How long should you keep invoices?

At a glance

These are the GOV.UK baselines. If HMRC opens an enquiry, or your return was late, you may need to keep records for longer. Always check the linked guidance for your situation.

Sole traders: what "5 years after 31 January" means

Take the 2025–26 tax year (6 April 2025 to 5 April 2026). Its online return is due by 31 January 2027, so you keep that year's records until at least 31 January 2032. An invoice you issue in October 2026 falls in the 2026–27 tax year, so it's kept until at least January 2033. In practice, that's six to seven years from the invoice date.

GOV.UK's list of records to keep includes all sales and income, all business expenses, VAT records if you're registered, PAYE records if you employ people, and records of personal income. For CIS subcontractors, that includes your monthly payment and deduction statements.

Limited companies

GOV.UK says companies must keep records for 6 years from the end of the last company financial year they relate to, or longer in some cases, for example if a transaction covers more than one year, or if equipment was bought with a long-term payment arrangement. Companies also have Companies Act record obligations beyond tax.

VAT records

HMRC's record keeping notice (700/21) generally requires VAT records to be kept for 6 years. If you're within Making Tax Digital for VAT, certain records must be kept digitally.

What counts as an invoice record?

• Copies of every invoice you've sent, including cancelled ones and credit notes
• Self-billed invoices you've received
• Timesheets that support the invoices
• Bank statements showing payments in
• Correspondence about disputed or late invoices

Can records be digital?

Yes. GOV.UK says you can keep records on paper, digitally or in a software program. PDFs of your invoices are fine, as long as they're complete, readable and you can produce them if HMRC asks. Scanning paper receipts is generally acceptable if the copies are clear. Keep a backup: a single laptop or a single online account isn't a backup.

What if you don't keep them?

GOV.UK says HMRC can charge you a penalty if your records aren't accurate, complete and readable, and if they're missing, HMRC may estimate what you owe. Good records are also your evidence in a payment dispute with a client.

A simple system

1. One folder per tax year (e.g. "2026-27").
2. Inside: Invoices, Expenses, Bank, CIS statements.
3. Name invoice PDFs consistently, e.g. "Your Name Client Invoice 61.pdf".
4. At the end of each tax year, export everything and store a second copy somewhere else.
5. Add a calendar reminder for the date you're allowed to delete it.

Worked example: when you can delete

This is the sole trader baseline: five years after the 31 January submission deadline. For a limited company with a 31 March 2027 year end, six years from the end of that financial year is 31 March 2033. HMRC can ask for records for longer if it opens an enquiry or if a return was late, so treat these as minimums and not dates to delete on.

Extra records for CIS subcontractors

If you work under CIS, keep every payment and deduction statement from each contractor, matched to your invoices and bank receipts. At the end of the year, your total of deductions should match the total on your statements. If a contractor's figure is missing, ask for a replacement statement. If you claim a CIS refund, these are the papers that support it. See claiming back CIS deductions and use the CIS refund calculator.

If records are lost

Do not ignore it. Rebuild what you can from bank statements, emails with clients, remittance advice and your own invoice copies, and contact the client for duplicates. Keep a note of how you rebuilt the figures. It is much easier to ask a client for another copy of an invoice now than after a dispute starts. Cloud storage and an annual export make losing everything unlikely.

Keep records longer for disputed invoices

If an invoice is disputed or unpaid, keep it, the timesheets and all the emails until the matter is fully settled, even if the tax minimum has passed. The chasing guide and Money Claim Online guide both rely on a clean paper trail.