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How long to keep employee records: UK retention periods
57 common HR and payroll records, how long to keep each one, when the clock starts and whether the period is set by law or a recommendation.
Checked 1 October 2026 New: what the six-month tribunal time limit changes
57 records in 9 sections
- Law A statute or regulation sets the period
- Recommended No fixed legal period; this is the sensible choice and why
- NewUpdated Added or changed for the six-month time limit
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Employment records
RecordKeep forClock startsBasis
Employment contracts and changes to them6 yearsEnd of employmentRecommendedLimitation Act 1980 (contract claims); UK GDPR storage limitation
Personnel file (general)6 yearsEnd of employmentRecommendedLimitation Act 1980; UK GDPR storage limitation
Appraisals and performance reviews6 yearsEnd of employmentRecommendedLimitation Act 1980
Disciplinary records6 yearsEnd of employmentRecommendedLimitation Act 1980. Keep live warnings on file only for their stated period
Grievance records6 yearsEnd of employmentRecommendedLimitation Act 1980
Training records6 yearsEnd of employmentRecommendedLimitation Act 1980
References given6 yearsDate of the referenceRecommendedLimitation Act 1980
Right to work checksFor the whole of employment and 2 years afterEnd of employmentLawImmigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006; Home Office employer guidance
DBS certificate informationUp to 6 months after the recruitment decision, then keep only the date, level, reference and decisionRecruitment decisionRecommendedDBS Code of Practice; Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974
Dismissals, grievances and disputes
RecordKeep forClock startsBasis
Managers' notes from disciplinary, grievance, appeal and redundancy meetingsNew6 years. Move them into the HR fileEnd of employmentRecommendedLimitation Act 1980. Notes left in a manager's notebook or inbox are the ones that go missing
Redundancy records: pools, selection scores, consultation notes and payment calculationsNew6 yearsDate of the redundancyRecommendedLimitation Act 1980 (contract claims). Tribunal claims: six months from 1 October 2026 (Employment Rights Act 2025), plus the pause for Acas early conciliation (Employment Rights Act 1996 s207B; Equality Act 2010 s140B)
Messages and emails about a dismissal, grievance or disputed decision, including Teams, Slack and WhatsAppNew15 months at least. Copy anything you rely on into the HR fileThe decision, or the end of employment if laterRecommendedTribunal claims: six months from 1 October 2026 (Employment Rights Act 2025), plus the pause for Acas early conciliation (Employment Rights Act 1996 s207B; Equality Act 2010 s140B)
CCTV and call recordings linked to an incident, complaint or disciplinaryNew15 months at least. Save the clip before the system overwrites itThe outcome, or the end of employment if laterRecommendedTribunal claims: six months from 1 October 2026 (Employment Rights Act 2025), plus the pause for Acas early conciliation (Employment Rights Act 1996 s207B; Equality Act 2010 s140B)
Recruitment records
RecordKeep forClock startsBasis
Applications and CVs from unsuccessful candidatesUpdated12 monthsEnd of the recruitment processRecommendedEquality Act 2010: from 1 October 2026 a candidate has six months to claim, plus the pause for Acas early conciliation. UK GDPR storage limitation
Interview notes for unsuccessful candidatesUpdated12 monthsEnd of the recruitment processRecommendedEquality Act 2010: from 1 October 2026 a candidate has six months to claim, plus the pause for Acas early conciliation. UK GDPR storage limitation
Payroll and financial records
RecordKeep forClock startsBasis
PAYE and payroll records3 years minimum (6 years recommended)End of the tax year they relate toLawIncome Tax (PAYE) Regulations 2003; HMRC guidance
Minimum wage records6 yearsEnd of the pay reference periodLawNational Minimum Wage Act 1998; National Minimum Wage Regulations 2015
Expenses records6 yearsEnd of the tax yearRecommendedHMRC guidance
VAT records6 yearsEnd of the VAT periodLawValue Added Tax Act 1994
Company accounting and Corporation Tax records6 yearsEnd of the accounting periodLawCompanies Act 2006; HMRC Corporation Tax record-keeping
Leave, pay and working time records
RecordKeep forClock startsBasis
Holiday entitlement, holiday taken and holiday pay6 yearsDate each record is made (records from 6 April 2026)LawWorking Time Regulations 1998, as amended by the Employment Rights Act 2025. Not keeping adequate records is an offence
Working time records (48-hour limit and night work)2 yearsDate each record is madeLawWorking Time Regulations 1998, reg 9
Statutory Sick Pay paid, and dates of sickness3 yearsEnd of the tax yearLawHMRC record-keeping for SSP and PAYE
Statutory maternity, paternity, adoption, shared parental, neonatal care and bereavement pay3 yearsEnd of the tax year the pay period ends, or the tax year of the last payment if laterLawHMRC record-keeping for statutory payments
Workplace pension (auto-enrolment) records6 yearsDate of the recordLawPensions Act 2008 and the employer duties regulations
Pension opt-out notices4 yearsDate the notice is receivedLawPensions Act 2008 and the employer duties regulations
Health, medical and other sensitive records
Health information is special category data under UK GDPR, along with information such as ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and trade union membership. Apart from the few statutory records below, no law sets how long to keep it. The rule is to hold the least you need, keep it apart from the main personnel file and be able to say why you still have it. Where a row says up to 6 years, that is the longest to keep what you still need after someone leaves. It is not a reason to keep everything. Section added and checked 5 October 2026.
RecordKeep forClock startsBasis
Health questionnaires and medical declarations from new startersUp to 6 years, with the health file. It is your record of what you were toldEnd of employmentRecommendedLimitation Act 1980; UK GDPR storage limitation. Ask health questions only after a job offer: the Equality Act 2010, s60 bars them before, with a few exceptions
Emergency contacts and medical details held for an emergency, such as allergies, conditions and medicationDelete when the person leaves. Ask people to check their details once a yearEnd of employmentRecommendedUK GDPR storage limitation and accuracy (no fixed period set); ICO guidance on workers' health information
Sickness records: fit notes, self-certificates and return to work notes that give the medical reasonUp to 6 years, apart from the main file. Keep a copy of a fit note: the original stays with the employeeEnd of employmentRecommendedLimitation Act 1980 (3 years for injury claims, 6 for contract claims in England and Wales); GOV.UK fit note guidance for employers. For absence dates and sick pay, see Leave, pay and working time records
Occupational health reports and doctors' reportsUp to 6 years. The clinical notes stay with the occupational health provider or the doctorEnd of employmentRecommendedLimitation Act 1980. You need the worker's written consent, and must tell them their rights in writing, before asking their own GP or specialist for a report (Access to Medical Reports Act 1988)
Disability and reasonable adjustments records, health passports and wellbeing or stress plansUp to 6 years. Keep them up to date while the person works for youEnd of employmentRecommendedEquality Act 2010, s20 (reasonable adjustments); Limitation Act 1980
Proof of pregnancy for maternity pay (the MATB1 or a doctor's letter)3 years. A copy is fine. Do not keep a birth certificate, only a note of the date of birthEnd of the tax year the maternity pay period endsLawStatutory Maternity Pay (General) Regulations 1986, reg 26
Night workers' health assessments2 years, for the record that each assessment was offered or done and any result you were givenDate each record is madeLawWorking Time Regulations 1998, regs 7 and 9. You see the assessment itself only if the worker agrees in writing; otherwise only a statement that they are fit
Drug and alcohol test resultsAs long as the record they belong to, such as a disciplinary file. Delete anything the test shows that you did not needSame as the record it belongs toRecommendedICO guidance on medical examinations and testing (no fixed period set): information that is not relevant to the purpose must be deleted
Health information from candidates who did not join you, such as adjustments asked for at interview12 monthsEnd of the recruitment processRecommendedEquality Act 2010: from 1 October 2026 a candidate has six months to claim, plus the pause for Acas early conciliation. UK GDPR storage limitation
Equality monitoring forms (ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, disability)Keep the totals, not the names. Separate each form from the application and make it anonymous as soon as you can. In a small team totals can still point to one person, so keep them confidentialDate collectedRecommendedICO guidance on keeping employment records (no fixed period set): anonymise where possible. There is no general legal duty in England, Wales and Scotland to collect this information
Health and safety records
RecordKeep forClock startsBasis
Accident book and RIDDOR records3 yearsDate of the entryLawRIDDOR 2013, reg 12; Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations 1979. See the note on young people below
Health surveillance for hazardous substances (COSHH)40 yearsDate of the last entryLawCOSHH Regulations 2002
Exposure monitoring records for hazardous substances (COSHH)40 years if the record shows identifiable employees' personal exposure. Otherwise 5 yearsDate of the last entryLawCOSHH Regulations 2002, reg 10(5)
Asbestos health surveillance and exposure records40 yearsDate of the last entryLawControl of Asbestos Regulations 2012
Lead exposure and medical surveillance records40 yearsDate of the last entryLawControl of Lead at Work Regulations 2002
Radiation dose recordsUntil the person reaches 75, and at least 30 yearsDate of the last entryLawIonising Radiations Regulations 2017
Health surveillance records for noise and vibrationFor the whole of employment at least. Consider keeping them longer: hearing loss and vibration injuries can come to light years laterStart of health surveillanceRecommendedControl of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, reg 9; Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005, reg 7 (a record is required, no fixed period set); HSE health surveillance guidance
Risk assessmentsKeep current ones; keep replaced versions 3 to 5 yearsDate replacedRecommendedManagement of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
Health and safety and first aid training records6 yearsEnd of employmentRecommendedLimitation Act 1980; Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974
Fire safety records (drills, checks, training)5 yearsDate of the recordRecommendedRegulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (no fixed period set)
Employers' liability insurance certificates and policy detailsKeep a complete record, including expired certificatesOngoingRecommendedNo legal duty to keep expired certificates since 1 October 2008. HSE strongly advises a complete record, because some diseases appear decades after exposure to their cause (HSE guide HSE40)
Data protection and compliance records
RecordKeep forClock startsBasis
Subject access requests and your replies1 yearRequest completedRecommendedUK GDPR Article 12; ICO guidance (no fixed period set)
Data breach log3 yearsDate of the breachRecommendedUK GDPR Article 33(5) requires the log; no fixed period set
Data protection impact assessmentsFor as long as the processing continuesDate of the assessmentRecommendedUK GDPR Article 35
Records of processing activitiesKeep currentOngoingLawUK GDPR Article 30
Appropriate policy document for health and other special category dataFor as long as you hold the information and 6 months afterDate you stop holding the informationLawData Protection Act 2018, Schedule 1, paragraphs 1, 5, 39 and 40. Needed when you rely on the employment law condition or on most substantial public interest conditions, such as equality monitoring. It must say how long you are likely to keep the information
CCTV footageUpdated31 days, unless needed as evidenceDate recordedRecommendedICO video surveillance guidance (no fixed period set). Footage linked to an incident or complaint: see Dismissals, grievances and disputes
Other records
RecordKeep forClock startsBasis
Whistleblowing concerns not upheldUpdated15 months. Remove the names of the people it was about as soon as possibleOutcomeRecommendedPublic Interest Disclosure Act 1998; UK GDPR storage limitation. Tribunal claims: six months from 1 October 2026 (Employment Rights Act 2025), plus the pause for Acas early conciliation (Employment Rights Act 1996 s207B; Equality Act 2010 s140B)
Whistleblowing concerns upheld6 yearsOutcomeRecommendedPublic Interest Disclosure Act 1998; Limitation Act 1980
TUPE transfer records6 yearsDate of the transferRecommendedTUPE Regulations 2006; Limitation Act 1980
Company statutory registersPermanently (some old entries can be removed after 10 years)OngoingLawCompanies Act 2006
New from 1 October 2026
What the six-month tribunal time limit changes
Most employment tribunal claims can now be brought up to six months after the event, up from three. That applies to anything that happens on or after 1 October 2026, such as a dismissal or a rejected job application. For a dismissal, the date that counts is the day employment ends. Anything earlier keeps the three-month limit.
And six months is only the start. Before most claims the employee has to contact Acas, and early conciliation pauses the clock for up to 12 weeks. After the certificate they have at least another month, and then the tribunal still has to send the claim on to you. You may hear from Acas sooner, but only if the employee agrees to Acas contacting you.
Under the old limit, many employers closed the file if nothing had arrived by month four or five. Now the earliest safe point to delete anything linked to a dismissal, grievance or disputed decision is about 12 months. We suggest 15, counted from the decision or from the day employment ends, whichever is later.
What to check now
- automatic deletion in email, Teams, Slack and WhatsApp. Find out what it is set to, and pause it for the people involved as soon as an issue starts
- CCTV and call recordings that overwrite themselves. Save the clip as soon as you know about an incident
- managers' own notes from disciplinary, grievance and redundancy meetings. Move them into the HR file
- applications and interview notes from candidates you turned down: we now suggest 12 months
Rows we added or changed for this are marked New or Updated. Everything else changing this year is on our employment law changes page.
Worth knowing
- Where there is no legal period, the usual guide is six years, the time limit for most contract claims in England and Wales (five years in Scotland). Keep records no longer than you need them: that is a legal rule too, under UK GDPR.
- If a claim, investigation or complaint is under way, keep everything related to it until it is resolved, whatever the table says.
- A tribunal can let a claim in after the time limit, most often in discrimination cases. The 15-month periods above leave room for the usual delays, but nothing can rule a late claim out completely.
- Records about anyone under 18, including accident records, are often kept until they turn 21, because the time limit for a claim only starts at 18.
- Health information needs more care than the rest of the file. Keep it apart from the main personnel record, limit who can see it and, where the dates of an absence are enough, use those and leave the medical detail out.
- When someone leaves, go through the health information you hold about them. Keep what the law says you must keep and what you would need to answer a claim, for the periods in the table, and delete the rest.
- A claim for an injury or illness caused by work must usually start within three years of the injury, or of the date the person first knew, or could reasonably have known, that they had it and that work may have caused it. That is one reason some exposure records must be kept for 40 years. Where a health record relates to an injury or illness that work may have caused, take advice before you delete it.
This page covers HR and payroll records. If you work in a regulated sector such as education, health and care or financial services, your regulator may set its own periods for sector records.
General information for employers in Great Britain, not legal advice. If a record relates to a specific claim or dispute, keep it and speak to an employment solicitor. See also our free HR compliance diagnostic.
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