Compliance Centre

Record keeping

Records are how a business proves what happened. Almost every other area on this page is evidenced by something in this one.

EducationalCompliance topicLast reviewed 2026-08-14No named reviewer yet

What it covers

The scope of this area, in general terms.

Statutory registers and company records required under CAMA 2020.
Accounting records adequate to show the position of the business and support its filings.
Employment records: contracts, payslips, leave, discipline and remittances.
Contracts, permits, insurance policies, and evidence of consents and licences.
Retention periods, and secure disposal when a period ends.

When it becomes relevant

Circumstances in which this area usually matters. This is not a test of whether an obligation applies to you — that depends on your specific situation and should be confirmed with the relevant authority.

Always. Record keeping is the one area with no threshold.
Especially where a dispute, audit, inspection or claim is foreseeable.
Where more than one person can create or change records.

Good practice

Practices businesses commonly put in place. Educational, not prescriptive.

Decide where each category of record lives, and who owns it.
Keep records as events happen rather than reconstructing them later.
Set retention periods, and delete on schedule - particularly for personal data.
Back records up, and test that a restore actually works.
Ensure the business, not an individual, controls the accounts holding its records.

Common gaps

How this area usually goes wrong — rarely through bad faith, and almost always through nobody owning it.

Company statutory registers never opened.
Records held in a founder's personal email or phone.
No backup, or a backup nobody has ever restored from.
Everything kept forever, including personal data with no purpose.
Access lost when a staff member leaves.

When to involve a lawyer

When to speak to a lawyer

You have received a demand, an inspection notice or a disclosure request.
Records that should exist cannot be found and a claim is likely.
You are setting retention policy for sensitive or regulated records.
A dispute over control of company records has arisen.

Find a lawyer Describe your problem

What it covers

The scope of this area, in general terms.

Statutory registers and company records required under CAMA 2020.
Accounting records adequate to show the position of the business and support its filings.
Employment records: contracts, payslips, leave, discipline and remittances.
Contracts, permits, insurance policies, and evidence of consents and licences.
Retention periods, and secure disposal when a period ends.

When it becomes relevant

Always. Record keeping is the one area with no threshold.
Especially where a dispute, audit, inspection or claim is foreseeable.
Where more than one person can create or change records.

Good practice

Practices businesses commonly put in place. Educational, not prescriptive.

Decide where each category of record lives, and who owns it.
Keep records as events happen rather than reconstructing them later.
Set retention periods, and delete on schedule - particularly for personal data.
Back records up, and test that a restore actually works.
Ensure the business, not an individual, controls the accounts holding its records.

Common gaps

How this area usually goes wrong — rarely through bad faith, and almost always through nobody owning it.

Company statutory registers never opened.
Records held in a founder's personal email or phone.
No backup, or a backup nobody has ever restored from.
Everything kept forever, including personal data with no purpose.
Access lost when a staff member leaves.

When to involve a lawyer

When to speak to a lawyer

You have received a demand, an inspection notice or a disclosure request.
Records that should exist cannot be found and a claim is likely.
You are setting retention policy for sensitive or regulated records.
A dispute over control of company records has arisen.

Find a lawyer Describe your problem

What it covers

When it becomes relevant

Good practice

Common gaps

When to involve a lawyer

Related across the platform

What it covers

When it becomes relevant

Good practice

Common gaps

When to involve a lawyer

Related across the platform