state or industry.
3. Name an owner and a review date. The owner keeps the schedule current and answers questions from staff.
4. Tell staff, and keep the signed copy where the owner can find it.

How the policy fits with your other documents

This policy governs records as documents. The data retention policy guide covers the same question for systems: databases, email, chat, files and backups. The destruction log, covered in secure document destruction, records each purge the policy approves. The hold notice sits outside all three, because a lawyer writes it for the matter at hand.

State law and industry rules

This page uses US federal rules only. State law can set longer periods for tax, payroll and personnel records, and some industries have their own rules. Add them to your schedule with your adviser’s help, and name the source of each one.

Next steps

Build the schedule first, then the policy. Then check each operational record before it goes, using the records check.