What is OMB/NARA Memorandum M-23-07?

OMB/NARA Memorandum M-23-07, “Update to Transition to Electronic Records,” is the federal directive that cemented electronic recordkeeping as the U.S. government’s default. Issued jointly by the Office of Management and Budget and the National Archives in late 2022, it built on the earlier M-19-21 and extended its deadlines.

What it requires

In essence, M-23-07 directs agencies to:

• Manage all records electronically, with appropriate metadata — including permanent records.
• Transfer permanent records to NARA electronically. After the transition deadline (June 30, 2024), NARA no longer accepts transfers of permanent or temporary records in analog (paper) formats, except by approved exception — records must be transferred electronically with the required metadata.
• Close out or convert remaining analog records and manage them digitally going forward.

Why it matters

The mandate is more than a formatting preference. Managing permanent records electronically — with the metadata that proves their authenticity — changes how agencies capture, categorize, and preserve information from creation onward. It pushed agencies toward electronic records management systems, auto-classification, and electronic transfer processes, and away from warehouses of paper.

What agencies did in response

Responding to M-23-07 typically meant focusing on electronic capture and scheduling, sufficient metadata, email management via the Capstone approach, digitization of any remaining analog permanent records to NARA standards, and electronic transfer of permanent records to the National Archives.

For records officers, M-23-07 turned long-discussed modernization into a compliance requirement with firm deadlines. It is the practical reason federal agencies have invested heavily in electronic records management in recent years. See the federal records management hub for the broader framework.