Documents and Retention Periods

The archive covers corporate resolutions, agreements, primary documents, accounting registers, reporting, HR files, licences, bank correspondence and electronic receipts. For each group, the responsible employee determines the storage location, access level and the person responsible for handing over documents. A document is stored together with appendices, signatures and proof of sending so that it can be found by register and period.

Article 44 of the Tax Code establishes different minimum periods. In 2026, the State Tax Service states 2,555 days for documents relating to transfer pricing, CFCs and certain payments to non-residents, 1,825 days for the main tax and accounting documentation of legal entities, and 1,095 days for a number of other documents. The responsible employee checks the specific period according to the type of document and transaction.

The tax period is one of the criteria for determining how long a document must be kept. The list of standard documents and HR, corporate and sector-specific rules may require longer or permanent retention. The responsible employee assigns the period according to the longest applicable basis and records it in the records schedule. Documents relating to a dispute, inspection or unfinished obligation are kept taking account of the relevant procedure.

Electronic Archive, Access and Backup

For an electronic document, the responsible employee keeps the original file, QES, time stamp, receipts and data allowing the signature to be matched. A PDF copy is convenient for viewing, but the archive must retain the legally significant set. The file name includes the date, counterparty, type and number. A new version is stored separately from the approved version and receives its own index and basis.

Access rights are allocated by position and information type. HR and payroll files are available to a limited group, while agreements and invoices are available to those responsible for the transaction. A backup is stored separately and is regularly checked by recovery testing. When an employee leaves, access is closed and working documents are transferred by register to the appointed responsible person.

Archive for the Owner, Bank and Public Authorities

For a response, the responsible employee selects documents for the specific transaction: agreement, invoice, acceptance certificate, payment, accounting entry, reporting and business correspondence. The responsible person creates a copy of the package without changing the main archive. The manager sees what was provided and to whom. This organisation reduces response time and preserves one confirmed version of the information for different users.

Before destroying a document, all applicable retention periods are taken into account. Before disposal, the responsible employee checks the tax period, special requirements, control procedures, court cases, unfinished agreements and value for corporate history. A commission prepares the list and record under the established procedure. Electronic copies and backup sets are deleted at the same time after the approved decision.

The price depends on the volume, number of years, condition of folders, electronic systems, HR files and the need to restore links between documents. UBC can develop the rules and records schedule or carry out a complete review and handover of the archive. The agreement includes the selection, access levels, result and the future procedure for maintaining the archive.

For accounting and HR data, the retention period is determined by law and the type of document. For commercial files, the owner may set a longer period if they are needed for warranties, disputes, repeat sales or proof of experience. The responsible employee enters the period and storage location in the archive register.

Access to backups is limited to a small group of employees. The director appoints a responsible employee and a backup person for a change of responsible person, holiday or business trip. Separate user rights and a backup storage location protect the archive against loss of access to a single service or device.

At the request of a bank or public authority, or during a dispute, the responsible employee collects documents for the specific agreement, transaction and period. The package includes originals or legally significant electronic files, registers and proof of transfer. The owner receives documents organised separately by file and period.

The manager designates employees responsible for agreements, primary, HR and electronic documents. A UBC specialist helps establish the retention periods and storage locations, while transfer of originals is recorded in a register. Access rules are fixed in the records schedule and the enterprise's internal documents.

The owner chooses the storage location taking account of data volume, confidentiality, cost and required recovery speed. The archive may combine cloud storage, a separate server and external media. One copy is kept separately from the main system.

After the archive is created, the owner receives a register of folders and electronic files, retention periods, responsible persons and access levels. New document types are added to the records schedule as they appear. The archive remains suitable for a bank request, audit and transfer to another responsible employee.

A question about a retention period or storage location is linked to the specific document type and responsible employee. The relevant rules apply to agreements, HR files and accounting documents. This makes it possible to keep the archive organised as the number of transactions grows.

The responsible employee regularly adds documents to the archive and monitors retention periods. When new agreements, document types or responsible persons appear, the archive register and access rules are updated. The owner and director can quickly obtain documents for the required period.

The responsible employee starts the archive with a list of documents the enterprise creates in day-to-day operations. For each type, the responsible employee states the department, original format, storage location, period, access level and employee responsible for transfer. The responsible employee links an agreement to its appendices and acceptance certificates, an HR decision to the personnel file, and a primary document to the accounting transaction and reporting period.

The responsible employee gives electronic files clear names and versions and defines backup rules. At the end of the period, documents undergo the agreed assessment and the decision on further retention or destruction is documented under the established procedure. The manager receives a working archive from which evidence can quickly be assembled for the owner, bank, auditor or public authority.