What is the most common mistake agencies make by assuming it's always safer to keep every federal record forever?

The most common mistake is treating indefinite retention as the “safe” default. In practice, keeping every record forever is not the cautious choice. It substitutes hoarding for the disciplined, schedule-driven approach that federal records management actually requires, and it usually creates more risk than it avoids.

Why “keep everything” backfires

Records are governed by approved retention schedules that define how long each type of record must be kept and when it should be destroyed or transferred to permanent archival custody. Most federal records are temporary and are eventually authorized for disposal once their retention period ends. When an agency ignores that framework and simply retains everything, several problems follow:

• Disposition is part of the law, not optional. Authorized destruction of temporary records under an approved schedule is a legitimate, expected part of the lifecycle. Refusing to dispose of eligible records is itself a departure from sound recordkeeping.
• Discovery and access burdens grow. Every record retained is a record an agency may have to search, review, and produce in response to FOIA requests, litigation, or oversight inquiries. Larger volumes mean slower responses and higher cost.
• Privacy and security exposure expands. Holding sensitive or personal information longer than necessary increases the harm from a breach and can conflict with the principle of retaining personal data only as long as needed.
• Permanent records get buried. When everything is kept, the genuinely permanent, historically valuable records are harder to identify and transfer to the National Archives at the right time.

The better practice

Sound retention is not about destroying records to hide them. It is about applying approved schedules consistently:

1. Identify what each record is and which schedule covers it.
2. Retain it for the full required period, including any active legal hold.
3. Dispose of or transfer it only when authorized, and document that action.

Legal holds always pause disposition, so “schedule everything” never means destroying material relevant to active matters. But once holds are lifted and retention periods lapse, defensible, documented disposition is the responsible outcome.

For more on building and applying schedules, see the federal records topic hub. The goal is keeping the right records for the right time, not keeping everything indefinitely.