How Long to Retain Records

At least seven laws, both state and federal, mandate different lengths of time various employment records must be kept.​

For practical reasons, many employers keep the bulk of an employee’s personnel file and other records for the duration of employment plus four years. This time period covers nearly every law, with the exception of three types of records that must be removed from a file before it is disposed of and retained for a longer duration:

• Pension and welfare plan information (six years)¹
• First aid records of job injuries causing loss of work time (five years)²