Keep records for at least 6 years
Revenue Jersey requires businesses to keep their accounting records for a minimum of six years. Digital records are acceptable. Always confirm the rules that apply to your situation at gov.je.
Record-keeping is the least glamorous part of running a business and one of the most important. Long after a sale is made or a bill is paid, the paperwork behind it still matters — to support your tax position, to back up your accounts, and to answer any questions Revenue Jersey might raise. The rule in Jersey is clear on the headline point: you must keep your accounting records for at least six years.
What that means in practice is where people get unsure. Which documents fall under the rule? Can you bin the paper once you have scanned it? How should everything be organised so that, if you are ever asked, you can produce a clean trail rather than a shoebox of receipts? This short guide answers those questions and shows you how to build a record-keeping habit that keeps you on the right side of the line with minimal effort.
The Six-Year Rule
Jersey is a Crown Dependency with its own tax system, and Revenue Jersey is the island's tax authority. Its requirement is that businesses retain their accounting records for a minimum of six years. The clock generally runs from the period the records relate to, so a tidy rule of thumb is to keep everything for the current year plus the previous six.
Six years is the floor, not a target to rush toward.
"At least" matters: where a record may still be relevant — an ongoing query, a long-lived asset, or a contract with a long tail — it is sensible to keep it longer. When in doubt, keep it.
Because rules can change and the specifics may vary with your circumstances, treat six years as the baseline and confirm anything unusual at gov.je or with a professional adviser. There is rarely a downside to holding records a little longer; the risk lies in destroying them too soon.
What You Must Keep
"Accounting records" is broader than just the ledger. In practice it means everything needed to show how your figures were arrived at. A well-kept business will retain:
- Sales records — invoices you issued, receipts, and till or point-of-sale summaries
- Purchase records — supplier invoices and bills, expense receipts, and credit notes
- Bank and card records — statements and reconciliations for all business accounts
- Payroll records — wages, deductions, and related calculations where you employ staff
- Tax and GST records — returns, calculations, and anything supporting amounts declared
- Supporting documents — contracts, leases, asset purchases, and significant correspondence
The guiding principle is simple: if a document helps explain or justify a number in your accounts or on a tax return, keep it. It is far easier to retain a complete set than to reconstruct a missing piece years later.
Formats: Digital Is Fine
One of the most common questions is whether records have to be kept on paper. The reassuring answer is no — digital records are acceptable in Jersey. You can scan paper documents and store them electronically, or keep records that were digital from the outset, provided they remain complete, accurate, and readable for the full retention period.
| Consideration | Paper Records | Digital Records |
|---|---|---|
| Accepted in Jersey | Yes | Yes |
| Space required | Physical storage | Minimal |
| Searchable | Manual | Quick and easy |
| Main risk | Loss, fire, fading | Data loss without backups |
| Key rule | Keep legible & complete | Keep readable, backed up, intact |
If you go digital, the responsibility shifts to keeping the data safe and accessible: maintain reliable backups, make sure files stay readable as software changes, and ensure you can actually retrieve a specific document when needed. A digital pile you cannot search is no better than a shoebox.
Revenue Jersey Expectations
Beyond simply holding records for six years, Revenue Jersey expects them to actually do their job — which is to support the figures you have declared. In practice that means your records should be:
- Complete — covering the full picture, with no significant gaps
- Accurate — reflecting what genuinely happened, not rounded guesses
- Organised — capable of being produced clearly if you are asked
- Reconcilable — your records should tie back to your bank and to your returns
The real test is a query you didn't expect.
If Revenue Jersey asks you to substantiate a figure from three years ago, well-kept records let you answer quickly and confidently. Poor records turn a routine question into a stressful, time-consuming scramble — which is exactly why the discipline is worth building before you ever need it.
Building a Good System
Compliance is far easier when record-keeping is a routine rather than a year-end panic. A few simple habits cover most of what is needed:
- Capture documents as they arrive — scan or save receipts and invoices straight away
- Reconcile regularly — match records to your bank monthly so errors surface early
- Organise by year and type — a consistent folder structure makes retrieval painless
- Back up digital records — more than one copy, in more than one place
- Don't destroy too soon — confirm the six-year floor has passed before clearing anything
Done consistently, these habits cost very little time and remove almost all the stress from record retention. The goal is to reach the point where producing six years of clean, organised records is a matter of opening a folder — not a frantic search through drawers and inboxes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Exactly how long must I keep my business records in Jersey?
Revenue Jersey requires accounting records to be kept for at least six years. A practical rule of thumb is the current year plus the previous six. Because circumstances vary and rules can change, treat six years as the minimum and confirm anything specific to your situation at gov.je or with an adviser.
Can I throw away the paper once I've scanned everything?
Digital records are acceptable in Jersey, so scanning and storing electronically is generally fine — provided the digital copies remain complete, accurate, readable, and retrievable for the full retention period. If you do go paperless, make sure your backups are reliable. If you are ever unsure about a particular document, keeping the original is the cautious choice.
Do these rules apply to a sole trader or a very small business?
The expectation to keep proper records that support your declared figures applies broadly, regardless of size. A small business simply has fewer records to manage. The six-year minimum and the need for complete, accurate, organised records are the same principles whether you are a sole trader or a larger company — confirm your specifics at gov.je.
What happens if I can't produce records Revenue Jersey asks for?
Being unable to substantiate the figures you have declared can make a routine query far more difficult and time-consuming, and may weaken your position. We won't quote specific consequences here, as they depend on the circumstances — but the clear takeaway is that keeping complete, well-organised records for at least six years protects you. Check current guidance at gov.je.
Important Disclaimer
This article is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute formal tax, financial, or legal advice. Record-keeping rules in Jersey can change and may vary with your circumstances. Always confirm the requirements that apply to you with Revenue Jersey, gov.je, or a qualified professional adviser before acting.
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