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Records Retention Schedule Template

An Excel schedule for every type of quality record: who owns it, where it lives, what starts the retention clock and for how long it is kept. The sheet calculates each disposal date and flags records that are eligible for disposal or on hold.

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Who this template is for

Quality managers and document controllers who must show how long records are kept and when they may be destroyed, and the record owners in each department.

When to use it

When you write or update your control of records procedure.
When a customer contract, regulation or new product line sets a retention requirement.
Once or twice a year, to find records that are past their retention period.
Before moving records to a new system, so you know what to migrate and what to dispose of.

Standards it supports

ISO 9001:2015 7.5.3.1 — Documented information is available where needed and protected against loss of confidentiality, improper use or loss of integrity.
ISO 9001:2015 7.5.3.2 — Control covers distribution, access, storage, preservation, change control, and retention and disposition.
IATF 16949:2016 7.5.3.2.1 — A documented record retention policy is required; production part approvals, tooling and design records are kept while the part is active plus one calendar year, unless the customer or a regulator requires longer.
ISO 9001:2015 8.6 — Records of product release, including conformity evidence and who authorized release, are retained.

How to use this template

List record types — walk each process and list the records it produces, grouped into types such as inspection records or training records.
Find the requirement — for each type, note the standard clause, customer contract or regulation that drives retention.
Set trigger and period — choose the event that starts the clock (part shipped, gauge retired, employee leaves) and the period in years, taking the longest applicable requirement.
Enter trigger dates — for a review, enter the trigger date of the oldest batch you hold; the disposal date and status calculate.
Dispose or hold — dispose of Eligible records by the stated method and record it, unless a legal or customer hold applies.

Tip: Retention periods in the Example are a fictional company’s choices, not legal advice. Check your customer contracts and the regulations that apply to you.

What's inside the template

Header

Company, as-of date, schedule owner and approval

Record type

Type, example records and the requirement that applies

Ownership and storage

Owner and location or format

Retention

Trigger event, trigger date and retention period in years

Disposal

Calculated disposal date, disposal method and any hold

Status

Retain, eligible for disposal, on hold or no disposal date, with counts

Example: a completed template

Example Retention schedule for Example Precision Co., a fictional machine shop, reviewed as of 2026-10-01. The periods and dates are invented for illustration and are not recommendations.

Schedule

Record type	Owner	Trigger	Trigger date	Years	Disposal date	Hold	Status
Inspection records	Quality Manager	Part shipped	2019-08-30	7	2026-08-30	No	Eligible for disposal
Calibration records	Quality Manager	Gauge retired	2023-05-10	5	2028-05-10	No	Retain
Training records	HR Lead	Employee leaves	2024-01-31	3	2027-01-31	No	Retain
Superseded procedures	Document Controller	Superseded	2020-06-01	5	2025-06-01	No	Eligible for disposal
NCR and CAPA records	Quality Manager	Record closed	2018-04-12	7	2025-04-12	Yes	On hold
Management review minutes	Quality Manager	Meeting held	2026-07-14	10	2036-07-14	No	Retain
PPAP and tooling records	Quality Engineer	Part production ends	—	1	—	No	No disposal date

Summary

Record types	7
Eligible for disposal	2
On hold	1
No disposal date yet	1

The math in this Example

Inspection records: 2019-08-30 + 7 years = 2026-08-30, on or before 2026-10-01, so Eligible for disposal
NCR and CAPA records: 2018-04-12 + 7 years = 2025-04-12, past due, but a customer claim hold applies, so On hold
Calibration records: 2023-05-10 + 5 years = 2028-05-10, so Retain

How to fill in each field

Field	What to enter	Example
Record type	A group of records with the same retention rule. Keep the list short enough to maintain.	Calibration records
Requirement / source	The clause, contract or regulation behind the period. Where several apply, the longest wins.	ISO 9001 7.1.5.2; customer terms
Owner	The role responsible for keeping and disposing of the records.	Quality Manager
Location / format	Where the master copy lives and in which format, so it can be found in an audit.	Network folder, PDF
Retention trigger	The event that starts the clock. Prefer an event over "date created" when records stay in use.	Gauge retired
Retention (years)	Years after the trigger. Use whole years or decimals such as 0.5.	5
Disposal date (calculated)	Trigger date plus the retention period.	2028-05-10
Hold	Yes when a dispute, claim, investigation or customer request requires keeping the records regardless of the date.	No

Common mistakes

Keeping everything forever. Indefinite retention costs storage and makes records harder to find. Set a period and dispose on schedule.
Retention by creation date only. Use a trigger event for records tied to a product or person, such as part shipped or employee leaves.
Ignoring customer requirements. Read the quality clauses in each contract. Customer periods often exceed your default.
Disposing of records under hold. Check for holds before every disposal and record who approved it.
No owner. Give every record type a role responsible for its retention and disposal.
Forgetting electronic records and backups. Apply the schedule to systems, shared drives and email, not just paper.

Frequently asked questions

How long should quality records be kept?

ISO 9001 does not set periods; you decide them, based on customer contracts, regulations, product life and liability. Industry-specific standards and customers often set minimums, so check them first.

What is a retention trigger?

The event that starts the retention clock, such as part shipped, contract closed or gauge retired. It keeps records that are still in use from expiring.

What is a legal hold?

An instruction to keep records because of a dispute, claim or investigation. It overrides the schedule until it is lifted.

Do I need to record disposal?

It is good practice to record what was disposed of, when, how and who approved it, so you can show the schedule is followed.