Cutoff
The point at which records are closed off (often the end of a fiscal year or completion of an event) so the retention period can begin to run, allowing disposition in orderly batches.
Cutoff is the act of closing off a file or group of records at a defined point so that the retention clock can begin. Rather than starting each record’s retention from its individual creation date, organizations commonly cut records off at a regular interval — typically the end of the fiscal or calendar year, or the completion of a triggering event such as case closure — and apply the retention period from there.
Cutoff makes disposition manageable: instead of evaluating records one at a time, an organization can process whole batches that share the same cutoff and retention. The cutoff is closely tied to a record series’ trigger event, which the retention schedule specifies. Getting cutoffs right is essential to applying retention consistently and disposing of records on time.