How long to keep tax records

Why retention periods matter

HMRC can open enquiries up to four years after the end of the tax year (six years for negligence, twenty years for deliberate underpayment). Without records, you can't defend the figures you reported.

By taxpayer type

Limited companies

• At least 6 years from the end of the accounting period
• Includes statutory accounts, computations, supporting records
• Companies House filings: same period

Self employed and landlords

• At least 5 years and 10 months from the end of the tax year
• So records for the 2024/25 tax year must be kept until 31 January 2031

Employees with simple PAYE only

• At least 22 months from the end of the tax year
• Includes P60s, P11Ds, payslips

VAT-registered businesses

• At least 6 years from the end of the period
• Includes VAT invoices, returns, and supporting calculations

Employers (payroll)

• At least 3 years from the end of the tax year
• Most employers keep 6 years to align with other rules

Capital records — different rule

For Capital Gains Tax purposes, keep records of asset purchases, improvements, and dispositions until 6 years after the disposal. So if you bought a property in 2010 and sold it in 2024, keep the records until 2030 — even though the income tax retention period is much shorter.

Don't dispose early

Always pick the longest applicable rule. If you're a landlord and an employer, keep landlord records for 5 years 10 months and payroll for 3 years — but it's safer to keep everything for 6 years and flush together once a year.

Digital records count

You don't need to keep paper. Scanned PDFs with date, supplier, and reference are accepted by HMRC, as long as they're complete and accessible. Just make sure you have backups.