Records Disposition Dates
Use this page to determine whether your records have met their required retention period.
Calculations valid September 1, 2024 - August 31, 2025 (Fiscal Year 2025)
Retention Based on Years (General Retention Periods)
Retention periods are counted in years, from the end of the month or semester in which the record was created or the relevant event occurred.
| Retention Period | Dispose of Records Dated Through |
|---|---|
| 1 year | End of last month (or semester), 2024 |
| 2 years | End of last month (or semester), 2023 |
| 3 years | End of last month (or semester), 2022 |
| 4 years | End of last month (or semester), 2021 |
| 5 years | End of last month (or semester), 2020 |
| 6 years | End of last month (or semester), 2019 |
| 7 years | End of last month (or semester), 2018 |
| 10 years | End of last month (or semester), 2015 |
| 20 years | End of last month (or semester), 2005 |
Always retain full months or semesters. Do not split partial periods.
Fiscal Year-Based Retention (FE)
Used when the retention schedule lists retention as FE+ x (FE = end of fiscal year, August 31), and x = the timeframe (years, months, days) shown in section 8 of the Records Retention Schedule.
| Retention Period | Dispose of Records from Fiscal Year |
|---|---|
| FE+1 | FY2024 (Sept. 1, 2023 - Aug. 31, 2024) |
| FE+2 | FY2023 |
| FE+3 | FY2022 |
| FE+4 | FY2021 |
| FE+5 | FY2020 |
| FE+6 | FY2019 |
| FE+7 | FY2018 |
| FE+8 | FY2017 |
Retain and dispose of entire fiscal years. Don't split or combine fiscal years on your log.
Calendar Year-Based Retention (CE)
Used when the retention schedule lists retention as CE + x (CE = end of calendar year, December 31), and x = the timeframe (years, months, days) shown in section 8 of the Records Retention Schedule.
| Retention Period | Disposed of Records from Calendar Year |
|---|---|
| CE+1 | 2023 |
| CE+2 | 2022 |
| CE+5 | 2019 |
Retain and dispose of entire calendar years. Use “CY” if clarification is needed (e.g., CY2022).
Event-Based Retention (AC)
Used when retention is listed as AC+ x, where AC = After Completion of an event (e.g., student separation, last enrollment, project completion), and x = the timeframe (years, months, days) shown in section 8 of the Records Retention Schedule.
Examples of event-based dates you may calculate:
| Retention (AC+x) | Event | Dispose Through |
|---|---|---|
| AC+2 | End of Semester | Spring 2022 (if last completed: Spring 2020) |
| AC+5 | Date of Separation | Sept. 2019 (if calculating in Oct. 2024) |
| AC+7 | Last Semester Enrolled | Fall 2017 |
Use the event date, not the record date. Always check the RRS for the definition of “AC” for your record series.
Additional Tips
- Always dispose of complete periods: full semesters, months, fiscal years, or calendar years.
- Do not split months or semesters.
- Use the first day of the next period as the start of the retention clock:
- End of semester = retention begins next semester
- End of month = retention begins first day of next month
- End of fiscal year (August 31) = starts September 1
- End of calendar year (December 31) = starts January 1