Records Retention Policy Template
Establish clear standards for retaining, storing, protecting, and securely disposing of organizational records.
$35
Editable Word Template + DIY Implementation GuideÂ
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Why This Policy Matters
Consistent records management helps organizations meet legal, operational, financial, and accountability requirements while reducing unnecessary storage and information risk. A written policy identifies covered records, assigns retention responsibilities, establishes retention periods and secure-storage practices, suspends destruction when legal or business needs arise, and defines procedures for authorized, documented disposal.
What This Policy Covers
Record Categories & Ownership
Standards for identifying business, financial, personnel, legal, operational, electronic, and other organizational records and assigning responsible record owners.
Retention Periods & Schedules
Requirements for establishing retention periods based on legal, regulatory, contractual, operational, and historical needs.
Storage, Protection & Accessibility
Guidance for organizing, securing, backing up, retrieving, and protecting physical and electronic records throughout their retention period.
Legal Holds & Suspended Destruction
Procedures for preserving relevant records and suspending routine disposal when litigation, investigations, audits, or other legal matters arise.
Authorized Disposal & Documentation
Standards for approving, documenting, and securely destroying records after applicable retention requirements have been satisfied.
Employee Responsibilities & Program Review
Expectations for following retention schedules, preventing unauthorized alteration or disposal, reporting concerns, and periodically reviewing recordkeeping practices.
Who This Policy Is For
Designed for organizations that create, receive, maintain, store, or dispose of business records in physical or electronic form.
How to Use This Template
Start with a professionally structured framework, then tailor it to your record categories, retention schedules, storage systems, legal-hold practices, and disposal procedures.
Customize the editable Word template with your organization’s covered-record categories, record ownership, retention periods, storage and security requirements, access practices, legal-hold procedures, authorized-disposal process, documentation standards, and employee responsibilities. Coordinate it with related confidentiality, information-security, document-preservation, privacy, technology-use, and legal-hold policies; communicate retention and destruction requirements to employees and record owners; and review the finalized policy as laws, systems, operations, or recordkeeping needs change.
What Your Downloads Include
Two practical resources with instant digital access after purchase.
Editable Policy Template
Microsoft Word (.docx)
Customize the editable policy with your organization’s name, roles, terminology, procedures, and other organization-specific details.
DIY Policy Implementation Guide
A practical step-by-step companion to help you customize, review, communicate, implement, and maintain your policy with confidence.
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VIEW THE FULL COLLECTIONReady to Put This Policy to Work?
Get the editable Records Retention Policy Template plus the DIY Policy Implementation Guide with instant digital access after purchase.
