Retention rules are the most boring part of employment law until the day a former employee claims unpaid overtime from two years ago. At that point the only question that matters is whether you still have the records, and whether they say what you need them to say.
Why retention periods matter more than they seem
The legal periods below are the minimum you must keep records for. They’re not the same as the time someone has to bring a claim against you, which can be longer in some places. A record you deleted on the exact day the legal minimum ran out can still be the record you needed.
There’s also the opposite problem. Under data protection law (the UK and Ireland, for example) you shouldn’t keep personal data longer than you need it. That’s why the sensible approach is a written policy: what you keep, for how long, and why. It answers both questions at once.
The six countries in one table
| Country | Record | Minimum period |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Payroll records (FLSA) | 3 years |
| Time cards and wage rate tables (FLSA) | 2 years | |
| Employment tax records (IRS) | 4 years | |
| United Kingdom | Working time records (Great Britain) | 2 years |
| Minimum wage records | 6 years | |
| Holiday and holiday pay records (Great Britain, since 6 April 2026) | 6 years | |
| PAYE payroll records (HMRC) | 3 years after the tax year | |
| Canada (federal) | Payroll records, including hours worked each day | 3 years |
| Australia | Time and wages records | 7 years |
| Ireland | Working time records | 3 years |
| New Zealand | Wage and time records | 6 years |
Minimum periods under national or federal law. US states and Canadian provinces can set their own, and some are longer.
United States
The federal Fair Labor Standards Act has two clocks. Payroll records (who you employ, what you paid, the hours worked each workday and workweek for non-exempt staff) must be kept for at least 3 years (29 CFR 516.5). Supplementary records, such as the time cards those totals come from and wage rate tables, must be kept for 2 years (29 CFR 516.6).
Then there’s tax. The IRS asks employers to keep employment tax records for at least 4 years. And many states have their own wage and hour laws with their own periods. If you only remember one thing from this section: the 2-year rule for time cards is the shortest, not the one to plan around.
United Kingdom
The UK has changed more than anyone else in the last few years, so it’s worth going slowly.
- Working time. In Great Britain, the Working Time Regulations 1998 require records that show you comply with the 48-hour average week and the limits on night work, kept for 2 years (reg. 9). Since 1 January 2024 you don’t have to record each worker’s daily hours if you can show compliance another way, but in practice a record of hours is still the easiest way to show it.
- Minimum wage. Records that prove you paid at least the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage must be kept for 6 years (for pay periods starting on or after 1 April 2021; it used to be 3). These apply across the whole UK.
- Holiday. Since 6 April 2026, the Employment Rights Act 2025 requires employers in Great Britain to keep adequate records of the holiday each worker has taken and how holiday pay was worked out, for 6 years (new regulation 16B of the Working Time Regulations). Failing to keep them is a criminal offence, and the new Fair Work Agency, operating since 7 April 2026, can inspect without waiting for a complaint.
- Payroll for tax. HMRC asks you to keep PAYE records for 3 years from the end of the tax year they relate to.
Until April 2026 most British employers had no legal duty to keep holiday records at all. Now they do, for six years, and holiday pay for people with variable hours depends on the hours they worked. If your hours records are patchy, your holiday records will be too.
Canada, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand
Canada
For employers under federal jurisdiction (banks, airlines, telecoms, interprovincial transport and a few other sectors), the Canada Labour Standards Regulations require payroll records that include the hours worked each day, kept for 3 years after the work is done. Most Canadian employers, though, are regulated by their province, so check your province’s employment standards act.
Australia
Employers covered by the Fair Work Act must keep time and wages records for 7 years. That’s the longest period of the six countries here, and the Fair Work Ombudsman can ask to see them.
Ireland
The Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 (section 25) requires records that show you comply with the Act, kept for 3 years. Not keeping them is an offence, and if a working time complaint goes to the Workplace Relations Commission without records, the burden of proving you complied falls on you.
New Zealand
Under section 130 of the Employment Relations Act 2000, employers must keep wage and time records for 6 years. Holiday and leave records have their own requirements under the Holidays Act, so it’s worth keeping both on the same schedule.
How to keep records so they’re still useful in six years
Keeping the files is half the job. The other half is making sure they still mean something when you need them:
- Keep the original entries, not just the totals. A monthly total of 172 hours can’t show what happened on a disputed Tuesday.
- Keep the corrections with their reasons. If someone’s clock-in was changed, the record should show both times and why.
- Make sure records survive staff changes. Paper in a manager’s drawer and spreadsheets on someone’s laptop tend to leave with them.
- Check you can export. If you change provider, you still need years of history. Ask before you sign up how you’d get it out.
- Write down your retention policy. What you keep, for how long and when you delete it. Two paragraphs is enough.
Records that are still there when you need them
CheckInGO keeps every clock-in with the server time, every correction with the original time and the reason, and records of employees who’ve left. Data is kept while you’re a customer and for four more years if you cancel, and you can export PDFs at any time. $19 a month for up to 10 employees and $2 for each extra one, plus any tax that applies. No contract, and 7 days free to try it with your team.
Try it free for 7 daysFrequently asked questions
How long do I have to keep timesheets in the US?
Under federal law, time cards must be kept for at least 2 years and payroll records for at least 3 years. The IRS asks for employment tax records to be kept for at least 4 years, and your state may require more.
Do UK employers have to keep records of working hours?
In Great Britain, employers must keep records that show compliance with the 48-hour average week and night work limits for 2 years. Since 1 January 2024 a daily record of hours isn’t mandatory if compliance can be shown another way. Minimum wage records must be kept for 6 years.
What changed for holiday records in 2026?
Since 6 April 2026, employers in Great Britain must keep adequate records of the statutory holiday each worker takes and how holiday pay is calculated, for 6 years. Not doing so is a criminal offence under the Employment Rights Act 2025.
Is it enough to keep records digitally?
Yes. None of the six countries requires paper. What matters is that the records are complete, can’t be quietly altered, can be produced when asked and are kept for the full period.
Can I delete records once the minimum period ends?
Generally yes, and in the UK and Ireland data protection law expects you not to keep personal data longer than necessary. Check first whether there’s an open dispute or a longer period in your state, province or industry.
Information current as of 27 October 2026. Rules change, and states, provinces and industries often add their own, so use this as a guide rather than legal advice.
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