Where do I find the retention period for federal payroll and time-and-attendance records?

For federal payroll and time-and-attendance records, retention periods are not something an agency sets on its own. They are governed by government-wide schedules issued by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), supplemented by your agency’s own records schedule and certain statutory recordkeeping rules.

Start with the General Records Schedules

The first place to look is NARA’s General Records Schedules (GRS). The GRS are mandatory, government-wide disposition schedules that cover administrative records common to most federal agencies, including human resources, payroll, and time-and-attendance records. Because payroll and timekeeping are administrative “housekeeping” functions found across the government, their disposition is typically prescribed by a GRS rather than by a custom agency schedule.

When you consult the GRS, look for the schedule items covering payroll, pay administration, and time-and-attendance documentation. Each item gives a record description, a disposition authority number, and the retention period (for example, destroy after a set number of years). Always use the current version of the schedule, since NARA periodically revises and reissues GRS items.

Check your agency’s records schedule

If a record is not addressed by the GRS, or if your agency has program-specific payroll records, those will be covered by an agency-specific records schedule (sometimes called a records control schedule or comprehensive schedule) approved by NARA. Your agency records officer maintains these and can tell you which authority applies to a given record series.

Remember overlapping legal requirements

Retention is the floor set by your disposition authority, but other laws may impose minimum recordkeeping periods that you must also satisfy. The Fair Labor Standards Act, for example, sets minimum retention requirements for payroll and hours-worked records. When multiple requirements apply, follow the longest applicable period and never destroy records subject to a litigation hold, audit, or investigation.

Practical steps

• Identify the exact record series (payroll registers, timecards, leave records, etc.).
• Find the matching GRS item and its current disposition authority.
• Confirm with your agency records officer whether a more specific schedule applies.
• Document the authority you relied on for each disposition action.

For more guidance on federal recordkeeping, see the federal records topic hub.