Melitza

While it is true that you can keep I-9s (and any other documentation))as long as you wish, the danger is that should the company be audited, incorrect I-9s can rack up serious fines - audits can even be performed on I-9s of terminated employees and are subject to the same fines. We recommend our clients destroy I-9s as soon as legally permitted. I-9's must be retained for a period of 3 years from date of hire or 1 year from date employment ends, whichever is later. We recommend making a note on terminated employee I-9 forms, the earliest date to shred, then file those forms by date, and shred when possible. Most employee information won't hurt you to keep longer, but I-9s are the exception. And some things, like health /OSHA issues, must be kept for 30 years... I have a document that shows retention dates for all HR documentation if you'd like me to share it with you. Darlene Mack, CEO & Managing Partner, HR Partners Intl, Inc. darlene@HRPIInc.com