How long to keep records

Each country sets how long business records must be kept. Pop Books uses those periods to decide when a company can be erased. Your accountant should confirm the period for your business.

Periods by country

| Country | Period used by the product | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | | United States | 7 years | The IRS asks for 3 years in most cases and up to 7 for some claims. Seven years covers all of them. | | Canada | 6 years | Counted from the end of the last tax year the records relate to. | | India | 8 financial years | Books of account under section 128 of the Companies Act, 2013. Confirm with a chartered accountant. |

Payroll records in the United States may need only 4 years, but the product uses the longer period for every record.

What the product keeps

• The books and every change to them, in the edit history. Entries cannot be deleted.
• Snapshots of the company file, so you can restore it.
• A full export of the company, which you can take at any time (see privacy-export-erase).

When erasing is allowed

Erasing removes a company from Pop Books for good. It is allowed only after the retention period has passed.

• The erase check gives the first day erasing is allowed. It is 1 January after the retention period ends, counted from the year of your newest record.
• For example, with 7 years and a newest record in 2026, erasing is allowed from 1 January 2034.
• A company with no records can be erased at any time.
• Only the owner can erase, and the sign-in check (see security-and-sign-in) must be done again first.

Export everything before you erase, and keep your own copy for as long as the period requires.