Orderly retention of business documentation: what the Civil Code requires

01

The direct answer

An entrepreneur carrying out a commercial activity must keep the day-book and the inventory book, and keep in order, for each transaction, the originals of letters, telegrams and invoices received, as well as copies of those sent.

Records, invoices, letters and telegrams must be kept for ten years from the date of the last entry; they may be kept using digital tools if the entries remain accessible at any time.

02

Why the distinction between books and records matters

The day-book must show the operations of the business day by day, while the inventory book is drawn up at the start of the financial year and then every year, with assets and liabilities valued according to the criteria used for joint-stock companies.

Companies must also keep separate corporate books — decisions of shareholders, directors, the board of statutory auditors — and keep the related documentation; meeting minutes must record the date, participants, capital represented, and voting results.

03

The operational sequence

Steps

1. Classify documents by transaction: originals of letters, telegrams and invoices received, and copies of those sent.
2. Number the pages of the accounting books progressively before putting them into use.
3. Record operations day by day in the day-book.
4. Draw up the inventory at the start of the financial year and every year, signing it within three months of the deadline for the tax return.
5. If kept digitally, ensure continuous accessibility and apply a time stamp and digital signature at least once a year.
6. Keep records, invoices, letters and telegrams for ten years from the date of the last entry.
7. For companies, keep the required corporate books and retain documentation of decisions by shareholders and governing bodies.

04

A hypothetical case

Hypothetical example: a limited liability company receives a supplier invoice and the related correspondence. The administration files the original by transaction, records the operation in the day-book the same day, and, at year-end, includes it in the inventory with the valuation of the related assets and liabilities. The minutes of the meeting approving the financial statements record the date, participants and capital represented, as required for corporate resolutions.

05

Checks before filing

• Are documents grouped by transaction, not just by date or supplier?
• Does the day-book show operations day by day?
• Was the inventory drawn up and signed within the required time?
• If kept digitally, are entries accessible at any time and time-stamped?
• Are corporate books (shareholder decisions, directors, board of statutory auditors) kept separately and up to date?

06

What a company can set up in its management software

A company may choose to configure, together with its software partner, an archive that links each document to its related transaction, with traceability of who uploaded or recorded each item and with distinct roles for those keeping the day-book, the inventory, and the corporate books.

These are suggested operational choices, not legal requirements imposed by the software: responsibility for meeting the retention periods and methods remains with the entrepreneur or the corporate bodies, as set out in the Civil Code.

07

Frequently asked questions

• Ten-year retention applies to records, invoices, letters and telegrams, calculated from the date of the last entry.
• Digital record-keeping is permitted if entries remain accessible at any time and, where required, with annual time-stamping and digital signature.
• The inventory book closes with the financial statements and profit-and-loss account, to be signed within three months of the deadline for the tax return.

08

Next step

Check with whoever handles your accounting whether the current archive distinguishes by transaction, whether the books are numbered before use, and whether inventory signing deadlines are met. Where records are kept digitally, verify that accessibility and time-stamping are ensured.