Record Retention Policy (Sample)

The Record Retention Policy (sample for churches) is available free below to download, customize and print for your church administrative office, Human Resources Dept...



What is record retention?

Record retention is a system that allows you to automatically determine what should be done with particular records and/or documents at a certain point of time.

Feel free to use the sample policy below as a guide to create a policy specific to your church so your employees and/or volunteers will have a policy to adhere to when questioning how long to keep documents and/or records in the church.



The sample policy below for record retention includes:

  • What is record retention? - Record retention is a system that allows you to automatically determine what should be done with particular records and/or documents at a certain point of time.
  • Policy - The corporate records of [Insert Church Name] (hereafter the “church”) are important assets. Corporate records include essentially all documents you produce as an employee and/or volunteer, whether paper or electronic. A record may be as obvious as a memorandum, an email or a contract or something not as obvious, such as a computerized desk calendar, an appointment book or an expense record. (See policy below for more information on the policy.)
  • Procedure - Occasionally, the church establishes retention or destruction policies or schedules for specific categories or records in order to ensure legal compliance and also to accomplish other objectives, such as preserving intellectual property and cost management. Several categories of documents that bear special consideration are identified below. While minimum retention periods are suggested, the retention of the documents identified below and of documents not included in the identified categories should be determined primarily by the application of the general guidelines affecting document retention identified above, as well as any other pertinent factors. 1. Tax RecordsTax records include, but may not be limited to, documents concerning payroll, expenses, proof of deductions, business costs, accounting procedures, and other documents concerning the church’s revenues. Tax records should be retained for at least six years from the date of filing the applicable forms. (See policy below for more information on the procedure.)
  • Statement - Failure to comply with this Record Retention Policy may result in punitive action against the employee and/or volunteer, including suspension or termination. Questions about this policy should be referred to Church Executive Pastor/Board/Church Attorney [Insert Contact Phone Number and Email], who is in charge of administering, enforcing and updating this policy.
  • Signatures & Date - Employee/Volunteer and Witness's Signature & Date
  • Approved and Date
Click on the link to download the Policy for Record Retention below:

Record Retention Policy (Sample)


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Note: These sample forms are meant to serve as example forms and should not be construed as legal documents.  Please contact a legal professional for legal language for your specific organization.


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