You must keep: 

• records about the company itself 
  
• financial and accounting recordsHM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) may check your records to make sure you’re paying the right amount of tax.
  

Records about the company 

You must keep details of: 

• directors, shareholders and company secretaries 
  
• the results of any shareholder votes and resolutions 
  
• transactions when someone buys shares in the company 
  
• loans or mortgages secured against the company’s assets 
  
• records if there are people with significant control 
  

Accounting records 

You must keep accounting records that include: 

• all money received and spent by the company 
  
• details of assets owned by the company 
  
• debts the company owes or is owed 
  
• stock the company owns at the end of the financial year 
  
• all goods bought and sold 
  
• who you bought and sold them to and from (unless you run a retail business) 
  

You must also keep any other financial records, information and calculations you need to prepare and file your annual accounts and Company Tax Return. This includes records of: 

• all money spent by the company, for example receipts, petty cash books, orders and delivery notes 
  
• all money received by the company, for example invoices, contracts, sales books and till rolls 
  
• any other relevant documents, for example bank statements and correspondence 
  

You can be fined £3,000 by HMRC or disqualified as a company director if you don’t keep accounting records. 

How long to keep records 

You must keep records for 6 years from the end of the last company financial year they relate to, or longer if: 

• they show a transaction that covers more than one of the company’s accounting periods 
  
• the company has bought something that it expects to last more than 6 years, like equipment or machinery 
  
• you sent your Company Tax Return late 
  
• HMRC has started a compliance check into your Company Tax Return