Office record storage in Pakistan: what to keep, for how long, and where

Every office in Pakistan has the room. It started as a store cupboard, then became the place old files go, and now it's floor to ceiling with box files nobody has opened in years, in a space the business pays full rent for. Office record storage doesn't have to work like that. This guide covers how long records need to be kept, how to box them so you can find one when an auditor asks, and when moving them offsite makes sense.

Why records pile up

Businesses keep paper for good reasons. Tax returns, invoices, bank statements, salary records, contracts and correspondence may all be asked for years after the event, by the tax authorities, an auditor, a court or a buyer doing due diligence. Throwing them away too early is a real risk.

The problem is that nobody decides when they can go, so nothing ever does. Each year adds another shelf, and the files from five years ago sit in the most expensive square feet the business rents.

How long to keep business records in Pakistan

Retention periods depend on the type of record and the law it falls under. As a broad guide, tax law generally expects the records behind a return to be kept for several years after the end of the tax year, commonly six, and company law can require books of account to be kept for longer. Contracts are usually worth keeping for as long as a claim could still arise under them.

Because the exact periods matter and change, check them with your accountant or company secretary, and keep an eye on the guidance published by the Federal Board of Revenue and the SECP. What we can help with is the practical part: keeping those records safe and findable for however long they need to be kept.

How to box office records properly

Good office record storage is mostly about the packing. A well run archive lets you find one invoice from four years ago in a few minutes.

Use proper archive boxes

Standard archive boxes with lids stack evenly and don't crush. Avoid reused cartons of different sizes, which lean and collapse when stacked.

One year, one type per box

Don't mix years or record types in a box. "Sales invoices, 2023, January to June" is a box you can find and later destroy in one go. "Accounts stuff" is not.

Label every box the same way

On two sides and the top, write the company, the record type, the period covered, a box number and the destroy after date. Use the same format every time.

Keep an index

A simple spreadsheet with box number, contents, period, location and destroy after date is the whole system. Keep a copy somewhere other than the office.

Protect the paper

Paper suffers from damp and heat. Keep boxes off the floor and away from the walls, and don't store them in a basement or a ground floor room that takes water in the monsoon. Our guide to protecting stored things from humidity applies to paper just as much as to furniture.

Office record storage on site or offsite?

Keep the current year and the previous one in the office, where people use them. Everything older is a candidate for offsite storage. Here's a rough idea of what a unit holds and costs.

Set that against the rent on the room the files currently fill. For an office in a commercial area, freeing even a small store room for a desk or a meeting space usually covers the cost of the unit.

Getting at a file when you need it

With a good index you won't need to search the unit, just walk to the right shelf. We ask for 48 hours notice before a visit and each visit includes an hour on site, which is plenty to pull a box when you know exactly where it is. Auditors and tax queries usually come with notice, so the arrangement fits how records are actually used.

Only people you've named can get into your unit. Tell us who in the company is authorised and we'll deal with them.

Questions about storing business records

Should we scan everything instead?

Scanning helps with records people look at often, and a scanned copy is a good backup. But many authorities and courts still ask for originals, and scanning thousands of pages properly costs more than storing the boxes. Most businesses scan the current year, keep originals of everything, and store the older originals offsite.

Who should be allowed to get at the archive?

Keep the list short: usually the owner, the finance lead and perhaps the company secretary. Records often hold salaries, bank details and customer information, so the fewer people with access the better.

How do we destroy records safely when their time is up?

Shred them, don't bin them. A cross cut shredder handles small volumes in the office. For hundreds of boxes, a shredding service that gives you a certificate of destruction is worth the cost. Update the index when boxes are destroyed so nobody goes looking for them later.

Do records need special storage conditions?

Paper needs to be dry, off the floor and away from direct heat. That's it. A clean, dry, ventilated unit with boxes on shelving does the job well for the years most records need to be kept.

What not to send offsite

• Original title deeds, share certificates and anything irreplaceable belong in a bank locker or a fireproof safe.
• Records you're using this year should stay in the office.
• Anything containing customer data should be boxed and sealed, and the index should show where it is.

There's more on how we work with companies on our business storage page, and our guide to business storage for shops and online sellers covers stock rather than paper. When you're ready, tell us roughly how many boxes you have and we'll suggest a size and send the monthly price.