How long must a limited company keep its accounting records?

gov.uk says to keep company and accounting records for 6 years from the end of the last company financial year they relate to. Section 388 of the Companies Act 2006 sets a shorter minimum for a private company: 3 years from the date the records are made. The tax rule that fits gov.uk's period is paragraph 21 of Schedule 18 to the Finance Act 1998. We would follow gov.uk's 6 years.

How long should payroll records be kept?

gov.uk says employers must keep PAYE records for 3 years from the end of the tax year they relate to. It says different rules apply to records that prove you paid the correct minimum wage and the correct statutory leave and holiday pay, and we have not checked those periods.

How long should VAT records be kept?

gov.uk says to keep VAT records for at least 6 years, or 10 years if you use the VAT One Stop Shop scheme or used the VAT Mini One Stop Shop scheme.

How long do I keep records after the company is struck off?

gov.uk says you should keep other business documents, such as bank statements, invoices and receipts, for 7 years after the company is struck off, and copies of the employers' liability insurance policy and schedule if the company employed people. It says should, so treat it as guidance. We found no statute that sets a specific duty on former directors after dissolution.

How long you have to keep business records in the UK

Updated 4 November 2026 Sources UK company guides · How we make money

gov.uk says a limited company must keep its company and accounting records for 6 years from the end of the last financial year they relate to. The Companies Act 2006 sets a shorter minimum of 3 years for a private company. We would follow gov.uk’s 6 years, and keep records longer in the cases below.

The periods at a glance

Records	How long	Where it comes from
Company and accounting records	6 years from the end of the last company financial year they relate to	gov.uk guidance
Records for the Company Tax Return	Until the sixth anniversary of the end of the period the return covers, or an earlier day that HMRC specifies in writing	Finance Act 1998, Schedule 18, paragraph 21
Accounting records, statutory minimum	3 years from the date they are made for a private company, and 6 years for a public company	Companies Act 2006, section 388(4)
PAYE and payroll records	3 years from the end of the tax year they relate to	gov.uk guidance
VAT records	At least 6 years, or 10 years under the One Stop Shop and Mini One Stop Shop schemes	gov.uk guidance
Business documents after strike-off	7 years after the company is struck off	gov.uk guidance, which says “should”

These periods are as of November 2026. We have not checked periods for pensions, health and safety or other employee records, so this page does not give them. Ask your accountant or solicitor about those.

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Where the 3 and 6 years come from

Section 386 of the Companies Act 2006 requires every company to keep adequate accounting records. Section 388(4) says a private company must preserve them for three years from the date they are made, and a public company for six years. Section 388(5) makes that period subject to the company insolvency rules made under section 411 of the Insolvency Act 1986. We have not read those rules.

gov.uk counts 6 years from the end of the last financial year the records relate to, and its page does not name a legal basis. The tax rule that fits is paragraph 21 of Schedule 18 to the Finance Act 1998. A company that may have to deliver a Company Tax Return must keep the records it needs for a correct and complete return, and preserve them until the sixth anniversary of the end of the period the return covers, or an earlier day that HMRC specifies in writing. If HMRC requires a return by notice, the records must be kept until any enquiry into the return is completed or, if there is none, until HMRC can no longer open one. Paragraph 23 sets a penalty of up to £3,000 for failing to comply, with exceptions.

When to keep records longer

gov.uk says to keep company and accounting records for longer than 6 years if:

they show a transaction that covers more than one of the company’s accounting periods;
the company has bought something that it expects to last more than 6 years, such as equipment or machinery;
the company sent its Company Tax Return late;
HMRC has started a compliance check into the Company Tax Return.

What counts as a record

gov.uk splits the duty into two groups. Records about the company itself include shareholders and the results of votes and resolutions, debentures and who they must be repaid to, indemnities, transactions when someone buys shares, and loans or mortgages secured on the company’s assets. Accounting records include all money received and spent, the company’s assets, debts owed and owed to it, stock at the year end, the stocktakings behind that figure, and all goods bought and sold.

They also cover the records you need to prepare the annual accounts and Company Tax Return, such as receipts, petty cash books, orders, delivery notes, invoices, contracts, sales books, till rolls, bank statements and correspondence.

Section 386 sets the test. Adequate accounting records are records sufficient to show and explain the company’s transactions, to disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time its financial position, and to enable the directors to ensure that its accounts comply with the Act. They must contain day-to-day entries of all sums received and spent and what they were for, and a record of the company’s assets and liabilities. A company that deals in goods must also keep year-end stock statements and the stocktakings behind them. Except for ordinary retail trade, it must keep statements of goods sold and purchased that identify the buyers and sellers.

Where the records must be kept

Section 388 says a company’s accounting records must be kept at its registered office or any other place the directors think fit, and must always be open to inspection by the company’s officers. If they are kept outside the United Kingdom, accounts and returns for that business must be sent to, and kept at, a place in the United Kingdom. They must show its financial position with reasonable accuracy at intervals of not more than six months.

For records about the company itself, gov.uk says you must tell Companies House if you keep them somewhere other than the registered office address.

If you do not keep adequate records

gov.uk says you can be fined £3,000 by HMRC or disqualified as a company director if you do not keep accounting records. Section 387 makes it an offence for every officer in default if the company fails to keep adequate accounting records. An officer has a defence if they show they acted honestly and that, given how the company’s business was carried on, the default was excusable. On conviction on indictment the maximum is two years in prison or a fine, or both. In England and Wales, on summary conviction it is twelve months or a fine up to the statutory maximum, or both.

If records are lost, stolen or destroyed and you cannot replace them, gov.uk says to do your best to recreate them, tell your Corporation Tax office straight away and include this in your Company Tax Return.

Payroll and VAT records

For payroll, gov.uk lists what an employer must keep: what you pay employees and the deductions, reports to HMRC, payments to HMRC, employee leave and sickness absences, tax code notices, taxable expenses or benefits, and Payroll Giving Scheme documents. The records must show you have reported accurately, and gov.uk says HMRC may estimate what you owe and charge a penalty of up to £3,000 if you do not keep full records.

For VAT, gov.uk says to begin keeping records when you register. It lists a record of everything you buy and sell, copies of invoices you issue, invoices you receive, self-billing agreements, debit and credit notes, and goods you give away or take from stock for private use, alongside general business records such as bank statements, cash books and till rolls. Some VAT records must be kept digitally under Making Tax Digital for VAT.

When the company closes

The periods above do not stop when the company closes, and the position depends on the route. Our guide to closing a limited company compares the routes.

Strike-off. gov.uk says you should keep other business documents, such as bank statements, invoices and receipts, for 7 years after the company is struck off. It also says to keep copies of the employers’ liability insurance policy and schedule if the company employed people. It uses the word “should”, so treat this as guidance. Our strike-off guide covers the process.
Liquidation. gov.uk says that when a liquidator is appointed, the directors no longer control the company, and they must hand over its assets, records and paperwork. Our guides to members’ voluntary liquidation and creditors’ voluntary liquidation cover who takes control.
After dissolution. We found no statute that sets a specific record-keeping duty on former directors once the company is dissolved. The 7-year figure is gov.uk guidance. Ask a solicitor if a particular record matters to you personally.

Personal data and storage limitation

Many records hold personal data. Article 5(1)(e) of UK GDPR says personal data must be kept in an identifiable form for no longer than is necessary for the purposes it is processed for. Keeping a record for as long as the law requires is a purpose you can point to. After that, ask whether the personal data in it still has one.

The ICO’s advice for small organisations says data protection law sets no time limits, because the right period depends on your situation, and that where another law requires you to keep a record for a set period, you should. It says that when you no longer need personal data for the reason you collected it, you should destroy it securely or anonymise it. The page carries a banner saying it is under review after the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, so check the live version. Our guide to anonymising company records sets out the test the ICO applies.

Records and data licences

How long you must keep records is a separate question from whether you may license them.

Keep what the law asks you to keep, and decide what happens to the rest before the closure step, because the records change hands then. Our guide to company records and data licensing explains what a licence involves.

Personal data in the records stays under UK GDPR until nobody is reasonably likely to identify the people it relates to. Removing names is not enough, and anonymising is itself processing that needs a lawful basis. Take advice before any records that hold personal data leave the company, and see our guide to anonymising company data.

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Some company records can be licensed for AI training. Answer four questions to see whether yours might qualify, without sharing any files.

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Next steps

List your record types, match each to the longest period that applies in the table, and diary the date after which you can delete or anonymise each one.

Frequently asked questions

How long must a limited company keep its accounting records?: gov.uk says to keep company and accounting records for 6 years from the end of the last company financial year they relate to. Section 388 of the Companies Act 2006 sets a shorter minimum for a private company: 3 years from the date the records are made. The tax rule that fits gov.uk's period is paragraph 21 of Schedule 18 to the Finance Act 1998. We would follow gov.uk's 6 years.
How long should payroll records be kept?: gov.uk says employers must keep PAYE records for 3 years from the end of the tax year they relate to. It says different rules apply to records that prove you paid the correct minimum wage and the correct statutory leave and holiday pay, and we have not checked those periods.
How long should VAT records be kept?: gov.uk says to keep VAT records for at least 6 years, or 10 years if you use the VAT One Stop Shop scheme or used the VAT Mini One Stop Shop scheme.
How long do I keep records after the company is struck off?: gov.uk says you should keep other business documents, such as bank statements, invoices and receipts, for 7 years after the company is struck off, and copies of the employers' liability insurance policy and schedule if the company employed people. It says should, so treat it as guidance. We found no statute that sets a specific duty on former directors after dissolution.
What happens if a company does not keep its records?: gov.uk says you can be fined £3,000 by HMRC or disqualified as a company director if you do not keep accounting records. Section 387 of the Companies Act 2006 also makes it an offence for every officer in default if the company fails to keep adequate accounting records. An officer can defend the charge by showing they acted honestly and that the default was excusable.