Record retention is the kind of question that gets answered with a number somebody half remembers, and the number is usually wrong for at least one of the jurisdictions involved. It matters more for businesses operating across borders, because the periods do not agree with each other.
Retention periods differ by country and by record type, and the practical answer for a business operating across jurisdictions is to work to the longest period that applies to it. Storage is inexpensive. Reconstruction is not, and in some cases is impossible.
Operating across more than one jurisdiction? WhatsApp us where your entities sit and we will map what your retention policy needs to cover.
Quick Summary — General Expectation
| Jurisdiction | Common baseline | Runs from |
| United States | Several years, longer for some records | Filing date or due date |
| United Kingdom | Six years for companies | End of the accounting period |
| UAE | Several years, longer for some records | End of the relevant period |
| India | Up to eight years for companies | End of the financial year |
💡 TaxKitab Tip: The mistake that costs most is not keeping records for too short a period. It is keeping them somewhere that does not survive. Financial documents sitting in a personal email account, on a laptop that gets replaced, or in a WhatsApp thread are functionally gone within two years even though nobody deleted anything. A single cloud folder, organised by year and type, with more than one person having access, outlasts every other arrangement. The retention period only matters if the records are still findable when you reach it.
Why the Periods Differ
Each jurisdiction sets retention against its own assessment and audit windows. A tax authority that can reopen a period for a given number of years expects the records supporting that period to still exist.
Different laws within the same country can also impose different periods — company law, tax law and employment law frequently disagree. That is why a single number is rarely the complete answer even within one jurisdiction.
For a business operating in more than one country, the practical consequence is straightforward: the longest applicable period governs, because that is the one you will be asked about.
United States
Retention is generally framed around the period in which a return can be examined, which varies with the circumstances of the filing. Certain situations extend it considerably, and some records are expected to be kept well beyond the general baseline.
Employment tax records carry their own expectation, and records relating to property and assets are typically kept until well after the asset is disposed of, because the acquisition cost matters at that point.
State requirements sit alongside federal ones and are not always the same.
United Kingdom
Company records are generally kept for six years from the end of the accounting period. Where a return is filed late, or where an enquiry is opened, the period extends.
VAT records and payroll records carry their own retention expectations, and records relating to assets are again kept until after disposal.
UAE
Retention obligations sit across commercial companies law, VAT and corporate tax legislation, and the periods are not identical. Records relating to real estate typically attract a longer period than general accounting records.
The practical approach for a UAE entity is to work to the longest of the applicable periods rather than trying to hold different clocks for different record types.
India
Company records are generally kept for up to eight financial years. Tax and GST legislation set their own periods, which are shorter.
For an Indian company, the eight-year figure is usually the one that governs in practice because it is the longest.
Records That Outlast the Rest
Some things are worth keeping permanently regardless of jurisdiction.
Incorporation documents and constitutional papers. Share and ownership records. Property and major asset purchase documents, because the cost matters at disposal. Long-term contracts and leases, for their full term plus the retention period afterwards. Loan agreements until well after settlement. And anything relating to a dispute, for as long as it could conceivably be reopened.
A Working Rule
For a single-jurisdiction small business, seven years covers most situations comfortably.
For a business operating across borders, keep everything for the longest period that applies to any entity in the group, and keep the permanent categories indefinitely.
The reason this rule is safe is economic rather than legal. The cost of storing a year of scanned documents is negligible. The cost of not having them when an authority asks — or when a buyer conducts due diligence — is not.
How to Store Them
One place, organised by year then by type. Cloud storage rather than a local drive, so that a hardware failure or a departing employee does not take the archive with it.
Scans are acceptable for most purposes provided they are complete and legible. Originals are worth keeping for documents that may need to be produced physically, particularly property and constitutional records.
More than one person should have access. Archives that depend on a single individual tend to disappear when that individual does.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is one retention period enough if we operate in several countries? Work to the longest that applies to any entity. Holding several different clocks is harder than simply keeping everything longer.
Are scanned copies acceptable? For most purposes, provided they are complete and legible. Keep originals of constitutional and property documents.
How long do we keep payroll records? Employment records carry their own periods in most jurisdictions and are often longer than general accounting records. Check your own position.
What about records for an asset we still own? Keep them until well after disposal. The purchase documentation is what establishes cost when you sell.
We are closing an entity. Can we discard the records? No. Retention obligations survive closure, and the period generally runs from the relevant accounting or tax period rather than from when the entity ceased.
Where should records actually live? A single cloud folder organised by year and type, with more than one person having access. The period is irrelevant if nobody can find the file.
References
- IRS guidance on how long to keep records, United States
- HMRC and Companies House guidance on company record keeping, United Kingdom
- UAE commercial companies, VAT and corporate tax legislation on record retention
- Companies Act, 2013 — books of account retention, India
⚠️ Retention periods differ by record type, entity type and circumstance, and change with legislation. This is a general comparison, not advice on your own position. Confirm with an advisor in each jurisdiction where you operate.
Related Reading: How Long to Keep Books of Accounts in India · Month-End Close Checklist for a Small Business · You’ve Registered Your Business. What Records Do You Need From Day One?
Call or WhatsApp: +91 7448200422 Email: info@taxkitab.com See our Accounting & Bookkeeping service, or explore Global Desk if your business sits outside India.
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Need help with this? TaxKitab handles Accounting & Bookkeeping for businesses across India and overseas. You may also find our Managed Compliance useful. Talk to us.
