This aligns with the right to launch certain types of claim under the Limitation Act 1980. In systems which use calendar rather than financial years, retention should be rounded up to 7 years.
Where the 6+ rule is not appropriate, other standard retention periods are available:
- DOB+25: destroy 25 years after date of birth - useful for records relating to minors, who may possibly launch a legal claim on reaching maturity
- DOB+35: destroy 35 years after date of birth
- DOB+100: destroy 100 years after birth - approximately, lifelong retention
- CASE+25: destroy 25 years after entire case is closed
- CASE+6: destroy 6 years after entire case is closed
- ACTION+15: destroy 15 years after last action, use or modification
- ACTION+25: destroy 25 years after last action, use or modification
- ACTION+50: destroy 50 years after last action, use or modification
- ACTION+75: destroy 75 years after last action, use or modification
- ACTION+100: destroy 100 years after last action, use or modification
- TERMS+6: destroy 6 years after expiry of terms of, for example, ordinary contract
- TERMS+12: destroy 12 years after expiry of, for example, sealed contract
- PERM: permanent. Offer to Derbyshire Record Office when no longer required
- D<1: destroy within 1 year, for transient data awaiting final deletion
Where none of these options is acceptable, the corporate records manager and retention schedule owner can agree on an addition to the list, which is appended to the record disposal procedures to allow for regular review by Information Governance Group.