Most businesses know roughly how long they have to keep records. Tax and company rules set minimum periods, and many firms set a policy of deleting records once those periods end. That’s sensible housekeeping, but it only answers one question: how long you must keep something. It doesn’t answer whether it still has value.
Minimums, not deadlines
Retention periods are minimums. In most cases nothing requires you to delete working records the moment a period ends. Personal data is different: data protection law says you shouldn’t keep it longer than you need it. That’s why personal details are removed from anything that’s licensed.
Why older records can be useful
For AI developers, a long run of records can show how work changed over time: new methods, rising costs, recurring problems and how they were fixed. Deleting by date can break that run.
A better routine
- When records reach the end of their retention period, review them rather than deleting them automatically
- Separate personal data such as HR and payroll from working records like job files, drawings and quotes
- Delete personal data you no longer need, in line with your policy
- Keep working records together, with their folder structure, while you decide
Check your own position
Your accountant or solicitor can confirm which retention rules apply to your business. We can help with the other question: whether the working records could be licensed.
See also how personal details come out of business records.
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