In our last Newsletter we discussed how best to store employee records and the reasons for keeping these details. This article considers what information might be useful to keep and the length of time that data must be stored for. It should be remembered that at all times when you are storing information on an employee that they are entitled to access certain records and can claim compensation either if they are denied access, or if the information held proves to be damaging or distressing to them. The Data Protection Act (1998) highlights that any personal information stored should be adequate, relevant and not excessive.

 

Record	Retention Period
Accident reports and accident books	3 years after date of last entry (please note, different rules apply for accidents involving hazardous substances)
Payroll Records	Not less than 3 years after end of tax year they relate to. Wage and salary records should be kept for at least 6 years.
Working Time	2 years from date they were made
Minimum wage records	3 years after end of pay reference period following the one that the records cover
Notifiable events for retirement benefits schemes	6 years from end of scheme year in which the event took place
Statutory maternity, paternity, adoption and sick pay records	3 years after then end of tax year that they relate to

 

Non-Statutory Records:

There are no statutory requirements for the retention of these records, and employers must decide for themselves as to how long they wish to keep these records in order to best protect themselves and their employees. The retention periods below are recommended, and may vary from company to company.

Record	Retention Period
Application forms and interviews notes for unsuccessful candidates	1 year
Health and safety records and consultations	Permanently
Parental Leave	5 years from birth/adoption or until the child is 18 years old if disabled
Pensioners' records	12 years after benefit ceases
Disciplinary, working time, training and redundancy records/details	6 years from end of scheme year in which the event took place
Senior executives' records	Permanently