How Long to Keep Your Records, and What Happens If You Cannot Find Them
Five years for the self-employed, six for companies, and the clock starts later than you think. Digital copies are fine — which makes the whole problem avoidable.
Two things about record keeping are usually got wrong: how long the period is, and when it starts. The second causes more trouble than the first.
The periods
| Who | How long | From when |
|---|---|---|
| Self-employed and landlords | 5 years | The 31 January filing deadline |
| Limited companies | 6 years | End of the accounting period |
| VAT registered | 6 years | The relevant period |
| Employers (PAYE) | 3 years | End of the tax year |
The clock starts later than you think
For the self-employed the five years runs from the filing deadline, not from the transaction. Records for the 2025/26 tax year are covered by the 31 January 2027 deadline, so they must be kept until 31 January 2032.
A receipt from April 2025 therefore needs to survive until 2032 — nearly seven years. Anyone counting five years from the date on the receipt disposes of it two years early.
When it is longer
- The return was filed late
- HMRC has opened an enquiry — keep everything until it is settled
- The records relate to a transaction spanning more than one accounting period
- An asset was bought that is expected to last beyond the normal period
Digital is fine
You do not have to keep paper. HMRC accepts digital copies as long as they are legible and show the full document. Once you have a clear image, the original can go.
That is the whole solution to this problem. A receipt photographed on the day it is issued is filed, backed up and findable; the same receipt left in a coat pocket is a reconstruction exercise in four years' time. Our app does this in two taps and stores it against your account, which also means the records are not sitting on a phone that might be replaced.
If they are gone
Reconstruct from bank statements, card statements and supplier copies. Where figures are estimated, say so on the return rather than presenting them as recorded fact — HMRC treats an honest estimate very differently from an unexplained one.
There is a penalty for failing to keep adequate records, and it applies whether or not the return turned out to be right. It is not usually the main cost, though: the real cost is the expenses you cannot evidence and therefore cannot claim.
Getting help with this
AJH Accountants handles compliance for clients across the UK. We deal with HMRC, tell you what you can claim, and file on time, so nothing rests on you remembering a deadline. See how the service works, ask for a fixed-fee quote, or call the office on 01204 840303.
Originally published at ajhaccountant.co.uk/blog/how-long-to-keep-tax-records.