Records Retention and Archiving SOP Template

1.Purpose

To keep business records organized and accessible for as long as they are needed, and to dispose of them securely once retention requirements and business needs no longer apply.

2.Scope

Applies to physical and digital business records company-wide. Specific retention periods are set by company policy, legal counsel and applicable law, and are not fixed in this SOP.

Definitions

Retention schedule

The company's list of record types with how long each must be kept, set with guidance from legal counsel.

Legal hold

An instruction from legal counsel to preserve specific records and suspend their normal destruction because of litigation, investigation or audit.

Record of record

The official, authoritative copy of a document, as distinct from working drafts or duplicate copies.

3.Responsibilities

Records Coordinator

Classifies records, applies the retention schedule, tracks destruction dates and coordinates secure destruction.

Office Manager

Maintains the retention schedule with legal counsel and approves destruction batches.

Department Manager

Confirms departmental records are properly classified and flags records that may be needed longer.

Legal Counsel

Advises on retention periods, issues and lifts legal holds, and approves destruction where required.

RACI matrix

R = Responsible, A = Accountable, C = Consulted, I = Informed

4.Materials and PPE

Materials, tools and systems

• →Company retention schedule
• →Records inventory or tracking system
• →Legal hold notice template
• →Secure shredding or destruction vendor
• →Digital archive or document management system
• →Destruction certificate log

5.Procedure

1. 5.1

   Classify the record type

   Records Coordinator

   When a record is created or received, the records coordinator classifies it by type, such as contract, financial record or personnel file, using the categories in the retention schedule.

2. 5.2

   Identify the record of record

   Records Coordinator

   The records coordinator identifies which copy is the official record of record for retention purposes, since duplicate drafts and working copies do not need to follow the same schedule.

3. 5.3

   Apply the retention period from policy

   Records Coordinator

   The records coordinator applies the retention period assigned to that record type in the company's retention schedule, which is set with guidance from legal counsel and kept current with applicable law.

   Checkpoint: The retention period applied matches the current version of the company retention schedule, not a prior version.

4. 5.4

   Store the record appropriately

   Records Coordinator

   The records coordinator stores physical records in labeled, secure storage and digital records in the document management system, following the department's folder structure and access controls.

5. 5.5

   Track the scheduled destruction date

   Records Coordinator

   The records coordinator logs the record type, storage location and scheduled destruction date in the records tracking system so nothing is destroyed early or forgotten.

6. 5.6

   Review department records periodically

   Department Manager

   The department manager periodically reviews their team's records against the retention schedule and flags any record that may need to be kept longer than the standard period.

7. 5.7

   Apply a legal hold when notified

   Records Coordinator

   When legal counsel issues a legal hold, the records coordinator immediately suspends destruction of the named records and notifies affected department managers that normal disposal is paused.

   Warning: Never destroy a record under an active legal hold, even if its normal retention period has expired.

8. 5.8

   Compile a destruction batch

   Records Coordinator

   As records reach the end of their retention period, the records coordinator compiles them into a destruction batch list, excluding anything under legal hold or flagged by a department manager.

9. 5.9

   Obtain approval to destroy

   Office Manager

   The office manager reviews the destruction batch list and approves it, escalating to legal counsel for sign-off where the record type or retention rule requires it.

   Checkpoint: No destruction batch proceeds without a documented approval matching the current retention schedule.

10. 5.10

    Execute secure destruction

    Records Coordinator

    The records coordinator arranges secure destruction of approved physical records through the shredding vendor and permanent deletion of approved digital records from the archive.

11. 5.11

    Log the destruction certificate

    Records Coordinator

    The records coordinator files the destruction certificate or deletion confirmation, listing what was destroyed and when, in the destruction log for audit purposes.

12. 5.12

    Respond to a record request

    Records Coordinator

    When a department or external party requests a record, the records coordinator locates it in storage or the archive, confirms the requester is authorized, and provides it following company policy.

6.Quality checks

• →Every stored record is classified against the current retention schedule.
• →No record under an active legal hold appears on a destruction batch list.
• →Every destruction batch has documented approval before destruction occurs.
• →Destruction certificates are on file for every executed destruction batch.

7.Records

• →Records inventory with classification and destruction dates
• →Legal hold notices
• →Approved destruction batch lists
• →Destruction certificates

8.KPIs

• →Percentage of records classified within the retention schedule categories
• →Number of records destroyed on schedule versus overdue
• →Time to respond to an internal or external record request

9.Common mistakes

• →Destroying a record without checking for an active legal hold.
• →Applying an outdated version of the retention schedule.
• →Letting expired records pile up without a destruction batch process.
• →Treating a working draft as the official record of record.

10.Revision history